Tasty treats from Germany’s regions

12 November 2019

They have names such as ‘dicke dörthe’, ‘stöffche’, Göttingen stracke and ‘klitscher’ from Saxony: thirteen of Germany’s federal states are represented in eight halls on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds, showing the wide range of regional food, beverages and luxury products on offer. The International Green Week Berlin is serving the widest range ever of regional delicacies from all over Germany. From 17 to 26 January some 500 exhibitors from the coast to the Alps will be presenting their own regional delicacies, with plenty of local colour too. In settings reflecting their own particular landscapes, local specialities with a typical regional flavour are being exhibited by Baden-Württemberg (Hall 5.2b), Bavaria (22b), Berlin (22a), Brandenburg (21a), Hesse (22a), Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (5.2b), Lower Saxony (20), North Rhine-Westphalia (5.2a), Rhineland-Palatinate (22a), Saxony (21b), Saxony-Anhalt (23b), Schleswig-Holstein (5.2a) and Thuringia (20).

Baden-Württemberg goes for game
Tasty saddle of venison, spare ribs from wild pigs and, to an increasing extent, grilled game are available throughout the year to delight anyone who enjoys their meat. In the garden restaurant on the combined stand of Baden-Württemberg in Hall 5.2b visitors can enjoy all kinds of game prepared in the local way. Forests cover almost 40 per cent of the land area of Baden-Württemberg and, as a state with such a large wooded area, Baden-Württemberg contains more than 50 different types of trees and provides a unique natural habitat for many indigenous wild animals. Game, the meat of these animals, is unmistakable on account of its distinctive and fine flavour.

Bavaria takes eating seriously
Welcome to the land of enjoyment – Welcome to Bavaria in Hall 22b. An area of 2,300 square metres features typical Bavarian delicacies, traditional customs and glimpses of the attractive countryside in all of the state’s different regions. Visitors can also find refreshment with local beers and delicacies in the original Bavarian beer garden. Bavarian musicians and costumed performers will be featured on the stage, and the state’s most attractive vacation regions will be inviting the public to experience real Bavarian cordiality for themselves. There is something for everyone here, from a wide selection of cheeses to Franconian wines, the finest speciality dumplings, unusual apple balsam vinegar and high quality products made with alpaca wool. A special area has been provided this year to ensure twice as much pleasure: the Bavarian State Organisation for Viticulture and Horticulture (LWG) is presenting ‘Enjoyment at 100 different locations in Bavaria’. The adjacent Berchtesgadener Land is offering visitors selected regional delicacies and there is even a maker of Berchtesgaden lederhosen, who can be seen at work crafting the distinctive leather shorts. Bavaria certainly takes eating seriously.

Creative & sustainable: That’s Berlin
The Berlin hall, No. 22a, features a combination of tradition and startups. There are old-established Berlin businesses such as Curry 36 as well as Kukki Cocktail, a start up selling frozen cocktails, and Naturopolis, an urban farming project that is experimenting with a ‘seaside roof garden’ to supply vegetables to the catering sector. The subject of sustainability is also the dominant feature of toogoodtogo, which is committed to reducing food waste. It therefore comes as no surprise that Berlin was awarded the title of ‘Fairtrade Town’ in 2018. The coffee roaster Berliner Kaffeerösterei is making its debut on the Berlin stand, where it is demonstrating how the best quality can be attained while operating under fair conditions. The coffee beans are obtained directly from the producer and are roasted by hand to ensure that none of the flavour is lost. The end result is top quality coffee, which can be smelt, tasted and enjoyed by visitors to the Berlin hall.

Brandenburg display gets a makeover
The Brandenburg hall, No.21a, will surprise visitors with a completely new look. There continues to be a focus on the many small suppliers, who exercise a greater economic influence in Brandenburg than in other German states, thereby helping to create a distinctive identity. There is a strong link between the district known as Beelitzer Sander and the asparagus from the same area, which has been designated by the EU as a protected brand name. The Spreewald district is synonymous with the local gherkins, while the writing of Theodor Fontane helped to associate the River Havel with its zander. The hall also has a number of exhibitors whose products might not automatically be associated with Brandenburg. Apart from those living in this region surrounding the German capital, not many people are aware that the Brandenburg Marches also includes a small but active community of wine producers, as well as numerous manufacturing enterprises distinguished by their skills and traditional handicrafts. The state is one of the leading producers of buckthorn berries, as well as playing a major role in ecological cultivation, which now occupies 12 per cent of the total area under agricultural production. All of the exhibitors in the Brandenburg hall are keen to engage in discussions with consumers. The Green Week always has been and still is an ideal place for the mainly small and medium-sized businesses in the agricultural and food production sectors in Brandenburg to test new items or to assess demand for well-established traditional products.

‘The taste of Hesse today!’
The organisation MGH GUTES AUS HESSEN is using a new concept to promote the state of Hesse in Hall 22a, where visitors are invited to experience a landscape dominated by the local apple cider. Market stalls offering such local specialities as ahle wurscht sausage from the north of the state, Pfungstadt beer and Odenwald wine, while Griesels ice cream can be seen and tasted here. And of course they bear the seals of quality and origin, ‘Bio aus Hessen’ and ‘Geprüfte Qualität – Hessen’. North Hessian ahle wurscht is a traditional home-reared product that even today is mainly made by butchers who also do their own slaughtering, because meat that is processed immediately after slaughtering results in a raw sausage with a particularly tender consistency. The typical local cider is also an essential feature of the presentation. Also known as ‘stöffche’, its refreshing, tangy flavour is back in fashion and is now available in many different forms, such as rosé or mixed with cherry juice. And there is plenty to interest nature lovers too, with information about many aspects of this beautiful state and about farm holidays to tempt people to visit Hesse. In the cider garden the television chef Rainer Neidhart will be appearing in a demonstration kitchen together with countrywomen from Hesse and chefs from the Wetterau district to conjure up some dishes that will delight anyone who enjoys typical delicacies from Hesse.

