The Swabian Dishes You Must Try

Perhaps, one of the greatest elements that comes with travel is the ability to eat unique food dishes from around the world. An element of any society’s culture is defined by its food, and that’s a great excuse to eat lots of delicious meals while on the road, of course! So, without further ado, I’d like to talk about some of my favorite Swabian Dishes that I had while traveling through the south of Germany last month! I hope you enjoy, and I hope you get to try some of these great meals if you haven’t already!

Spaetzle

I would be a crazy person if the first dish I mentioned wasn’t spaetzle. Spaetzle is, perhaps, one of the most underrated (in the US anyway) famous German dishes, specifically from the Swabian area. Despite being so popular in the Swabian Alb area and so delicious, it’s one of the few famous German food dishes we don’t hear much about in the states at all. It’s a type of specially made egg noodle cooked in a creamy cheese, usually prepared with cooked onions or french-fried onions on top of it. Sometimes spaetzle can include meat, and other times it doesn’t. I have to say, I had it a few years ago when I was traveling through the Black Forest, and it really stood out in my mind, so I was thrilled to have it again this year while back in the South of Germany. In this region, you can pretty much find it anywhere and everywhere.

Another really interesting and quite funny thing to note is that there’s one other place around the world where I have found spaetzle on the menu throughout my adventures, and I bet you it’s not anywhere you would think it would be. Any guesses where it was? Argentina! Because many Germans fled to Argentina after the second world war, you can find elements of German culture there. And specifically, many restaurants offer spaetzle, something found nowhere else really in the western world! How bizarre, right?

Roast Beef and Potatoes

While it may not be something you would specifically associate with Germany, I will say that most places in the Swabian Alb offer a spectacular roast beef meal with potatoes. I don’t eat meat often, but this was so good I had to eat it more than once while on my adventures in the Swabian Alb.

Most restaurants in Germany (if not every single one) know how to cook a spectacular meat dish, so I recommend the roast beef meals anywhere. Particularly, I had one at Kochenbas in Germany (pictured above), and I can confidently say that it was the best roast beef I’ve had to date. It was rich, savory, and flavorful without being “too much” (as again, I’m not a heavy meat eater).

I’d also like to bring up that there are plenty of Swabian dishes and locations that offer vegan and vegetarian-friendly meals, as well. Specifically, the Hotel Rose Restaurant in the BioHotel Rose near Wimsen offers a fully vegetarian main-course menu where meat is treated solely as a side dish for those who want it. The restaurant has a cozy atmosphere, gourmet food, and a great story, as it is family-owned. If you find yourself in Wimsen, I hope you check it out.

Asparagus Soup

This region of Germany, at least during the warmer months, is also rich in asparagus! Asparagus as a side, and specifically asparagus soup, could be found at many restaurants throughout the adventure! I had the asparagus soup at Brauereigaststätte Dinkelacker in Stuttgart, and it was exceptionally delicious. I can’t recommend it enough. The top was frothed, like a cappuccino, and I it made for a delightful experience on top of just eating the soup. If you’re an asparagus lover, keep an eye out for the asparagus soup to take advantage of on your next adventure in the South of Germany!

Wheat Beer

Finally, I feel as it it would be a crime to bring up Germany and not mention beer. I’ve never been much of a beer drinker, that is until the rise of microbreweries and the lighter wheat-beer movement. You can get wheat beer pretty much anywhere you go in Germany, and it still tastes like beer (which has grown on me quite a bit) but it’s much lighter and flavorful. So, if you’re someone who likes light beers or maybe who isn’t quite sure about them, be sure to try a wheat beer or two in the Swabian Alb or wherever you next destination in Germany takes you.

All in all, I ate well on this last trip to Germany. The food of the Swabian Alb is both unique to its region and also delicious and accommodating to people of all diets. I hope you visit soon as enjoy the Swabian dishes mentioned above.