Mulled wine and more at Bremen’s Christmas market

DW (English)

What can you snack on and sip at a Christmas market? We take you on a culinary stroll around Bremen’s market, sampling marzipan potatoes and mulled wine.

Transcript

00:00What does the German Christmas season taste like?

00:04I'm in Bremen at one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in northern Germany.

00:08I'll be going on a food tour to find out what is typical here at a German Christmas market

00:13and how it all contributes to the German Christmas spirit.

00:16I will show you some Christmas classics, try a strange-looking local dish

00:21and explain the story behind a controversial drink.

00:24But first, I'm going to go for something savory.

00:30Sauteed mushrooms are a popular choice, as well as Kartoffelpuffer, a fried potato pancake.

00:35But I'm going for a special Bremen dish.

00:38Okay, it says Bestes aus Bremen, the best of Bremen. I found it.

00:42And they have Grünkohl. Let's try it.

00:44Grünkohl is kale served with Pinkel, a type of groats sausage.

00:50People say that kale is usually available only after the first frost.

00:54And the Grützwurst is something very soft and comes in a casing. It's more like barley.

01:00All right, it looks a little weird, but I want to try it.

01:08Let's give it a try.

01:19Very flavorful, salty. That kale is really good.

01:23So we've covered the savory, and now I'm in the mood for one of the highlights of Christmas, of course, the sweets.

01:30German Christmas sweets include Lebkuchen, roasted almonds, and of course Lebkuchenherzen.

01:35But something with a funny name catches my eye.

01:40This sounds very German.

01:42Marzipankartoffeln? Marzipan potatoes? What is that?

01:47Made of marzipan and typically coated with cocoa powder, they look like little potatoes.

01:52This stand here sells them in different flavors, too.

01:56You can also find these at the supermarket, but usually just the classic flavor. This one's pistachio.

02:03That's really good. I can taste the cherry.

02:06Oh my god. Salt and caramel. That's good. That's really good.

02:13I also try some Lebkuchen, a gingerbread-like cookie popular during Christmastime.

02:19With red chocolate pepper.

02:22Here is also almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts inside. No flour.

02:28These kind are called Elisen and have a soft and nutty texture.

02:32After all that food, I need some drink to wash it all down.

02:35So finally, some Glühwein. But there are also many other options, too.

02:40There are both non-alcoholic and alcoholic choices.

02:43I want to order some drinks now, including this one, which is quite a controversial name.

02:48But it's actually just hot chocolate with rum.

02:51Patrice Lumumba was a Congolese independence hero who was shot in 1961.

02:55There's ongoing debate about whether it's disrespectful to call a hot chocolate with a shot after him.

03:00Another name for the drink is Totetante, or dead aunt.

03:06Hot chocolate with a kick.

03:09Next comes the mulled wine.

03:11It is estimated that Germans drink an average of 50 million liters of it each year.

03:18Oh, that's really good.

03:21It's red wine with cinnamon, cloves, and a bit of orange.

03:27You could also get Glühwein with an extra shot inside, like with Amaretto or rum.

03:32But I don't want to get too drunk right now, so I just stick to the plain one.

03:38And now Eierpunsch. It's similar to American eggnog, but made with an egg liquor.

03:45That has a really strong kick to it.

03:47It tastes like egg.

03:49Yeah, but it's good. I like it.

03:54But which is my favorite?

03:56It's actually hard to say, because they're all very different.

03:59I would say the one that gives me the biggest Christmas feeling is definitely the Glühwein,

04:04because it has all those Christmas spices.

04:06So for the Christmas feeling, this one is the winner for sure.

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