Franconian cuisine

The city of Kulmbach features a similar sausage which, in comparison to the variety from Hof, contains a much higher share of veal.

For a mid-afternoon snack (which is called "Brotzeit" in Bavaria) it is common to spread raw sausage meat on peasant bread and add diced onions as a topping with salt, pepper and paprika seed.

A typical Franconian Brotzeit dish is Pressack mit Musik (Head cheese with music).

It is traditionally cut lengthwise and baked or served blue which means that it is stewed in vinegar or beer stock.

To eat these specialities the best restaurants are those with own pools where the carp is kept and the best time is early autumn in the months September to November.

In contrast to the "rheinische Sauerbraten" it is prepared without the use of raisins, and the sauce is thickened with soaked and lightly sweetened ginger bread.

This ingredient gives the dish its own typical flavour, which is then rounded off with red cabbage and in some regions the addition of lingonberry compote.

The recipe of the famous "Schweinfurter Schlachtschüssel" Is cooked pork meat served together with sauerkraut, fresh bread and ground horseradish on table-size wood plates.

Common drinks include Franconian wine, and at the end each guest gets a portion of liver and blood sausages to take home.

The blood of the slaughtered animal is collected and then baked with diced bacon, onion, stale bread, marjoram, and salt.

These are made out of potato dough which is rolled out, spread with melted butter, sprinkled with breadcrumbs and then wrapped together and sliced into Kloß-sized pieces.

In summer a variation of this dish is served but with asparagus originating in the region north of Nürnberg instead of the salsify.

It is grown mainly in the areas around Erlangen, Forchheim and Höchstadt an der Aisch and Baiersdorf and is commonly used as a condiment in the sauce which is served with Tafelspitz.

Typical spirits of Franconia are Obstbrände (also called Geist) or liqueurs, which are made of apples, plums (Zwetschgen) pears, or cherries.

Characteristic for this bread is a high percentage of rye flavour, usually 80% and about 20% wheat flour and an aromatic spice mixture.

From the end of August until winter time the little biscuits are offered with "Christkindlesmarkt-Glühwein" (mulled wine made with blueberries).

meaning little cakes) are a supraregional popular specialty of Franconia, and are sweet, pan-fried yeast-dough pastry which is commonly prepared fresh on festive occasions.

This name derives from the original method of preparation which required the baker to draw the yeast dough over his knee to obtain the typically thin crust of the Küchla.

With this method, the round pastry is very thin in the middle and almost translucent, and its rim is quite bulbous and has a flavour quite similar to a doughnut.

Schneeballen ("snowballs") are a type of shortcrust pastry especially popular in the area of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Its name derives from its round, ball-like shape with a diameter of about eight to ten centimeters, and is traditionally decorated with confectioner's sugar.