Bavarian cuisine

• Kalter Braten is cold Schweinsbraten (roasted pork) cut in thin slices usually served with bread and horseradish
• Wurstsalat is marinated cold sausage cut in thin slices with onion rings. Note that it is not actually the accepted definition of a 'salad', with no other vegetables other than the onion rings.
• Schweizer Wurstsalat same as above but with cheese.
• Krautsalat mit Speck is marinated white cabbage slices with bacon.
• Kartoffelsalat is salad made from marinated boiled potatoes. It is a common dish in southern part of Germany, but the Bavarians tend to add more vinegar than others. This is vegetarian.
• Obazda (Old Bavaria) or Grupfter (Franconia) is a cheese creme with onions and paprika powder, served with bread or a pretzel.
• Leberknödelsuppe is a typical Bavarian soup with a dumpling from pork liver.
• Leberspätzlesuppe is the same as above, with many small pieces instead of a dumpling.
• Stadtwurst mit Musik is a special kind of pork sausage with onions and marinade

• Weißwurst is a traditional Bavarian sausage made from very finely minced veal and fresh pork bacon. As it is very perishable, Weißwurst is traditionally manufactured early in the morning and boiled as a snack between breakfast and lunch. It is served with sweet mustard and bretzels (and a liter of beer if you want to go fully traditional in the morning). Don't eat the thick sausage skin.
• Schweinsbraten, the most common dish in upper Bavaria, is pork served in slices with gravy, accompanied by Knödel.

• Schäufele, a common dish in Franconia, is pork shoulder served with gravy, accompanied by potato dumplings called Klöse.
• Krustenbraten is Schweinsbraten. The people just want to emphasize the great crust that you normally get with a Schweinsbraten.
• Schweinshaxe is grilled pork joint often served as half or quarter Schweinehaxe.
• Rollbraten is pig belly rolled up served with Kartoffelsalat and Brezels. Can be very fattening!
• Nürnberger Bratwurst mit Sauerkraut is probably the smallest among all sausages in Bavaria and has become famous all over Germany. Fried sausages served with sauerkraut is a specialty from Franconia. The Nuremberg ones are the smallest, other Franconian Bratwursts (german plural: Bratwürste) are larger. Original Franconian bratwurst (together with Thuringian ones) have a higher quality standard than those from other German regions. Only meat, bacon, water and spices are allowed, but no slab, giblets and other low quality parts of pigs.
• Leberkäse looks like bread but is a variant of meatloaf. Literally translated, it would be "liver cheese", but there is no liver and (in its pure form) no cheese in it. It has a texture similar to cooked Spam. It is normally served with bread or Kartoffelsalat, and of course, a good mustard. As a quick snack inside a bun it is called a Leberkässemmel in old Bavaria and served with mustard. The Franconian term would be Leberkäsweggla.

The carp season lasts from September to April.

• Karpfen gebacken, Deep-fried Carp, a common dish in Franconia and Upper Palatinate, it is served with salad or/and Kartoffelsalat (Potato salad). The price depends on weight. The best time to eat carp are the "months with r" from September to April. While some parts of Franconia have more carps than people (and indeed the carp is a common feature in many a coat of arms in the region), demand is so high that sometimes imported carp from the Czech Republic (also a country with a carp tradition) and farther away is served.
• Karpfenfilet, Deep-fried Carp filet, the fishbones are cut so fine that they become barely noticeable. It is served with salad or/and Kartoffelsalat (Potato salad).
• Karpfen blau, carp is cooked in a spiced vinegar and onion stock, it is served with boiled potatoes, horseradish and liquid butter.

Trout is available all over Bavaria, in the south around the lakes there also are Coregonus, char and other white fish.

• Forelle gebacken, Deep-fried trout, a common dish, it is served with salad or/and Kartoffelsalat (Potato salad).
• Forelle Müllerin, trout rolled in flour and pan fried, it is served with salad or/and Kartoffelsalat (Potato salad), or boiled potatoes and butter.
• Forelle blau, trout cooked in a spiced vinegar and onion stock, is served with boiled potatoes, horseradish and liquid butter
• Geräucherte Forelle, smoked trout, hot or cold smoked, served with horseradish and bread
• Meefischli is a specialty from the area near the river Main in Lower Franconia. Small fishes rolled in flour and deep fried, it is served with tartar sauce and salad or/and Kartoffelsalat (Potato salad).
• Steckerlfisch is smoked fish, usually mackerel or pike.
• Gwedelte - young herring or mackerel (sometimes trout or other fishes) baked over an open flame, which gives it a smoky aroma. Popular in Franconia.

