Abensberg

From early May until the summer solstice, the asparagus season in Abensberg attracts thousands of gourmets and other gastronomic visitors. During the season, when the farmers open their taverns, Abensberger asparagus are served everywhere along the Danube and Altmühl. The slight bit... Read more

What was once an item for survival during the cold winter months and a technique of not wasting meat scraps is nowadays a delicacy consumed throughout Germany and abroad. Bratwurst stems from two words, an Old High German word brat, meaning meat without waste, and wurst... Read more

This rich, silky egg custard is thickened with gelatin and combined with whipped cream. It is traditionally served cold, and is usually garnished with pieces of fresh fruit or drizzled over with sweet sauces. Although its origins are quite unclear, it is known that Bavarian cream hails from eithe... Read more

Weisswurst or white sausage is a famous specialty of the city of Munich, invented in 1857 by a butcher named Sepp Moser. He was working in a restaurant next to his butcher's shop and had used the last of thick sausage skins used to make regular sausages. To solve the problem, he opted fo... Read more

Schweinebraten is a traditional pork roast originating from Bavaria. It is typically prepared for Sunday lunch and consists of sliced pork roast that's served with homemade gravy, semmelknödel (bread dumplings) or potato dumplings, and either sauerkraut or rotkohl (red cabb... Read more

Wiesn Hendl is the Bavarian roasted chicken, traditionally seasoned only with salt and sometimes parsley, then grilled and sold as half a chicken or whole chicken. During the roasting process, the chicken is often doused with melted butter. It can be found in many beer gardens and it is especiall... Read more

The term Schweinshaxe is typically used in the southern parts of Germany, predominantly in Bavaria, and it usually refers to a whole pork knuckle that is roasted for hours until it is thoroughly cooked and the skin becomes golden brown and crispy. ... Read more

Semmelknödel are popular German bread dumplings–nutritious and convenient, they are one of the most versatile side dishes in traditional German cuisine. Even though there are numerous semmelknödel varieties, which come in various sizes, they all have a recognizable round form and ... Read more

Quarkbällchen, meaning quark balls, is a traditional snack that is typically made by combining quark, flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar, and baking powder. Milk, melted butter, cinnamon, lemon zest, and corn or potato starch are also sometimes added to the combination. The quark mix... Read more

Nürnberger Bratwürste are small, thin sausages originating from the city of Nürnberg in the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. They are typically about 7 to 9 centimeters (2.75 to 3.5 inches) long and weigh around 20 to 25 grams each, making them much smaller and thinner compare... Read more

This Bavarian cheese spread was originally invented to make use of ripened soft cheese. It consists of a creamy combination of butter, paprika, and typically Camembert and Brie, or optionally Romadur, Limburger, and sometimes even cottage cheese. The spread is usually enriched with onions or shal... Read more

Serviettenknödel are German bread dumplings, or Semmelknödel that derive their name - napkin dumplings - from the way they are traditionally cooked: wrapped tightly and steamed inside a cloth napkin called serviette in German. They are typically made with pieces of sta... Read more

The history of Nuremberg's gingerbread is closely tied to the city's role as a crossroad of several European trade routes, a position that bestowed the city with spices from distant countries. Nürnberger Lebkuchen are typically large, round gingerbread wafers with icing that can either be ch... Read more

Cambozola is an unusual German triple-cream cheese made from cow's milk. The cheese is produced in the region of Allgäu since the early 1970s by Käserei Champignon, although it first appeared in the 1900s. This cross between Camembert and Gorgonzola (hence the name) ha... Read more

Bierschinken Wurst (lit. beer ham sausage) is a variety of parboiled German sausage with chunks of pickled pork meat or cooked ham. It typically consists of finely ground pork, bacon, water or ice, salt, and spices such as mace, ginger, cardamom, coriander, and white pepper. Aft... Read more

Bavaria Blu is a German blue cheese that was originally introduced to the market by Bergader in 1972. The cheese is handmade from high-quality pasteurized cow's milk coming from the Bavarian Alps. The rind is mold-ripened and the texture is soft and creamy. The aromas are rich a... Read more

Emmentaler cheese originates from the Swiss Emmental Valley in the Bern canton. Originally, this 'King of the Mountain Cheeses' used to be produced as a pure mountain cheese only during the summer months. Today, Allgäu Emmentaler is available year round. It is made with raw cow's milk, and t... Read more

Allgäu mountain cheese is made with raw, silage-free and untreated cow milk from local dairies in the Bavarian Alps. Often called 'Emmentaler's baby brother', Allgäuer Bergkäse is made in the Allgäu Alps during the spring months, and after about 4 weeks it is brought ... Read more

