My second adventure out of London this semester was to Nuremberg, Germany. Why Nuremberg? Well, first because tickets were cheap, and I was on a student budget. Second, one of my roommates really wanted to visit Bavaria (although we’d soon discover that Nuremberg is really Franconian), and third, the city has a lot of complicated, interesting history that I was excited to learn more about. And lucky for me, Nuremberg food is also a big draw, particularly well known for its strict food purity laws that lead to some very, VERY good sausages.
Day One: Sausages and more
After yet another disgustingly early flight, we checked into our Airbnb and found our way into the old part of the city, the Altstadt, to fill our hungry bellies. Not surprisingly, a large number of restaurants and shops were named after Albrecht Dürer, a famous Renaissance artist who was born and worked in Nuremberg. We started off our Franconian feast by sharing a pretzel with three dipping sauces for an appetizer.
My roommate’s adventurous palate (shoutout Mickey) aligned with my own, and we split two dishes to try as much food as possible. First, six Nuremberg sausages with sauerkraut and potato salad and second, was roast pork shoulder with a potato dumpling and more sauerkraut. Now, Nuremberg sausages are special. Because of food purity laws (which also apply to their beer), in order for a sausage to be deemed a Nuremberg sausage, it’s got to be 9 centimeters in length and weigh no more than 25 grams. The pork was a bit fatty for my taste, but everything else was delicious. Who would’ve guessed that Nuremberg is such a culinary landmark?
After lunch, we trekked to the hauptmarkt, the local market square. At Christmastime, its is a lively, jolly place and although we missed that by about two months, there were still plenty of stands selling everything, from candy to hot food. We picked up fruit, cheese, and fresh baked farmers bread to have for breakfast during our stay. There were lots of varieties to choose, so we got some plain and Bauernbrot, a dark, hearty bread flavored with "German bread spice," which includes caraway, rye, anise, and fennel. The baker was kind enough to give us a sample, and it was SO flavorful.
The other thing that we bought at the market changed my life: I've never had a cookie as intensely flavored as this one. As Nuremberg is hugely known for its Christmas market, it's home to the most amazing gingerbread-esque cookie that I have ever eaten. They're called Lebkuchen, and are flavored with hazelnut, citrus peel, cinnamon, cloves, and much, much more. They're sold in many different forms, so of course, we bought a variety pack so we could try the plain, glazed, and chocolate covered cookies. Each one impressed more than the last.
Day 2: All About the Desserts
After a visit to the Nuremberg Toy Museum (because this place is really well known for its toys) and the Albrecht Dürer Museum, located in the house he actually lived in, we strolled to the market to experience some more delicious German food. Next up, the drei im weggla, translated to "three in a bun," which is a sandwich roll with three famous Nuremberg sausage from a street cart. It’s considered more of a snack than a meal, so I opted to dress mine up with some sauerkraut and mustard. Delish!
Now, knowing me (and both of my roommates, for that matter), dessert was much needed at this point. We managed to find our way back to a bakery that we walked by the day before and tried our luck inside. This was the first time we encountered someone who didn’t speak any English, and considering our limited German vocabulary (I’m talking “hello,” “please,” and “thank you”), we did pretty well and came out of there with two delicious cakes to try. From some internet research, we’ve deduced that one was most likely Danube Wave Cake (vanilla and chocolate cake layered with tart cherries, German buttercream, and chocolate ganache). The other we haven't been able to pinpoint, but it was a yummy chocolate and cherry cake with a streusel topping.
Dinner was late after the many museums we visited, we were hungry (read: hangry) and many of the restaurants we tried were full. Finally, we stumbled across one that a local woman had recommended the night before and were seated, sharing a table with a very nice German couple.
All three of us opted to have weinschorle with our meals; that is, white wine spritzers made with local wine. And we kept it simple with our meals too, with different kinds of schnitzel: mine was pork, with the traditional lemon on top and fried potatoes on the side. One of the German dishes that I've found pretty frequently at home, schnitzel is a style of cooking meat (turkey, pork, the ever popular veal for wiener schnitzel...). It's pounded super thin, and then breaded and fried to the perfect crispyness. Maybe not the healthiest thing on the menu, but also incredibly yummy.
Our server was patient with our minimal understanding of the German menu, and he suggested a dessert that would be big enough for the three of us to share. Kaiserschmarrn consists of a sweet pancake shredded up into bits, mixed with rum soaked raisins, topped with powdered sugar, and served with ice cream, whipped cream, and apple sauce on the side. While I was a bit hesitant going in, this was DELISH. If you ever find yourself in Nuremberg, don't skimp on the desserts, because every one I had was worth my while.
Day 3: German Mac & Cheese?
Our last big meal was one that I had been looking forward to the entire time we were in Germany. Käsespätzle is essentially German mac & cheese, often made with gruyere and topped with fried onions. Instead of regular pasta, spätzle is a traditional German egg noodle, and it happens to be one of my dad's favorite things, so I'm quite familiar with it. I was absolutely not disappointed with this cheesy, gooey goodness, and I'm on the lookout for somewhere that I can get it at home.
Our final food stop in Nuremberg was for dessert, of course. At a bakery on the edge of the hauptmarkt, we got traditional apple strudel. I'm a big strudel fan, but more on that when I get to my virtual food tour of Austria ;).
I hadn't expected my trip to Nuremberg to be such a culinary adventure, but I can safely say that I was impressed. I was introduced to traditional Franconian food, and learned a lot through the in-depth history that can be told by that food. All I can say now is that I'm in the mood for a hearty German meal-- I just might have to take a trip out to the Gunk Haus, the closest place to me that I can get traditional German food.