German

Germany 2008: Eiscafés

5/08/2008 08:40:00 PM

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...)

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2 comments

  1. Oh, WOW, WOW , triple WOW!!
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I LOVE that the strawberry icecream is a "small." Spaghetti Ice Cream - I assumed the worst there for a minute - but it sounds like an awesome idea. Rather difficult to recreate at home I imagine...

    ReplyDelete

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