Krokant Becher - 4,20€

A picture-heavy post for your blog-reading enjoyment today - all about the lovely ice-creams we enjoyed whilst in Germany.  I've found that there are two things that German people miss when they're away from home: bread, and ice-cream.  The Germans really have a way with ice-creams, and enjoy them in a way we don't seem to here.  Not only do they have more family ice-cream parlours, but they have so many different fun types of sundaes and flavours - for an ice-cream lover like me, it was heaven! Most of our visits were to Eis Oberfeld, Lampertheim's oldest and most popular Eiscafe.  With the lovely warm weather, it seemed that every other day we'd find ourselves in line for a 2€ cup of mixed flavours, or perhaps a Schwarzwald Becher or Spaghetti-Eis when we were in the mood for something a bit different.

Eis Oberfeld
Neue Schulstrasse. 5,
68623 Lampertheim
Ph: 06206 2413

Cute! I love the Eis-mobile!

The menu of sundaes... I spent a lot of time on my vacation staring at this very wall trying to decide what I'd order...
If you're getting a Becher (cup), you simply choose your size, and then you're allowed to choose as many flavours as you like!  My favourites included sour cherry, walnut, chocolate and Snickers!  They've also got funky flavours like Käsekuchen (cheesecake) and Griesspudding (semolina pudding).

1€ Becher

Spaghetti-Eis - 4€

I've told you about Spaghetti-Eis before, that surprisingly delicious dessert of spaghetti-like strands of vanilla ice-cream, piped over globules of whipped cream, and topped with raspberry sauce and white chocolate flakes.  So good! They also do takeaways: you order your ice-creams, they place them on a little cardboard tray with plastic spoons and waffles, then loosely wrap it up in paper for you to take home.  I was so paranoid they'd melt or spill, but they were usually fine for the short drive home, and only occasionally a little squished on the top.
Banana split!

Bananen-Split 4.50€

What a treat! I hadn't eaten bananas in months due to the incredible prices. Even more of a treat when accompanied by vanilla, chocolate and banana ice-creams, then doused in whipped cream and chocolate sauce. Iced coffee!  This is seriously my type of iced coffee.  Three generous scoops of vanilla ice-cream, topped with strong black coffee and a huge squirt of whipped cream.

Eiskaffee - 3.80€

The next two ice-creams aren't from Oberfeld, but rather an Eiscafe in nearby Bürstadt... first up is another Spaghetti-Eis, this time made with chocolate ice-cream and chocolate sauce.
And a pretty double-scoop with a lovely swirl of whipped cream.  From memory there was hazelnut and mango in this one!
And finally I just wanted to show y'all the ice-creams we bought from Oberfeld and brought home on our last night in Germany - four different cups and a little extra Becher of insanely delicious chocolate whipped cream. Lecker lecker!

Sausagefest!

Guten Tag! A couple of weekends ago, we hosted a fab German dinner for some friends and family, a total Sausagefest, if you will. This was a thank-you dinner for our friends who kindly gave up a Sunday in January at the last minute to help us move a fridge up a flight of stairs. What legends!

We were so appreciative and we really wanted to make it a feast. We thought it would be the perfect opportunity to showcase some German home cooking - one of our friends Suryadi is obsessed with Kassler (smoked pork loin), and our buddy Aditya is a big schnitzel fan! Why not introduce them to some other great German food too?


I'll translate all the German words below (with pictures!), but basically there was a lot of meat, plus some red cabbage, a cucumber salad, and a big vat of cheesy Spätzle pasta. Sehr lecker! We wanted to serve a big range of different things they might not have tried before.

If anyone is curious, we got all this meat at the Wursthütte, a great Swiss butcher in Malvern. They have heaps of Swiss and German meat products - smoked sausages, meatloaves (Fleischkäse / Leberkäse!), cold cuts and more! They also sell some German grocery items - mustards, spices, flavouring packets, that type of thing. Love! We tend to go once every few months and do a big shop whenever we're craving some home-style German food.

