Bratwurst Mecca Franken

Posted on by October 5, 2019

If there would be such a thing as a pilgrimage site for Bratwurst and Bier, the Northern Bavarian region called Franken would definitely be it.

I wrote about the beer of this region in a previous article so here we will write about the Bratwurst.

To be fair, Bratwurst is widespread all over Germany, but as this is my blog and I originate from the Franken area I am bound by the “Code of the Franks” (lol) to write only about the delicious sausages I grew up with.

The Bratwurst which is translated “Frying Sausage” could include any of the fresh sausages we put on the grill. But what we know as a Bratwurst here in the USA are the sausages introduced and made famous by German immigrants. They are served at any festival with a German/Bavarian background and at many backyard BBQ’s. In the last few years this “Wurst” category was expanded to include many varieties like beer brats, jalapeno brats and even brats with cherries in them.

With all those new flavors here, concocted to increase sales, we have to go back to the Franken region to experience the true, even centuries old, original varieties of these great Wurst/Sausages, many of which are proudly tied to a specific county or even town. The recorded  history of some of these sausages can go back centuries, with the Nuremberger Bratwurst first being documented in the year 1313.

With every town and every butcher making their own variety it is a matter of trying them to find the one that suits your taste buds the best.

Here are a few of the most famous “brands” in the region.

  • Nuremberger Bratwurst are the size of a breakfast sausage, are ground one time and will have Marjoram as part of the seasoning. The usual serving size is either three on a bun or six on a plate with the accompaniments you prefer, like potato salad, sauerkraut, creamed horseradish or just a plain hard roll.
  • Franken Bratwurst found in the north eastern part of this region are usually made from a combination of veal and pork seasoned with a touch of lemon zest, stuffed into a sheep casing (diameter of a hot dog), linked about 7 inches long and after grilling mostly served on long hard rolls with mustard or as a full meal with sauerkraut and potato salad.
  • Coburger Bratwurst are a local specialty made from pork and beef, the casing used, the ingredients, the specific length are strictly regulated by the town and they have to be grilled over pine cones. It is said that the staff held in the right hand of the figurine on top of the Rathaus (City Hall) is the correct length measure for this treat, which is 31 cm long. Do not miss the opportunity to try one, if you are there visiting the enormous castle on a day when they have the farmers market open at the market square.

  • Sulzfelder Meterbratwurst is another famous brat. Originating almost 60 years ago when a patron at a local tavern exclaimed: “These are so good, I could eat them by the meter!” The owner went to his in-house sausage kitchen, made one, cooked and served it 30 minutes later and therewith began a tradition which made this village famous and all Brats here are now ordered only by length. With that came the brave souls who tried to eat for free by breaking the record, which right now stands at a respectable 5 m 60 cm (over 18 feet) plus sides. As we are here in the Main wine area this usually dry wine often ordered and served with it compliments this meal.
  • Another popular, regional preparation method for brats is the Sauere or Blaue Zipfel with the recipe at our Inge’s Kitchen website.

This is only a sampling of the wide variety available in this area and at one point I will work out a tour/trip on the theme

“The Beer and Bratwurst of Franconia”

and it will be full of sight seeing, fun, eating and drinking!

Wirtshaus zur Stieglmühle

Posted on by April 12, 2012
Wirtshaus zur Stieglmühle
Stieglmühle 1
95679 Waldershof

Close to the northern border of the Bavarian Oberpfalz/Upper Palatinate region is the “Stieglmühle”, a wood and grain mill which was first mentioned at this location in 1591 and is now the home of a remarkable restaurant.

Fifteen years ago, Uwe Gläßl, the son of the senior chef at the Gasthauses “Am Strand” in nearby Marktredwitz (the first restaurant reviewed in this blog), purchased this place and after redesigning and extensively remodeling it opened the restaurant under the motto of “Good Food at affordable Prices”. Uwe Gläßl, an accredited chef with the degree of a “Metzgermeister” (master butcher and sausage maker), runs this award winning establishment together with his wife Karin.

Offering a nice variety of local and  seasonal specialties which also include dishes made from wild hog, deer meat, trout and carp besides the more traditional pork, lamb, beef and poultry dishes.

As at many of the local restaurants the cost of food is not a surprise once you enter as there is very often a glass enclosed case outside the entrance with the menu of the day in it.