Regional produce from Mecklenburg-West Pomerania
The state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania is welcoming visitors to its own hall, No, 5.2b, for the 21st time. Occupying some 1,800 square metres, the 70 or so exhibitors are presenting products that are strongly associated with the state. Visitors can enjoy items such as a smoked fish canapé and a hearty beer known as ‘Arktik Ale’. Specialities are also being offered here that one would not normally associate with Mecklenburg or West Pomerania, such as buckthorn marzipan and smoked ham made with ostrich meat.

Lower Saxony: well known both regionally and internationally
Lower Saxony – scenic and cultural diversity in the heart of Germany. In Hall 20 the German state between the rivers Ems and Elbe, and between the North Sea and the Harz mountains, has one of the oldest-established displays of any German state at the Green Week. Regional specialities that also have an international reputation include a ham known as Osnabrücker friedensschinken and genuine Göttingen stracke, a full-flavoured, air-dried sausage spread. Schnuckenbräu, a regional beer made by a small brewery in the Luneberg Heath, as well as various traditional spirits distilled by Klosterbrennerei Wöltingerode in the Harz mountains, are also highly recommended. And there is also something completely new: Altländer apple curry sauce, which is fresh, natural, fruity and pleasantly spicy, and the perfect accompaniment to a tasty curry sausage.

North Rhine-Westphalia, full of enjoyment
Using the slogan ‘City, countryside. River’ various food producing associations and companies in Hall 5.2a are presenting delicacies from the state’s producers and its agriculture. In keeping with its reputation as the most water-abundant German state, it is not surprising to find some high quality fish products in the display. Trout has an outstanding flavour, whether cold-smoked, baked or cooked in a crust of dill. Spring water from deep below the surface of eastern Westphalia is valued for its mineral-rich properties. Water also forms the basis for the production of regional craft beers. And ketchup made with beetroot is really something special.

Rhineland-Palatinate: Wines, sparkling wines and much more besides
Hall 22a features Rhineland-Palatinate as the nation’s number one wine producer. Around two thirds of all the vineyards in Germany can be found along the Rhine and its tributaries, in the six regions of Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Mosel, Nahe, Ahr and Mittelrhein. The cultivation of grapes has had a unique impact on the landscape. This region has plenty to satisfy lovers of elegant rieslings as well as those who prefer fruitier wines. Approximately eight per cent of the vineyards are cultivated organically. In the state’s Wine Lounge visitors will find the perfect accompaniment to wines in the form of regional culinary delights from Rhineland-Palatinate. In the adjoining display known as the WEINWERK wine producers from all of Germany’s cultivation areas will be presenting their artisanally produced wines and sparkling wines to dealers and the public.

Enjoy Saxony
In 2020 the Free State of Saxony is occupying the whole of Hall 21b. In a display covering 2,300 square metres visitors will be able to find numerous specialities to help them enjoy Saxony with all their senses, including a long tradition of coffee production and baking at the new Coffee Lounge. Here one can sample coffee made with freshly hand-roasted beans together with a slice of eierschecke cake. For those who prefer something with a stronger flavour there are bratwurst sausages from Erzgebirge, or a Saxon ‘klitscher’, a type of potato pancake. And a beer from one of Saxony’s breweries is the perfect accompaniment.

Regional highlights from Saxony-Anhalt
The state located between Altmark and Burgenland is present in all its diversity in Hall 23b, with the emphasis on quality. The current winners of the culinary competition ‘Kulinarisches Sachsen-Anhalt’ range from full-flavoured Halberstadt sausages to the finest organic coffee from Rösterei Hannemann, as well as various alcoholic beverages including ‘Dicke Dörthe’ beer from the brewery Schulzens Brauerei, selected wines from the vineyard Landesweingut Klosta Pforta and the Freyburg vintners’ association. These are just some of the regional highlights to be found in the Saxony-Anhalt hall. And for those who like things more colourful, Martin Kramer is the man to see. Twice voted Germany’s champion cocktail mixer, he can offer visitors not only traditional combinations but also some creations of his own.

Culinary diversity from Schleswig-Holstein
During the Green Week there is also a maritime flavour to the food on offer in the new Schleswig-Holstein hall, No. 5.2a. Chefs from the regional DEHOGA associations have created many new dishes for this occasion. These include a typical north German vegetable stew by the name of schnüsch with grilled fillet of plaice, matjes herrings in apple sauce with small potatoes and Baltic cod coated with egg. Among the other dishes being prepared are baked sea trout on horseradish and sweetheart cabbage with beetroot, and baked salmon fillet with parsley sauce, salted potatoes and carrot salad. And of course there will also be such traditional items as Holstein kale with smoked pork chops, pork cheek, cooked sausage, mustard mousse and sweet potatoes.

Tasty delights from Thuringia
There are delicious things to enjoy everywhere in the green heart of Germany: Thuringia is noted for its fine beers, bratwurst sausages, dumplings and many innovative products. The state will also be presenting its culinary visiting card in Hall 20 at the IGW. The display will include many specialities, among them Thuringian dumpling fries from Stützerbach. These are made with genuine Thuringian dumpling dough and are an ideal accompaniment to a Sunday roast, as well as to sweet dishes like apple puree or stewed cranberries. And of course these taste just as good in the traditional ‘red and white’ form. Hofladen Ziegenried is presenting cheese, yoghurt and smooth ice creams of various kinds, all made entirely with sheep’s milk, by hand, in the shop’s own dairy. The well-known filinchen crispbread is now available as a snack in various combinations, either sweet or savoury, as a delicious treat for any occasion.

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