10 wunde bavarian Bierfest bites

WHEN you go to the TOPS at SPAR Bierfest, presented by The Independent on Saturday, you’ll find that it brings to life all things Bavarian, including the food, with only the most tantalising traditional tucker being on offer.

Think sizzling-hot schnitzels, bockwursts and bratwursts, and everything in-between because there’s a lot more to Oktoberfest food than just sausages.

Don’t know your eis(bein) from your elbow?

Relax, we’ve got you covered. Check out our gastronomy guide of traditional Bavarian meals for instant bierfest foodie cred:

Brezen: these soft, pretzelshaped breads are a staple in Germany, often simply served with butter or mustard. During Oktoberfest, though, they’re super-sized and eaten with a variety of sausages and mustards for a filling meal.

Schweinshaxe: it’s as difficult to get your mouth around the name as it is around the meal itself ! Schweinshaxe is pickled pork hock that has been roasted. It’s usually served with creamy mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. In other parts of Germany, schweinshaxe is called eisbein.

Spätzle: Bavaria’s answer to mac and cheese, spätzle is a kind of short, soft egg noodle that’s boiled in salted water, drained and served with fried onions, spinach or cheese.

Hendl: sold at every beer tent at Oktoberfest, hendl is essentially rotisserie chicken roasted the customary way with butter and parsley, or paprika. The secret is in the super-crispy skin. Usually served half or whole with fried potatoes or potato salad.

Knödel: great for soaking up beer, knödel is a poached or boiled potato dumpling that is usually served with tons of gravy. For fun, locals call the dumplings bauchrutscher, which literally means “belly bricks”.

Wurst: there are various wursts to choose from, but no self-respecting Oktoberfest is complete without bratwurst, currywurst or weisswurst (white sausage).

The latter is a Bavarian speciality, usually made with minced veal and back bacon, seasoned with parsley, lemon, mace, onions, ginger and cardamom.

Schweinsbraten: authentic Bavarian roast pork, known for its juicy succulence. The pork is sliced and accompanied by those beer-loving potato dumplings and sauerkraut or its more palatable cousin, blaukraut (braised red cabbage).

Dampfnudle: literally means “steamed noodle”, although they look nothing like noodles at all! More like delicate dumplings, these steamed buns can be enjoyed with savoury or sweet toppings, the most popular being a bun smothered in vanilla sauce with hot cherries and melted butter.

Caramelised nuts: a trademark of Oktoberfest is the smell of roasting nuts that wafts across the wiesn (the local name for the festival).

Mouth-wateringly delicious, they include roasted almonds, macadamias and pecans, covered in caramel and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Lebkuchenherzen: these gigantic gingerbread hearts are a hallmark of Octoberfest. They were traditionally emblazoned with messages of love to be given to one’s sweetheart, but these days are also inscribed with generic Oktoberfest messages.

A word of warning: you do get lebkuchenherzen that are soft gingerbread hearts for eating, but the big ones seen hanging from ribbons at outdoor stalls are actually souvenirs (read: rock-hard).

Of these Bavarian delights, you can expect to find brazen, bockwurst and bratwurst, hendl, schweinshaxe and lebkuchenherzen at the TOPS at SPAR Bierfest, which takes place on September 29 and 30 at the Sibaya Casino complex in Durban. – Staff Reporter