The Bierdeckel or Bierfilz:

Posted on by March 24, 2012

The Bierdeckel or Bierfilz

The cardboard disk that accompanies your beer or even soft drink is not a stale, flat tasting cookie to keep you from getting drunk (was tried often, without success) but it was originally used as a coaster to….

Read on at our “Things Bavarian” site and you might be amazed at the different uses of this “gadget”.

The Stammtisch

Posted on by March 24, 2012

The Stammtisch, a Place and/or an Occasion!

The Place:

Every respectable beer hall or restaurant serving beer in Bavaria is home to a table called the “Stammtisch”. It is a table very often round in shape, reserved for a group of regulars of the place. Even if the restaurant is occupied to the limit this particular table might remain empty if none of the regulars are present. Sitting at this table is usually by invitation only. It is usually marked with a sign.

The Occasion:

In some cases it is also a reserved table for a particular time period, like as an example every Tuesday evening for a Soccer fan club. The Hofbräuhaus in Munich is actually home to over 100 different “Stammtische”, one of them meets every Saturday and Sunday, the next one daily, while another one gets together only once a month. A list of the Hofbräuhaus ones is published on their web site, the Hofbräuhaus even goes as far as printing custom Bierfilz or Bierdeckel(coaster) for these groups.

A Stammtisch may consist of a few members or may include many, some are very close knit, while others are open for a particular group, all members of an organization, employees of a company also international members of such. So if you work for BMW USA and you happen to go to a restaurant with a BMW Stammtisch, I almost guarantee that you will be very welcome there.

The Stammtisch I used to belong to, and if this particular place would still exist I would still be part of, served you your beer in your personal mug or glass, which were kept at the bar. You went and bought yourself a glass or stein, it had to have the official size mark (Eichmark, see picture below) on it, brought it to your pub and if you ordered a beer it was always served in your mug.

Eichmark

I visited places where the regulars actually had small lockable alcoves to keep their steins in.

Landgasthaus Hubert, Rettern

Posted on by March 22, 2012

Reviewed by H.-G.

Landgasthaus Hubert
Kanzelstraße 9
91330 Rettern

The region around Forchheim has a large selection of notable restaurants and among them is the Landgasthaus Hubert in Rettern (website in German only). It is a family owned and run business with an excellent down to earth kitchen and different beers on tap including the well known Original Schlenkerla smoked beer from Bamberg.

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During the Franconian Carp season, which span all the months with the letter “R” in it (September to April), outstanding dishes centering around the carp are included in the menu. Every second Tuesday it is time for their locally renowned Schlachtschüssel***.

It is good for your body and soul to combine a visit to Hubert’s with an invigorating hike or cross country skiing in winter time on the marked paths around the “Rettener Kanzel” here in the Franconian Jura.

***Schlachtschüssel or Schlachtplatte is a Franken speciality which usually includes blood and liver sausages and Kesselfleisch (boiled pork).

Osterbrunnen – Easter Fountains

Posted on by March 21, 2012

 As Easter is approaching, so is the annual tradition of decorating the wells and fountains.

Osterbrunnen in Bieberbach. Picture by Alma

The history of decorating the local fountains with flowers goes back to pagan times and was done in spring to appease the spirit of the well, the most elaborate one of these festivals would be the “Brunnenfest” in Wunsiedel at the end of June.

Osterbrunnen – Easter Fountains

Decorating the local fountains for Easter is said to have started in the small municipality of Aufseβ (famous, as it is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records to have the most breweries per capita) over a century ago and spread from there to all over the “Fränkische Schweiz” (Franconian Jura) in Upper Franken. Water is scarce in this region and the maintenance of the local water supplies was always a high priority for the well being of the people and animals. So during the annual spring cleaning of their well(s) the tradition of decorating them was established and is now done in over 200 towns and villages.

The wells and fountains are decorated with evergreens and painted Easter eggs like the fountain in Bieberbach above. Decorated with thousands of eggs it actually made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in the year 2000.

Over the years these villages attracted more and more visitors during this time and nowadays there are “Photo Safaris” with buses coming from as far away as Berlin and Munich. The unofficial count for one of the locations hit more than 80 buses in one day.

Naturally the more than 70 local breweries with their excellent “Bier(s)” and the numerous “Gasthaus(es)” with their mouth watering “Brotzeit(s)” and other famous local dishes make a trip there even more appealing, especially on a bus with the freedom to enjoy more then one beer.

