Friday five – what to eat in Tübingen

Today

At a restaurant in the town square

It’s been a sort of Tübingeny week but since I have German food on the brain it seems like a good time to write about it. Some of these dishes are traditionally Swabian while others you can find all over Germany.

5. Spätzle

Spätzle is a weird noodley sort of pasta which usually accompanies your order of knuckle of pig or whatever giant piece of meat that arrives. It means little sparrow which has nothing to do whatsoever with what it actually is (we hope, oh how we hope because I certainly do not want to speculate on what part of a sparrow it may be). It is unclear where Spätzle originated from, with different regions claiming to have invented this noodley favourite but it is definitely very popular in Swabian Germany. I am going to be frank, I do not really like Spätzle very much. There is something in the texture that vaguely reminds me of polystyrene packaging (not that I have ever eaten that…). But most people love it and it is traditional for the region so give it a go, but I recommend adding gravy.

Little sparrow anyone?
Photo credit: elkit

4. Maultaschen

According to popular legend these giant ravioli-like pockets filled with minced meat, spinach, breadcrumbs and onions were cooked up by some naughty Cistercian monks who wanted to eat meat during a fasting period. Because of course God can’t see through dough. They were a traditional dish in Swabia on Good Friday for this reason (I tend to think God probably has x-ray vision) and have the nickname “little cheaters of God”. Can I just say seriously, can’t these people go without meat for ONE day?! Maultaschen can be eaten in a variety of ways, floating in a thin broth, as is with a side of potato salad or cut into strips and fried. This time I had them geschmältz (covered with butter and onions) but they are very tasty plain as well. Why not accompany them with a side of spätzle and kill two birds (sparrows?) with one stone?

Little cheaters on God
Photo credit: holzgas

3. Bread

Tübingen is a town of bakeries. It is not a big place but there seems to be a bakery on every corner. I don’t know how they stay in business… there must be one for every ten people. But then, the bread is so very, very good that people eat a lot of it. Australia is not really a bread country and Sweden falls woefully short adding sugar into everything. When I spent three weeks in Tübingen in 2007 my favourite part of the day was stopping by the bakery on the corner for a hefeknoten (a tasty, slighty sweet bun) and a cappucino. This time I discovered the best bread rolls in the entire world. They are called Laugenbrötchen and are made from the same dough as pretzels. Plain with a dollop of butter is the most wonderful breakfast. And there are many more I haven’t even tried yet.

Laugenbrötchen
Photo credit: Jess Gambacurta

2. Bratwurst and sauerkraut

Whenever I travel through Germany I am always desperate for sauerkraut. It is one of my favourite things but it is pretty difficult to find good sauerkraut in many places. And of course, what better way to eat it than accompanied by bratwurst and some spicy mustard. If you’re feeling hungry you can even add potatosalad. It’s a staple German food but definitely not one to be passed over for more exotic regional dishes.

Bratwurst and sauerkraut

1. Flammkuchen

This is my new favourite thing. Quite different to a pizza but with the same sort of concept, Flammkuchen has a very thin (and ridiculously delicious) base and no tomato paste covering it. It is usually coated with onions and cheese of some type (the one in the front had large, melted slabs of munster on it) but you can get other toppings. You can find a recipe for it on Wiki cookbooks. I cannot recommend these enough, big enough to share, but don’t… you’ll want to eat the whole thing yourself.

Wonderful flammkuchen

Related posts:

1. Tübingen through the seasons