Ze meat

Working clockwise from the top left, we have Kassler, or smoked pork loin. This basically tastes like bacon steak. We fry it in a pan for a few minutes each side until golden brown and heated through. Top right are pork schnitzels, made of regular raw pork loin fillets. I got the butcher to bash out the pieces for me slightly (not too thin, we want a thick German schnitzel, not a thin Austrian schnitzel!), and I floured-egged-and crumbed them at home. In the bottom right in the foil tray, we have cheese kranskys (smoked pork sausages filled with cheese, also known as Käseknacker), and the light coloured sausages are Bratwurst (raw, unsmoked pork sausages). In the white dish on the left we have Frankfurters, a smoked pork sausage, which are your typical hotdog-type sausage. And finally, the white sausages on the left are Weißwurst, a Bavarian veal sausage with a smooth texture.

We hosted the dinner at my parents' place (more space, and they also assisted with the fridge!), so we went shopping in the morning, prepared everything at our place, (like crumbing the schnitzels, baking the cheesecake, making the salads), then transported it all to my folks' place to cook.

Schnitzels frying

A few tips for any fellow sausage-enthusiasts or those who are interested in learning more about German sausages - raw sausages like Bratwurst must be cooked; smoked sausages can be eaten cold, although I prefer them hot. (If unsure, check with your butcher). In terms of cooking methods, Bratwurst and cheese kranskys are best fried in a pan or cooked on the barbecue, and Frankfurters and Weißwurst are heated through in gently simmering water. Don't let the water boil too hard or the sausages will split. (The sausages will still be edible if they split, they just look nicer if they don't).

Schnitzels are schnitzels, just cook them in a pan. A heavy based pan is best, like the one you see in the picture above. I also like to take the advice of Austrian chef Sarah Wiener, who says: "Sie müssen im Fett schwimmen!" (They must swim in the fat).

Schnitzels!

I love cooking schnitzels! They were actually one of the first things I taught myself to cook (as well as pancakes and mustard chicken). I was really pleased that these ones turned out so crisp.

Left: Cheese kranskys; Right: Kassler

So smoky, such delicious.

This Erdbeer Becher (strawberry cup) is a kleine. Sure guys, sure.

One day in Germany, my host mama took us to the Adami Eiscafé in Worms (pronounced vorms, rhymes with "warm") . Yes, it was the middle of winter, but I really love ice-cream. Adami is in the main square of Worms, and was chock-a-block busy on a cold and blustery day. I'm told that in summer, the entire square is filled with tables and chairs and umbrellas, and usually a long queue of eager patrons.

Ice-cream parlours are a big deal in Germany, much more so than here. I'm not sure if it's because we're more health conscious here, or if Europeans have a greater sense of tradition than us, and are less likely to reject the old-fashioned in favour of the new... whatever. While I was in Germany, many good chats were held over Schokoladen Bechers and a Spaghetti Eis, in various Eiscafés around town. Big cushy chairs, sundaes in big tall glasses, long silver spoons, indecent amounts of cream. (I was on holiday, ok?!) Not a chai soy latte or decaf weak skinny long mac in sight. Love it.

Now, back to the lovely Adami Eiscafé... that gargantuan creation in the first photo is a "small" strawberry cup. Vanilla ice-cream, strawberry ice-cream, strawberry sauce, fresh strawberries, whipped cream, and a wafer (my favourite part).

For me, if there are sweets, there has to be coffee.

A nice cappuccino to complement the sweetness and counteract ice-cream headaches. Although I would have probably done better with a black coffee, rather than a big-ass full-cream milk coffee. I loved the cute little biscuit with the cappuccino cup imprint!

Spaghetti Ice-cream!! I remember these from teahouse menus, when I was in Vienna in '06. My travelling buddy, Clarice and I were a bit "WTF?!" about them, and never got into them. However, on this trip, my host family convinced me that they are, indeed, fabulous.

The basic idea is that vanilla ice-cream is piped into long, thin strands, resembling spaghetti, which is covered in raspberry sauce (representing tomato sauce), and sprinkled with white chocolate shavings (parmesan). Get it? They're standard fare at Eiscafés in Germany and, I think, at other cafes and restaurants. Underneath those strands of ice-cream lie a few pockets of whipped cream, which takes on a whole new dimension when frozen.

Lasagne Eis! Same idea as the Spaghetti Eis, but obviously the ice-cream in big flat sheets rather than spaghetti strands.