Although romadur is nowadays considered a German cheese, some believe that it originated in Belgium and was brought over to Germany in the 1830s. Regardless of the origin, today it is considered a specialty of Bavaria. This soft cheese is made from raw cow’s milk, and it is usually... Read more

Bayerischer Süßer Senf is a Bavarian sweet mustard that is traditionally paired with Weißwurst sausages or Leberkäse. It was invented by Johann Conrad Develey in Munich in the 19th century. Develey recognized that a sweet version of mustard was missing on the market... Read more

Rauchkäse is a German smoked cheese that's typically made in Bavaria, but it's also popular throughout the country. The most famous variety is produced by Basils, named after a dairy entrepreneur Basil Weixler. The cheese is semi-soft and has a natural rind. Its texture is ... Read more

Presskopf wurst is a variety of German head cheese that is made with different animal parts such as pork or calf head meat, rinds, bacon, pork heart, and sometimes pork blood or pork muscle meat. The sausage mixture is typically flavored with ingredients such as garlic, onions, pepper, salt, nutm... Read more

This asparagus is grown in Germany's Strobenhausen region. There are two types of this aromatic vegetable – green and white, which may vary in color from white to violet. The farming of asparagus in Schrobenhausen was first mentioned in documents dating back to 1851. The light sandy soil pr... Read more

Bonifaz is a traditional cheese made from cow's milk in the Bavarian Alps. The cheese has a natural rind that hides a creamy and soft texture underneath. Due to the fact that there are many versions of the cheese, the flavors can range from creamy, mild, and milky to garlicky, mushroomy,... Read more

This spreadable, cold-smoked beef sausage is produced exclusively in the Bavarian town of Hof. It's easily distinguished by its so-called umrote – an appealing red color that the sausage acquires during the manufacturing process. Rindfleischwurst spreads easily, and its we... Read more

Along with ale, lager is one of the two main beer categories, and in terms of production, it is the most common beer style in the world. The main distinction between lagers and ales depends on the type of yeast. Lagers use Saccharomyces pastorianus, generally known as bottom-fer... Read more

Helles is a German-style lager that first appeared in Munich in 1894. It was a Bavarian answer to light Czech pilsner. Although Bavaria heavily relied on strong and dark lagers, the popularity of crisp and golden pilsner beers influenced Bavarian brewers to start producing a sim... Read more

Dunkel is a German dark lager that is mostly associated with Bavaria and Munich. This dark beer, which can range from copper to dark brown, is mainly brewed from Munich malt which gives the beer its typical caramel-like and toasty character. The beers that fall under this category will t... Read more

Weissbier is a classic Bavarian wheat ale that is top-fermented and characterized by its mousse-like foam and cloudy appearance—which is a result of a large proportion of wheat and a small amount of barley malt used in its production. German weissbier has to be made with at least 5... Read more

Rauchbier is a German beer style that is associated with Franconia and the city of Bamberg. Translated as smoked beer, the style is made with smoked malt, and it initially appeared in the 14th century. At the time, using smoked malt was the standard, but the invention of drum ki... Read more

Doppelbock is a German beer style that was first brewed in Munich by Paulaner monks. As the name might suggest—doppel translates as double—this style developed as a slightly stronger version of traditional German bock style. Doppelbock beers are usually medi... Read more

Märzen is a German beer style from Bavaria that is closely connected with Oktoberfestbier and shares some similarities with Vienna lager. This style officially appeared in 1841 when it was brewed by Spaten brewery, but a similar style existed well before that. Märzen is an ambe... Read more

Oktoberfestbier is a protected designation used by six Munich breweries that serve their beer at Oktoberfest—the biggest beer festival in the world. The breweries include Augustiner, Hacker-Pschorr, Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Paulaner, and Spaten. The beer that is served at... Read more

Weizenbock is a German beer style that was introduced in 1907 by the Schneider Weisse Brauhaus brewery located in Munich. Weizenbock was supposed to be a middle-ground between the rich and malty doppelbock and wheat beer (weissbier) that was popular at the time. The style comes ... Read more

Club-Mate is a caffeinated soft drink made from mate-extract, an infusion of dried yerba mate leaves. Compared to other soft drinks, it has a relatively low sugar content and a caffeine content of 20 mg per 100ml. It was originally formulated and marketed by Geola Beverages of D... Read more

Dunkelweizen is a moderately dark, wheat-based German ale that is often described as a cross between a dunkel and a hefeweizen (weissbier). These refreshing beers typically range from copper to dark brown and are distinguished for banana and clove-like flavors ... Read more

Bavaria has been an important beer-producing region for centuries, and all Bavarian beers are produced under 1516 Bavarian Purity Law. The beers are made with high-quality ingredients, which are mostly locally-sourced, and the quality of the beer and the components is continuously checked by scie... Read more