Heiligenstadt, picture vertacross.net

vertacross.net has an excellent selection of Easter fountain pictures, click on the names on the left of the different towns or villages to see the fountains, if you follow the red arrow at the bottom of the page it will forward you to the next page and is actually very easy to click through these excellent pictures, thanks “vertacross” for sharing them. (German language only)

 

Aufsess, picture vertacross.net

Bavarian Festivals & Traditions

Posted on by March 21, 2012

Festival of the Fountains, Wunsiedel

Every country in this world is rich with their customs and rituals and celebrates them with festivals and events throughout the year.

These festivals, ranging from ancient to modern, are a fun way to meet the locals and get to know them. On these occasions people are usually friendlier and more open to meet others, here many new friends are made.

 Bavarians love to celebrate and thus love the opportunity for a good “Fest”, as shown by the many diverse festivals and events occurring during the year in every town, village and even single locations.

Some of these are based on historic events, some on religion, special products and annual markets, some are very small and only attended by the locals, some are celebrated in a whole region and others bring millions from all over like the biggest annual party in the world, the Oktoberfest in Munich,

but all Bavarian festivals have one thing in common and it is best described with the German word

Gemütlichkeit.

There is no single English translation, so here is my attempt to explain it.

Gemütlichkeit is the feeling when you experience good times, among good friends and acquaintances, relaxed and excited at the same time, some local beer, food and music can add to it. It is being snug and cozy and you feel accepted, comfortable and at peace. It is one of the best feelings in the world.

Picture borrowed from www.oktoberfest.de

These festivals start on the first day of the year and end, yes, you guessed it, on the last.

Our “Things Bavarian” website is devoted to introducing many of these festivals to you in our “Meet the Regions, Towns and Places” section. To give you a list of all the festivals in Bavaria would be too overwhelming, so we gave it a good start and add more as we work on the different regions and find out more from our contributors.

Eisbock, the strongest of the Bavarian Strongs

Posted on by March 21, 2012

This supposedly happened during the Winter of 1890.

A brewery worker in Kulmbach forgot to bring in a barrel of bock beer during a very cold winter’s night.

Naturally the beer froze and split the barrel wide open.

The Brew master was livid and ordered the worker to drink some of the non frozen liquid as penance.

This liquid had much of the water removed through the freezing process and was excellent.

This is the legend behind the origin of the “Bayerische G´frorne” or Eisbock

A Bavarian story:

Posted on by May 19, 2012

Ein Bayer sitzt am Ufer des Starnberger Sees und fischt, ein Engländer fällt ins Wasser und schreit “Help, help”.

Der Bayer ruft zurück: “Schwimma hätt’ns lerna soll’n anstatt Englisch”.

Same story Americanized:

A Hillbilly sits at the lake fishing, a German tourist falls into the water and starts screaming: ‘Hilfe, hilfe”

The Hillbilly:” Mister, you rather should’a learn’d swimming instead o’ German”

Our featured Restaurants

Posted on by March 21, 2012

The first reason for the restaurant category in this blog is to introduce you to eating establishments which we and our contributors consider well worth a visit. This will include places which might show up in the esteemed Michelin restaurant guide and these probably are in the middle to upper price class.

But discovering and introducing the many establishments which are off the beaten track and have an exceptional portion/price ratio with quality standards that come up to our expectations is the main purpose for this section.

We are talking about the places out in small villages, which have their own farm, their own brewery or their own fish hatchery, the places which make their own sausage or even have their own bakery or distillery. They might not have a renowned 4 star chef working there, but their cook(s) know(s) how to prepare a good meal and you should not leave there hungry. Places where the menu might be a little limited but the few dishes they serve are favorites of the locals.

We try to introduce you to cozy and rustic restaurants decorated in the ways typically for the area featuring the local specialties and some of the many beer gardens, where you can relax and enjoy a nice sunny afternoon.

We also will try to familiarize you with ways to save on your food bill to make your stay a little more affordable, especially considering the exchange rate of today’s US Dollar.

With this in mind we also have to point out some of the “quirks” you might encounter which you might find odd or are not familiar with. But like the saying goes “When in “Bavaria” do as the “Bavarians” do, sorry I think I mistook the nationality, it might have been said about the Romans. So in the next article “Bavarian Restaurants 101” I will try to point out some of these differences.

We are proud of what this region has to offer and want to make your visit there enjoyable and exciting.