It's probably a good thing for me that there isn't a sweet-ass Eiscafé within driving distance of my house. (And if there is, you probably shouldn't let me know about it...)

Barbecue! Potato Salad! My plate

And we did quite a few good lunches out with the family. As you can see, we usually go for hearty German fare. (And chanterelle mushrooms were in season too, and I enjoyed a gorgeous crunchy schnitzel with chanterelle sauce and Spätzle one day).

Top row R-L: Schnitzel with Pfifferlinge and Spätzle at Landgasthof Waldschaänke; Cordon bleu schnitzel with Bratkartoffeln; Grillpfanne with Spätzle, both from Zum Tahlblick Bottom row R-L: Matjesfilet; Pretzel beer and dried sausage, both from Hagenbräu; Farmer's plate of Bratwurst, Blutwurst, Leberknödel etc. at Kreuzhofbauer

Other lunches were of the junk food variety, which I also love. CHIPS!

Clockwise from top left: Chicken and chips, Döner kebab from the local Rewe Centre; KFC; Currywurst at the Kurpfalz Tierpark

Dinners were primarily at home - simple things like cold cuts with cheese and bread, smoked sausages with carbs, and sometimes takeaway like a great Halbes Hänchen (half chicken and chips). We also had an awesome Gulaschsuppe at Sandra's uncle's house!

Aufschnitt dinner

Clockwise from top left: Frankfurter & chips; potato salad & frankfurters; creamy tortellini and frankfurter & chips; Fleischwurst sausage with pasta and scrambled eggs

Gulaschsuppe with bread

Halbes Hänchen, heck yes

Looking back over my photos, I'm surprised to see we only did two dinners out - one at a super cheap and atmospheric schnitzel place, Gasthaus zur Traube in the Odenwald, and the other at the local Greek and family favourite, Paradies.

At the schnitzel place, I had a Schnitzel topped with Kochkäs, (centre top row), which is a spreadable cheese from the Odenwald. It's mild tasting and really gloopy, and is lovely spread on a crispy crispy schnitzel. The schnitzels here were nice but not spectacular, but they were extremely well priced (max €8.90 for a small, max €11.90 for a large) and the atmosphere was really cozy and bustling.

Schnitzel at Gasthaus Zur Traube

I routinely avoid seafood in landlocked Lampertheim, and was surprised to see beautiful seafood being grilled in the open kitchen as we walked into Paradies. Well, I had to try the seafood mixed grill. ZOMG it was amazing! So fresh and cooked perfectly, not chewy at all, and so tasty. I was so impressed! 100% that is going to be my dish at Paradies moving forward.

Seafood Mixed Grill, Paradies

It was warm while we were in Germany, and we ate a LOT of ice-cream. I love German ice-cream parlours - such generous servings, so much whipped cream, all the sundaes, the Spaghetti-eis!

Top row (L-R): Blueberry ice-cream & Spaghetti-Eis at Limonciello; Mango & cream cheese salted coconut at Coccola in Heppenheim Middle row (L-R): Yogurt/strawberry/honey-quark & mixed scoops at Vannini; Kid's scoop at Oberfeld Bottom row (L-R): Schwarzwaldbecher & Iced Coffee, Hazelnußbecher, Mixed ice-creams at Oberfeld

I go through phases with regards to German cake - on previous trips I've either been eating them ALL THE TIME or avoiding them totally, overwhelmed by the portion sizes and the aggressive percentage of whipped cream. This time it was definitely a total cake fest! Loads of afternoon Kaffeeklatches! Here are some of them. Most of these were from local bakeries Schmerker or Schmidt's, and the cherry crumble cake in the top row was made by my sister-in-law. They're all good, but my absolute favourites are the Bienenstich (top row left, bottom row second from the left), and of course Black Forest cake (top row second from the left).

Cake!

Kerwe was on while we were in Germany, which is the big Lampertheim festival. (Lots of cities have their own Kerwe). It's like a big street party or fair, with rides and food and drink stalls. Kerwe festivals go back to the middle ages and I believe they used to be organised by the church, but these days are organised by the local council and town clubs. It was really fun! And I love fair food!

