The Food of Alsace
Food is one of my favorite things -- eating and looking -- and Alsace had a cuisine specific to this region. A few of the typical Alsatian dishes were:
- Baeckeoffe: A casserole of potatoes garnished with a selection of meats marinated in white wine and cooked in a terraine (or casserole). The Baeckeoffe we tried was made with pork, lamb, potatoes and carrots. Tasted just like an ordinary beef stew to me.
- Choucroute (Sauerkraut): Sliced, fermented cabbage and potatoes served with a selection of smoked and salted meats (sausages). I love cabbage but have never really developed a taste for Sauerkraut.
- Kougelhopf: The name means "raised dough (with yeast) in the form of a ball..." Kougelhopf was omnipresent, large and small, everywhere we looked and ate. Some was delicious...some not. Kougelhopf was displayed and sold in almost every bakery and is another symbol of Alsace, food-wise. It's made of leavened dough and available in sweet and savory versions. Looks like a big hat!
- Munster Cheese, is a mature, washed rind, soft center cheese that comes from the city of Munster. Munster cheese dates back to the 7th century where it was developed by monks, and is protected by an Appellation d'Origine Controlee (AOC). Made from unpasteurized cow's milk and is matured in damp caves.
- Flammekueche, or Tarte Flambee: Made with unleavened bread dough, spread very thin, covered with a mixture of cream and white cheese. Sometimes with diced bacon and onion on it and it looked like a long narrow pizza. This...I liked...and the crust tasted just like matzo...the same unleavened bread:
- "Bretzel" - Pretzel to us uneducated foreigners: Basically, a small crisp biscuit, glazed and salted on the outside in the form of crossed arms. I don't think anyone ever gave much though to what the shape of a "Bretzel" actually represented, but now I know it's "crossed arms." One "Bretzel" shop had a variety with plain salt, sesame seeds, etc., sort of like your local bagel deli.
- Macaroons: The origin of macaroons is Italian but macaroons were being sold in every town we visited. These cookies were made of chocolate, coconut, peanut butter, unlimited varieties. And made with meringues, I could fool myself into thinking they were low-calorie - conveniently forgetting about all the sugar in them.
- Gingerbread: England claims that they were the first to bake gingerbread but this was the first Alsatian pastry available from the 15th century on in convents. Gingerbread men...gingerbread cookies...gingerbread cakes...lots of gingerbread.
