Bavarian culinary culture shines at Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya (PHOTO: Susan Wong)

The idea of Oktoberfest often conjures up thoughts of tangy sauerkraut, juicy sausages that explode in your mouth, and way too many beers to choose from.

Oktoberfest is an annual beer festival held in Germany stemming from traditions that date back to the 1800s from Bavaria.

Bavaria is Germany’s second most populous state in the country’s southeast and is one of Europe’s oldest states. Rich in history and culinary traditions that date back to Medieval times, Bavarian cuisine is basic and hardy, but full of robust flavours – perfect as an accompaniment for beer!

If you missed out on Oktoberfest 2011, not to worry – you can still get a taste of the selection of beers and the Bavarian pub delights at Brew Bistro and Lounge.

Most popular Bavarian delights

Oktoberfest 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya (PHOTO: Susan Wong)

SAUSAGES: Knockwurst, Bratwurst etc.

Bavarian sausages are known to swell during cooking, usually grilled or roasted, the skins of the sausages burst when bitten into and unleashes delicious juices! The sausages are usually made out of veal, pork or beef.

SAUERKRAUT

Sauerkraut, a sour fermented cabbage, may look like coleslaw; but is very different in taste. One of the major differences between Sauerkraut and coleslaw is that coleslaw’s acidic taste comes from vinegar where as Sauerkraut’s distinctive sour flavour comes from the fermentation process.

Sauerkraut is usually served with sausages and other pork meats. The tartness of the Sauerkraut breaks down the fattiness of the sausages and meats, and as a result provides a nice balance of flavours

Oktoberfest 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya (PHOTO: Susan Wong)

PRETZELS

Pretzels have been an emblem of bakers and especially those in Germany since the early 12th century. Although a popular bread in German-speaking countries, pretzels accompanied with sausages was first popularized in Bavarian culture.

Bavarian pretzels sprinkled with salt and caraway seeds are known as “white” pretzels because of its unglazed finishing. In Bavarian pretzels, the thickness of the dough is usually kept quite thick in order to avoid the dough from baking into a crisp.

PHOTO CREDITS: Susan Wong 2011 ©

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