Pork knuckle, bread and beer at Kerwe

Kerwe! Clockwise from top left: Local wine and Schmalzbrot (lard on bread); Thüringer sausage; Chimney cake; WAFFLE; Kerwe

On this trip we drank a lot of Neuer Wein ("new wine"), which is wine that hasn't yet undergone fermentation. They're only available at a particular time every year, and over the trip we picked up a few from the local farms to try. They come in bottles with ventilated lids (store them upright!) because they keep fermenting and producing gas, and you don't want the bottles to explode. The flavour changes significantly over time, so you can taste the difference if you have a little bit each day. I can't say that I loved them - they ranged from super sweet to super acidic and generally tasted quite thin - but I was happy to try, and it was nice to connect with wine as a locally made, seasonal item, rather than a random product that you pick up at the bottle o without thinking about it.

Neuer Wein / Federweißer

But speaking of wine as a commodified product... I inexplicably developed a taste for Weinschorle (wine spritzers) on this trip. I just found them really light and refreshing, and nice to have on a warm afternoon out in the garden. Cheapish white wine or rose wine with soda water or lemonade. Yes, I am an 80s housewife.

Weinschorle Rosé one litre. And what are you drinking today?

Slightly random thing to share - I found this Tête de Moine cheese at the supermarket and had to buy it. I remember eating it as the cheese course at an extremely fancy degustation meal in Melbourne, where it was served with great fanfare using a special little spiral slicer contraption. In Germany it was a regular supermarket cheese! (Kaufland, from memory).

Tête de Moine cheese

One afternoon, Sandra's parents took us to Kirchberghäusel in the town of Bensheim - it's a cute little cafe high on a hill (with a lonely goat), with great views of the town. Cakes were lovely too!

Cake! Pflaumenstreuselkuchen, Apfelstreuselkuchen, Kaäsekuchen

View from Kirschberghäusl

One evening we went for drinks and snacks with Sandra's mum at this bar/pub on the Rhein river, which had lovely views at sunset. Sandra's mum had Schmalzbrot (bread topped with lard with crunchy bits inside); Sandra had a Frikadellen bread roll, and I tried a Zwiebelkuchen with a rose wine spritzer (of course I did). Zwiebelkuchen was really yum - it's a thick savoury yeasted dough, topped with sautéed onions. I definitely feel this is something I should learn to make at home.

Cafe on the Rhein - Schmalzbrot, Zwiebelkuchen; Frikadellen Brötchen

Wutzel the mascot

My parents-in-law went on the sleds, but that was far too energetic and dangerous for me (hah) - I much preferred taking a swan-shaped paddle boat around the lake and watching the ducks. (Wow, I really am an old woman).

Swan boats

Another day we drove out to Heppenheim to see the old city, get ice-cream and do a bit of shopping. It was really pretty! (I also LOVED the salted coconut cream cheese ice-cream at Cocola).

Heppenheim

Ok, last thing to tell you about! One of the local bakeries, Schmitt's, sells bread slices by weight, so you can just buy one or two slices of each type of bread and not be stuck with a whole loaf. Genius! I love this idea so much and wish they'd do it here! (Schmitt's also does excellent cakes - I particularly like their crunchy-topped custard-filled Bienenstich).

Bread by the slice at Schmitt's

Ok, that's it! What a fantastic trip. I always love going back to spend time with family and eat all the food!


Previous Germany posts:

• Germany 2006 - My first trip to Germany! Backpacking in Berlin with my friend Clarice during the World Cup. 
• Germany 2007 - My first trip to Germany with Sandra! It was winter, it was cold, it was Christmas!
• Germany 2011 - A summer trip: Ice-Creams, Gulaschsuppe, Pig on a Spit, Mushroom Picking in the Lorsch Forest, Oma Resel's Potato Sauce and more 
• Germany 2013 - Another fab summer trip: Supermarkets & Snack Foods; Bread, Bakeries, Breakfasts & Bacony Goods; BBQs & Parties, and more 
• Germany 2015 - Late summer, comprehensive posts: Breakfasts; Lunches at Home; Snacks; Restaurants; Trier & Bernkastel-Kues 
• Germany 2016 - Early summer! One big round-up post full of German deliciousness
• Germany 2016/2017 - Surprise Christmas trip!
• Germany 2018 - Christmas, Christmas Markets, Wrap-Up