Eating in the Black Forest

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Overview food and important dishes in the Black Forest

The cuisine of the Black Forest is largely traditional. It is strongly influenced by the neighbouring regions. However, there are also many dishes that are unique to the Black Forest. However, much of it is also reminiscent of dishes from Swabia, Switzerland, Alsace or other parts of Baden. The majority of inns in the Black Forest still offer mainly local dishes. This applies to simple inns as well as to star-rated restaurants. Many restaurants in the Black Forest have a longer lunch break, from about 2:30 to 5 p.m., and also a day off in the high season. The best Black Forest inns can be found mainly in rural regions a little away from mass tourism. Here, prices are reasonable by southern German standards. Food is usually a little more expensive in the towns near the Swiss border and in Freiburg.

Black Forest gateau

Image: © Marina Lohrbach – Fotolia.com

Black Forest cake is the most famous cake in Germany and the most famous food from the Black Forest. The most important ingredient is the famous Black Forest Kirsch (a schnapps). The Black Forest gateau is a real calorie bomb, but it is delicious. Other ingredients besides kirsch are sponge cake, cream, chocolate and cherries. Of course, the recipe is a little different everywhere. You can get a piece of kirsch cake in the café and in any confectioner’s shop in the Black Forest.


Online tickets Europapark Rust: The amusement park is located in the west of the Black Forest near the Rhine and the border with France. After Corona, there is a lot going on again at Europa-Park Rust. Many visitors are therefore buying tickets online in advance at a lower price:  >>>  You can buy tickets online on the well-known ticket website Getyourguide


Excursion to Europa Park Rust: Many tourists in the Black Forest go on a day trip to Europa Park Rust, the largest amusement park in Germany. The amusement park is in the west of the Black Forest near the Rhine and the border with France. After Corona there is a lot going on again in Europa-Park Rust. That’s why a lot of visitors buy tickets online in advance: You can buy tickets online on the Getyourguide ticket website

Here are the main features of the Black Forest cake.

Layers: The cake usually consists of several layers of chocolate sponge cake soaked in kirsch or cherry liqueur.

Cherries: Sour cherries are usually placed between the sponge cake layers. These cherries can be fresh, pickled or frozen. The cherries and their juice provide a sweet and sour taste.

Cream: The cake is generously topped with whipped cream, and chocolate shavings or crumbs are often sprinkled over the cream. The cream gives the cake a creamy consistency.

Decorated: The cake is often decorated with chocolate curls or sprinkles and fresh cherries.

The Black Forest cake is a demanding cake that requires careful preparation. It is a popular dessert for special occasions. The combination of chocolate, cherries and cream makes them a delicious treat

Black Forest Ham

Image: © Igor Link – Fotolia.com

Black Forest ham is not much less well-known than Black Forest gateau. It is a smoked raw ham. The real Black Forest ham is smoked over fir wood and/or spruce wood for three weeks, as it has been for centuries, even today. Ingredients are often juniper berries, coriander, salt and pepper. A typical feature of Black Forest ham is the large white rind. You can eat the ham in most restaurants in the Black Forest, but you can also buy it at any butcher and even in many souvenir shops (packaged). Packaged Black Forest ham lasts for some time and makes an excellent souvenir.

Onion tart (Zwiebelkuchen)

One of the most delicious food to eat in the Black Forest is Zwiebelkuchen. It is a non-sweet cake with onion, eggs, bacon and sour cream. Zwiebelkuchen is common throughout Baden, but also further north in Rhineland-Palatinate and parts of northern Bavaria. It is very often eaten with fresh wine (Federweißer). Onion tart tastes best straight from the oven when it is still warm. We love Zwiebelkuchen, great food!

Preparation of onion cake.

Ingredients:

250 g finely diced bacon
500g thinly sliced onion
250 g flour
125g butter
1 egg
200 ml sour cream or crème fraîche
Salt and pepper to taste
A pinch of nutmeg
Optional: caraway or marjoram for additional flavor
Directions:

Prepare the dough: Sift the flour into a bowl, add the butter in small pieces, then add the egg and a pinch of salt. Mix quickly to form a smooth dough, then let it rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, fry the bacon in a pan until crispy. Add the onion and cook, stirring, over medium heat until softened. Season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Add caraway or marjoram if desired.

Roll out the dough and place it in a greased baking pan. Spread sour cream or crème fraîche over the dough.

Pour the onion and bacon mixture over the dough and distribute evenly.

Bake the onion cake in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 30-40 minutes until the dough is golden brown and the filling is firm.

Remove the onion cake from the oven, let it cool and cut into slices. It can be served warm or at room temperature.

The onion cake is a hearty and delicious specialty that goes particularly well with a glass of wine or beer and is often served in beer gardens, at wine festivals and in German restaurants, especially in autumn.

Important other dishes in the Black Forest

Spaetzle are a type of homemade noodles that are usually eaten as a side dish. They usually consist only of flour, eggs and salt. Nevertheless, making spaetzle is not that easy and requires a lot of experience.

Kässpätzle are a very common main dish in the Black Forest. However, they can also serve as a side dish to a meat dish. Kässpätzle are spaetzle with cheese and onion (odt fried onion). Like spaetzle, kässpätzle were invented in Swabia rather than the Black Forest.

Metzelsupp is a typical Black Forest food. Metzelsupp is a kind of slaughter platter with sauerkraut.

Maultaschen also come from Swabia. They are larger dumplings with meat. Maultaschen are served in soup as a starter or as a simple main course roasted with eggs and onion.

Of course, a lot of game is eaten in the Black Forest region. Especially deer, roe deer and wild boar are on many menus. Game dishes are usually 20 – 50% more expensive than other meat dishes. A very delicious meal is, for example, roast wild boar with chanterelles. Mushrooms are naturally widespread in the Black Forest thanks to the many forests.

In the Black Forest, fish is usually understood to mean trout. Trout from the clear waters of the Black Forest are a delicacy. There are many varieties of trout, such as Müllerin trout or blue trout.