Although the region is well known for meat dishes, there are vegetarian options to be found in Bavaria:

• Kässpatzen is made of flour, eggs, salt, water and much Bavarian cheese, with fried onions on top. A rather heavy meal. - popular in Swabia and the Allgäu.
• Kratzat is made of flour, eggs, milk and salt.
• Kaspatzen Spätzle is made of eggs, flour, water, salt with sauerkraut, if you want with bacon.
• Apfelkrapfen is made of flour, eggs and apples.
• Reiberdatschi (old Bavarian) or Baggers(Franconian) a traditional potato pan cake, usually eaten with applesauce or cowberry. Of course it also can be eaten with salmon and kren (horseradish). onions etc.
• Bergkäse (mountain cheese) is a Southern Bavarian cheese - it originates from the Alm Tradition of yore when the cows spent the summer higher up than most people and the milk was made into a savory cheese on site.

These and much other meals are really traditional Southern Bavarian as before 1900 the Allgäu in the south of Bavarian was a poor region, and meat was very expensive for the farmers. However the Allgäu has been - and still is - a dairy region, so cheese is readily available.

There are also plenty of Asian and restaurants that can cater to vegans and vegetarians. Furthermore, vegetarians can consider the numerous Italian restaurants in the region.

• Apfelauflauf is similar to an apple cobbler.
• Dampfnudeln mit Vanillesauce is a steamed bun covered in a vanilla sauce, sometimes it can be served with a fruit sauce.
• Semmelschmarrn mit Zwetschgenkompott is fast-food bread, a sort of pancake with a plum jam.
• Münchner Apfelstrudel is apple strudel.
• Prinzregententorte is layers of sponge and chocolate buttercream with a chocolate ganache
• Kletzenbrot is a sweet bread that has pieces of dried fruit. Traditionally dried pears were used, but now many types of fruit can be included.

Bavarian bakeries have a great variety of bread and rolls. Bavarian bread is made of rye and wheat flour, Some are more pale, others more dark. Esp. traditional Franconian bread is often made of sourdough, has a crispy crust and may contain spices.

• Brezn (old Bavarian) or Brezel (Franconian) is typically Bavarian and often part of a "Brotzeit". As opposed to North America pretzels always have a soft interior. The brown color comes from a reaction with Sodium Hydroxide. Franconian ones have crispy crust, Bavarian medium and Swabian soft.
• Salzstange and Kümmelstange are a kind of rolls, but long shaped and strewn with salt and caraway. Kümmelstangen have more caraway
• Seele are originally from Swabia but now well-known in all regions. Similar to Salzstange, but larger and made of spelt flour

Some famous yeast based pastries:

• Krapfen originally from Vienna its common all over Bavaria. Strewn with sugar and filled with jam. In Franconia "Hiffenmark" (rose hip jam) is preferred, but raspberry and apricot is also common in Bavaria. A somewhat common practical joke is filling them with mustard instead of jam.
• Küchle are hollow and strewn with sugar. In Franconia they are a speciality at "Kirchweih" (parish fair) and each village tries to have the best.
• Knieküchle (Franconia) or Auszogene (Old Bavaria) are similar to Küchle, but flat and not like a "balloon" like Küchle. The curious name "Knieküchle" comes from stretching the paste over the knees to get them flat, which is allegedly the traditional way.
• Rohrnudeln strewn with sugar. Sometimes filled with plums.

Other pastries and cakes:

• Bamberger Hörnchen a kind of croissant which must be made with butter. Use of other kinds of fat or grease is not allowed. Bamberger Hörnla may also refer to a type of potato, but usually it is apparent from context which is meant.
• Zwetschgendatschi traditional old Bavarian plum cake
• Kirschplotz traditional Franconian cherry cake
• Rübenkuchen traditional Franconian cake with carrots

Franconia is an important wine region. Most vineyards are along the Main River around Würzburg, Kitzingen, Volkach and Marktbreit, and in Steigerwald (Schwanberg, Rödelsee, Castell). Smaller areas are around Ipsheim (Neustadt/Aisch district), Aschaffenburg, Taubertal and Bamberg/Haßfurt. Franconia is famous for dry white wines. Wines are often filled in Bocksbeutel, a special shaped bottle. Most important grape varieties for white wines are Silvaner, Müller-Thurgau, Kerner and Bacchus; for red wines, Domina and Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir). A rare speciality is Tauberschwarz, an old red wine grape which is only grown in Taubertal (Badenian part of Franconia) and some small adjacent areas in Lower Franconia.

Bavaria also has smaller vineyards around Lindau, Regensburg and Neuburg/Donau.

The standard glass of wine is 0,2 or 0,25l. In Franconia you usually order a "viertele" (0,25). Wine is drunken pure, but white wine can be mixed with mineral water, called Schorle.

During summer months there are "temporary inns" in Franconia, called Hecken- or Straußenwirtschaft: Winegrowers offer wine and some kinds of "Vesper"/"Brotzeit". Often these Heckenwirtschaften are romantic places in vineyards and villages.