Culinary Bremen - Experiences in Germany

Jueves, 01 Febrero de 2024 a las 00:44:35

Publicado por Oficinas-Turismo

Kale with pinkel, labskaus and knipp: admittedly, Bremen's specialities do sound a bit like something you'd get used to. But that doesn't make them any less delicious. A mixture of proximity to the sea and connections to rural life forms the basis of traditional Bremen cuisine.

But the city's long coffee and brewing traditions also leave their mark, as do the regional delicacies cabbage, asparagus and strawberries. It's also impossible to imagine the culinary map of Bremen without the rollo, which was invented in Bremen, and the many sweets made here. Let Bremen melt in your mouth!

Kohl und Pinkel (kale and sausage)
Probably the most renowned Bremen speciality is "Kohl und Pinkel" – a generous dish of kale (known locally as "Grünkohl", which means green cabbage), accompanied by Kasseler (smoked pork), Bauchspeck (belly pork) and Pinkel (sausage). Although the word "Pinkel" sometimes has other connotations, here it simply refers to a traditional sausage made with meat, groats and spices. For Bremen locals, it's an indispensable part of a meal with kale. "Kohl und Pinkel" usually appear on menus in the cold winter months, after the first frosts. Many people in and around Bremen use this as an opportunity to enjoy an extended Kohlfahrt before the meal. Traditionally, locals fill hand carts with kale and pull them through the fields and byways around Bremen. Fortified against the cold by shots of schnapps, they gather together to chat, play games, and look forward to a hearty portion of "Kohl und Pinkel" at the end of the day.

Labskaus (meat stew)
Like everywhere else in the far North of Germany, labskaus is also traditionally enjoyed in Bremen. Although the dish, which consists mainly of potatoes, salted meat and beetroot, doesn't look particularly appetising when presented on the plate, it's an essential part of the menu in any restaurant that offers hearty traditional fare. A local variant of labskaus includes roll mops (pickled herring), gherkins and a fried egg.

Fried Smelt (small silvery sea fish)
At one time, smelts swam up the Weser in such numbers between January and March that you could scoop them out of the river by the bucketful. For this reason, fried smelt was long regarded as a poor person's dish. Today, however, it is a sought-after speciality. Traditionally coated in rye flour and then fried, it is served up in many places in spring.