Have you already been to the Christmas market or still thinking about it? Well, if you haven’t, you should!
In Germany just a few weeks before Christmas you will find in every town a Christmas market. It’s a very important German tradition. A winter street market with a lot of food, toys, handmade decoration, a lot of nuts and other baked goods. Our Christmas market in Oldenburg has opened on the 16th of November and will stay open till the 22nd of December. I already visited the market twice for you, so that I can recommend you the best places to go.
If you don’t like walking with so many people around you, then probably you should choose to go during the week and early in the evening around 16 pm. I think the Christmas market is very beautiful when it’s dark because the Christmas lights are then turned on and you can enjoy the beautiful decoration.
Source: OTM/ Sascha Stüber
One of my favorite things to eat at the Christmas market is Schmalzkuchen. It’s a sweet made from milk, butter, flour, egg and sugar. It gets fried and after that you put powdered sugar on top. I discovered it just this year and it is really yummy. There are many stations that sell this sweet throughout the market. An interesting fact about Schmalzkuchen is that they are named different depending on the region. They are called Mutzen in Lübeck and Kräppelchen in Sachsen.
Source:BRGITTTE SPORRER / EINFACH BACKEN
Continuing with the sweets there is nothing better than a classic crepe made in front of your eyes in these small creperies. You can have them sweet or even salty with cheese inside. I actually like both versions, though Crepe is usually eaten sweet. My recommendation to you would be to try hazelnut crème with banana as a filling for your crepe. Trust me you will not regret it!
Source: Sascha Stüber
And now we come to the third and last sweet recommendation: Churros. Churros are originated from Spain and Mexico, but Germans also enjoy them a lot. They are also a fried sweet made out of simple and few ingredients. Enjoy them with some hazelnut crème.
Of course, there are so many sweets more that you will see during the market like caramelized apples, fruits covered in chocolate, grilled nuts, homemade cookies etc. These are also very tasty!
Source: Churros Rezept | Dr. Oetker
But enough with all the sweats! The Christmas market also offers a big variety of salty foods like a bread bun filled with salmon. Salmon is very healthy and tasty! You can find a booth selling a small bun filled with sauce, herbs, lemon, and grilled salmon directly in front of the LzO Bank in the Schlosshöfe. You can also order the same in a wrap.
Source: (FOTO: Finntastic) Am Flammlachs stand wird Lachs nach finnischer Tradition am Feuer gegart. Ein Gaumenschmaus auf finnische Art!
But for those of you wanting to try something more traditional, then definitely order a bratwurst or currywurst. Germany is popular for their sausages and the variety and quality of them! Bratwurst is the German version of a hot dog, easily explained. I find Currywurst even more tasty because of the curry taste in the tomato sauce.
Source: Adam Berry, Stringer/Getty
And now we come to the most important part of Christmas markets and Christmas in Germany in general. Glühwein! If you haven’t heard of that, then you are missing out in life. Glühwein is the national drink of German people during Christmas and winter. You will find it also in every café. As you probably guessed from the name, Glühwein is a warm wine boiled with cinnamon sticks, orange, carnation, and star anise. It’s an aromatical warm wine ideal for the cold days of winter. If you want to make it stronger then you can ask for an extra shot of rum inside.
But for my friends that don’t drink alcohol there is a non-alcoholic version of Glühwein which is called Kinderpunsch. It is made with fruit tee, apple juice, cinnamon, brown sugar, orange and carnation. You boil all the ingredients and there you have it a warm non-alcoholic Glühwein.
Source: BRIGITTE SPORRER / EINFACH BACKEN
I hope that my guide will help you while walking around the Christmas market and I hope you enjoy my reccomendations as much as I do. Have fun and don't drink too much :)
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