When you think about German food, Frankfurt food specialties don’t make many “must try lists.” But, perhaps they should!
Frankfurt, or Frankfurt am Main, is one of the biggest cities in Germany. It is the largest city in the Hesse state and one of the centers of commerce and transportation for both Germany and the European Union. Unfortunately, most of Frankfurt’s historic town center was destroyed during World War II and had to be rebuilt after the war, which tends to leave the city off of the top tourist destinations for travelers to Germany.
While Frankfurt may be more modern due to being recently rebuilt, this doesn’t change its rich history, which dates back to the Holy Roman Empire. Owing to this rich history, as well as the rich diversity of ethnicities that call Frankfurt home today, there is no shortage of interesting culinary tastes to be found in the city. But not every culinary delight to be found in Frankfurt is an import. There are a number of delicious German foods, including these five must-try dishes and drinks!
Apfelwein – Apple Wine
Frankfurt used to be a large wine producing region, similar to the wine regions located to the west of the city along the Rhine, Mosel, Ahr, and Nahe rivers. But this changed due to climate change in the 16th century, and wine grape vineyards were replaced by fruit orchards. For over 250 years now, Apple Wine has been the beverage of choice in Frankfurt’s pubs, and Sachsenhausen is the district of the city that specializes in Apple Wine.
Apple Wine is not the same as apple cider. Instead of being carbonated and relatively sweet, apple wine is more delicate and tart, reminiscent of a young lambic beer. The serving style is also reminiscent of a lambic, being served from earthenware jugs, called bembels.
Each year in early August, Frankfurt holds an Apple Wine Festival at the Roßmarkt, where you can try different apple wine offerings, as well as purchase local crafts, foods, and apple wine accessories.
Frankfurt Food Specialties
Grüne Soße – Green sauce
Green sauce was one of the favorite dishes of the German author, Goethe, one of the city/s most famous former residents. Green sauce is made from eggs, oil and vinegar, salt, and seven different spices: borage, chervil, chives, cress, parsley, salad burnet, and sorrel. Green sauce is traditionally served with hard boiled eggs and boiled potatoes, but can also be found served over roast pork, schnitzel, or other dishes.
Frankfurter Wurst
Are you into hot dogs that “snap”? Well, that hot dog is likely based on the Frankfurter Wurst, the local sausage of Frankfurt. Frankfurters are long, thin sausages, typically made from lightly smoked pork, and generally served with bread and mustard. Other common accompaniments include sauerkraut and potato salad.
Handkäs mit Musik
Handkäs is a handmade, round, sour milk cheese, generally served in vinegar and oil. “Mit musik” means served with chopped onions, and the “music” is said to come later, resulting from the effect of the onions. Handkäs is fairly firm, and a little bit funky in flavor, but quite flavorful when offset with the oil and vinegar and onions. Sometimes handkäs is also served with caraway seeds either on top or on the side.
Frankfurter Kranz
Frankfurt also boasts its own special dessert, the Frankfurter Kranz, or Frankfurt Crown Cake. Frankfurt Kranz is a multi-layer cake, coated with crunchy brittle, and topped with cherries or raspberries that resemble the jewels of the crown.
Where to Try Local Frankfurt Food Specialties
Zum Gemalten Haus
There are a number of traditional cider houses in Frankfurt, but many don’t open until 5 or 6 p.m. If you want to go during the day, we recommend Zum Gemalten Haus. Zum Gemalten Haus is one of the oldest cider houses in Frankfurt and is open all day from 10 a.m. until midnight, closed on Monday. It was quite empty when we went around 11 a.m, but it was definitely getting busy around 1 p.m. This restaurant serves up a number of traditional German dishes and the Frankfurt food specialties we recommend trying.
One note: Zum Gemalten Haus is a large establishment with two main halls, one of which is non-smoking, and the other allowing smoking inside. Make sure to sit in the proper room if you are sensitive to smoke.
Cafe Mathilda
Just next door is Cafe Mathilda where we tried the Frankfurter Kranz. Now, this might not bet the most traditional one since it’s an individual cupcake-style dessert rather than a slice of the actual round cake. I thought it tasted amazing and there were lots of other sweets and cakes to try. The decor was very cute, the service was great, and you couldn’t beat the location since it was next door! I read that the owner, Mathilda, is known for her glass-jar cakes, so if you have room for two desserts, try one of these too!
Where to Stay in Frankfurt
We only had one night on a road trip and we booked somewhere reasonably priced that had parking and air conditioning since temperatures had been in the triple digits a few times last week! We opted for the Hotel Leonardo Royal which seemed to be on the outskirts of Frankfurt, but we took a taxi in to the restaurant, which was about $10 euros on average. The room was clean, spacious, and they put us up on the 24th floor of a 25 story building for no extra charge, so we had pretty views and a small balcony. If we head back to Frankfurt again on a road trip, I wouldn’t be opposed to staying there again. It was under $100 for the night we stayed, but parking was $24 euros so be sure to factor that in.
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