The most interesting culinary festivals in Baden Wuerttemberg
Categories: Sightseeing, Cultural and History, Dining
Grünkernfest - Walldürn (Walldürn vacation rentals | Walldürn travel guide)
In the extreme North of Baden-Württemberg, in the middle of the Odenwald, there is the ominously-called region of the Badian Siberia
. Here, a cereal which has had quite the career into just about any and all German bakeries is being grown: spelt. This its home also uses it as Grünkern, green spelt, made into soups, stews or a kind of pancake. In the middle of July, when its festival takes place, it will not be cold even here, and one can learn about the growing and use of this Badian cereal on a visit to the open-air museum close by Walldürn, which is worth a visit. One of its highlights are the original-like furnishings of farmer's houses from the 1950s.
Zwiebelfest - Esslingen (Esslingen vacation rentals | Esslingen travel guide)
Celebrating the onion, as this festival does, no longer seems strange when considering that the Zwiebelrostbraten of fried beef and onions is one of the best-known Swabian dishes. For decades already, the Zwiebelfest (onion festival) has been taking place in Esslingen and offering a whole range of specialties, besides Zwiebelrostbraten or dumplings (Maultaschen) baked with onions and cheese.
Interestingly, the name Zwiebelfest is only indirectly related to the onion. It goes back to a legend according to which the devil asked a marketwoman in Esslingen for an apple. She recognized him in spite of his costume, for a horse foot still showed and he still stank of sulfur, and so she gave him an onion instead of an apple. The devil bit into the juicy "apple" and cried out: "If those are your apples, which are really onions (Zwiebeln), then you shall not be known as Esslinger but as Zwiebeln (onions)." And so, even today, the inhabitants of Esslingen are called Zwiebeln or Zwieblinger.
Käsemarkt - Schwäbisch-Hall
On this Southern German cheese market, cheesemakers from all over Germany and the neighboring countries offer a near-endless variety: goat cheese, blue cheese, soft cheeses, hard cheeses, cheese with herbs or rolled into wine leaves…
The Hohenloher Freilandmuseum (open-air museum) in Schwäbisch-Hall is not only a gigantic cheese market, though, but also allows the visitor to discover traditional agriculture in old farmer's houses and gardens, fields and stables.
One specialty of the museum is its breeding and care for old animal breeds. Don't forget to come in good, strong shoes, for the area is very extensive, and roaming widely in it is worth it!
Bärlauchtage - Eberbach
It may be hard to believe, given how Bärlauch - ramson or wild leek - looks like lily of the valley and smells and tastes like garlic, but there is even a ramson queen. Her home town is Eberbach am Neckar, which holds its Bärlauchtage (ramson days) every year and then crowns a new ramson queen. Of course, there are also many other events during these days celebrating the herb and its queen, and with everyone tasting of it, no one can complain about the smell.
By the way: the sgraffito paintings on the houses were only created 50 years ago, but by now, they absolutely belong to Ebersbach (Ebersbach vacation rentals | Ebersbach travel guide).
Erdbeerfest in Oberkirch
The Ortenau is a region between Black Forest and Rhine, well-known for the fruit-growing there. Not only the tasty cherries used in Black Forest Cherry Cake, but also the strawberries celebrated in this festival are grown here. Driving from one village here to another, one often discovers giant strawberries which turn out to be roadside stands where freshly harvested strawberries are sold.
At the festival in Oberkirch, it's all about the strawberries and all the things that can be made out of them. Marmelades, cakes, desserts… and since it's summer, strawberry punch or ice cream. And in this town with dozens of distilleries, some fine strawberry spirit can surely be found…
Find and book quality Germany Vacation Rentals and Holiday Apartments ...
By Vacation Theme: Alpine Villages, Beach Vacations, German Castles, Historic Old Towns, Lake Vacations, Metropolitan Cities, Small Villages, Spa Towns, [ + ] more ...
By State: Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia, [ + ] more ...
Related Links
About this Article
This travel guide has been written by Gaby Leeser.
Ich bin studierte Volkskundlerin und gelernte Fernsehreporterin , reise sehr gerne beruflich und privat durch Deutschland und verbringe meinen Urlaub seit Jahren nur in Ferienhäusern oder Ferienwohnungen.
Beruflich habe ich sowohl für das ZDF und den SWR gearbeitet, aber auch für verschiedene private TV Sender - daneben habe ich mich immer mehr auf Recherchen zu den unterschiedlichsten Themen spezialisiert.
Ansonsten lebe ich mit Mann und Foxterrier in Mainz , sammle alte Kochbücher , backe eigenes Brot und fahre mit meinen kleinen grünen MG gerne in die nähere und weitere Umgebung um Neues zu entdecken und stundenlang mit meinem Hund spazieren zu gehen.
More Germany Travel Related Articles
- Visiting Germany - Why not Learn Some Useful German Everyday Phrases?
- Schwanstetten – Quiet Oasis Close to Nuremberg
- Göhren-Lebbin, visit the Land of Thousand Lakes
- Enjoy Wild Days and Nights in Germany's Captial
- The Ruhr – European Capital of Culture 2010
- Cologne, discovered with all senses
- Top 5 German Christmas Markets
- Freiburg Wine Festival
- Neustadt am Rübenberge – A Cozy Town Surrounded by Mystical Moorlands
- Castle Neuschwanstein - A Bavarian Castle
Nearby Destinations Where You Can Find Nice Germany Vacation Rentals
Tübingen
Tübingen's scenic location between the forests, the Swabian Jura (Schwäbische Alb) and the river Neckar make it a beautiful stop in south-west Germany. Its flair is comparable to cities like Heidelberg or Freiburg, although Tübingen is smaller than…
Related: Tübingen travel guide
Stuttgart
Stuttgart was founded in the 10th century; its name is a modern version of the original Stutengarten (mare's garden
). Presently it is the 6th largest city in Germany. It is most famous for its automotive industry - both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz…
Related: Stuttgart travel guide
Ulm
Ulm is a town at the edge to Bavaria in Baden-Württemberg, south west Germany. Visit Ulm's old town: It has the highest steeple (Cathedral) in the world (161.53m) - the Munster - even higher than the Dome of Cologne. The famous Albert Einstein was born…
Related: Ulm travel guide
Lichtenstein (Reutlingen)
Lichtenstein is a municipality in the Tübingen administrative region (Regierungsbezirk) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It lies at the foot of the Swabian Alb (plateau).
Rottenburg am Neckar
Rottenburg am Neckar (until July 10, 1964 only Rottenburg) is a medium-sized town in the administrative district (Landkreis) of Tübingen in Baden-Württemberg. It rests about 50 km southwest of the provincial capital Stuttgart and about 12 km southwest…
Related: Rottenburg am Neckar travel guide
Feedback, comments, questions?
If you have visited here please share your experiences with our readers on Facebook. Or, if you have other cool trip suggestions and would like to contribute a travel guide here, please drop me an email. We also are encouraging free-lancers, travel guide writers or publishers who have great Germany related content to send us an email and get in touch with us.
