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Lecker! Lecker! Favourite German Christmas Foods from Aachen

13th December 2011 By Urvashi Roe Leave a Comment

I have fond memories of my year at University in Cologne, Germany.  It was a wonderful year of new experiences.  Kolsch beer, seeded breads, stinky cheeses, all night parties at the ‘Bunker’ bar, learning how to play pool, getting my first DJ slot….an endless list.  What I remember most of all though is Germany at Christmas time and cannot believe I haven’t been back til recently.

German Christmas foods and smells are some of the best I’ve ever had.

Gluhwein in Neumarkt in Cologne KoelnFirst off the infamous Gluhwein.  Many countries in Europe have a version of this. Mulled Wine over here, Glogg in the Nordic countries, Vin Fiert in Italy, Grzane Wino in Poland, Forralt Bor in Hungary.

The German version wins hands down for me because of the shot of rum that’s added – maybe that’s just a Cologne thing?

 

Next, Reibekuchen…

Reibekuchen with apple sauce

When I told my daughters about these wonderful potato pancakes served with apple sauce, they didn’t know what to think. “Is it a pudding then Mummy?” asked my youngest (knowing already that Kuchen means cake).  For me it’s a pudding, a snack, a dinner, a breakfast and a lunch. It’s the ultimate comfort food.  Deep fried. Hot. Sweet and savoury. How can you resist?  I must have eaten my bodyweight in these on my recent weekend trip!

….and moving on to Flammkuchen.

More cake my daughter hoped. Sadly no. This one is like a pizza with many variations on toppings and thickness of base. The version I love is soft, fragrant  and velvety because of the goats cheese and fresh thyme used.

Flammkuchen in Cologne Neumarkt

There are flatter types served in local Weinstube with fresh vegetables, tomatoes and herbs on top of a layer of cream cheese.

Finally, Lebkuchen. German gingerbread.

Christmas Lebkuchen

A myriad of regional varieties and specialities like these Aachener Printen.

Aachener Printen GingerbreadMany say the moulded version you see all around Aachen was brought to Germany from Belgium by a member of the casting guild when the statue of Charlemagne was being built outside the town hall.

     aachener printen gingerbread

You really can smell it everywhere at this time of year and it’s just perfect to munch on with your afternoon Gluhwein.  I asked the owner of this little bakery what she used to make her Printen varieties and she related it was ‘just flour and a few family spices’ so clearly the recipe is a very closely guarded secret.

I am usually the first person to experiment with new recipes when I get back from travels and if you do want to have a go, here’s a really quick and easy version I was given by my German friend.

But to be honest, in this case, there is nothing like the real thing.  The taste of homemade is good but it needs the secret blend of the few family spices so I might have to try and seek it out on another visit soon!

Related

Filed Under: Travels Tagged With: aachener printen, baking, Christmas, cooking, flammkuchen, germany, gingerbread, gluhwein, recipes, reibekuchen

Previous Post: « Aachener Printen – German Gingerbread
Next Post: Caramel Chocolate Cups »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jules says

    13th December 2011 at 7:51 pm

    I lived in Berlin for 3 years as a child and this greatly influences how I celebrate Christmas. I keep promising to take my husband to Berlin to experience the Christmas markets nothing compares to the smells and tastes in the UK

    Reply
    • Urvashi @ The Botanical Baker says

      13th December 2011 at 8:06 pm

      I love Berlin. I haven’t been back since the week after the wall came down. Hoping to do the Berlin Marathon next year though!

      Reply
      • Jules says

        13th December 2011 at 8:19 pm

        I was there for the wall coming down too. I remember school being cancelled so we jumped on a bus, headed to the border and handed out roses to people coming from the East.

        Reply
  2. Regula @ foodwise says

    13th December 2011 at 8:06 pm

    Ooh you made me all hungry, can’t wait for it to be friday when I go to Aachen!

    Reply
    • Urvashi @ The Botanical Baker says

      13th December 2011 at 9:34 pm

      Bring back some of those lovely smells!

      Reply
  3. Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

    13th December 2011 at 8:55 pm

    My grandma was German and I’ve always wanted to visit the Christmas markets there. So evocative!

    Reply
    • Urvashi @ The Botanical Baker says

      13th December 2011 at 9:03 pm

      Oh Sarah..you must go. In fact I think I am gonna organise a tweet up visit this time next year!

      Reply
  4. Sarah says

    13th December 2011 at 9:39 pm

    Wonderful post, I’ve never tried Reibekuchen before but now I want to!

    Reply
    • Urvashi @ The Botanical Baker says

      13th December 2011 at 9:40 pm

      Oh I have been craving them the whole time I was writing that post but have no potatoes to make 🙁 Am sure they would not be the same anyway.

      Reply
  5. Laura says

    13th December 2011 at 11:02 pm

    Looks like you had a fantastic trip. I’d love to visit Germany at Christmas time. I loved Cologne and Berlin when I visited. Good luck with all the training for the marathon. I am planning to start running again in January but no where near that far.

    Reply
    • Urvashi @ The Botanical Baker says

      14th December 2011 at 10:38 am

      Thanks Laura. We should do a tweet up running day!

      Reply
  6. lifevesting says

    14th December 2011 at 4:36 pm

    Oh gosh I love all of these foods! Your photos have made me so hungry!

    Reply
    • Urvashi @ The Botanical Baker says

      14th December 2011 at 7:53 pm

      Hee hee. I feel like I put on a few pounds every time I food blog surf!

      Reply
  7. Karen says

    14th December 2011 at 8:14 pm

    Lecker, lecker, lecker indeed! A GREAT post about lecker food!

    Reply
    • Urvashi @ The Botanical Baker says

      14th December 2011 at 9:04 pm

      thanks Karen x

      Reply
  8. jakesprinter says

    17th December 2011 at 6:20 am

    I Love it Deiicious 🙂

    Reply
    • Urvashi @ The Botanical Baker says

      17th December 2011 at 9:43 am

      Thank you

      Reply

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Hi I'm Urvashi!

I love food. This blog is a little glimpse into my foodie world which is an escape from two teenage girls, a busy job and my little cafe.

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