Eating and Drinking My Way Through German Christmas Markets

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German Christmas markets are a long-standing holiday tradition where people of all ages shop for gifts and gather to enjoy the spirit of the season. Part of experiencing Christmas markets in Germany is going on an eating adventure through them to eat your weight in delicious food as you wander. I found the best way to take in all the entertainment and stalls throughout the markets was with a steaming mug of glühwein in one hand and snacks in the other. There’s a huge variety of food available at all the markets and often some local specialties you can’t find anywhere else.

Contents

1. Sausages
2. Other Eats
3. Sweet Treats
4. Drinks

Sausages

Can one really go to a German Christmas market and not indulge in any of the sausages offered? Unless you’re on a plant-based diet, sausages are a must. I tried a variety of them at the Christmas markets throughout western Germany. 

Bratwurst

A fairly standard offering that can be found at any market throughout Germany. These staple sausages were a favorite of my partner who swore they tasted better than any found back in the US. They were served on a roll from stands that had condiment dispensers outside their windows with delicious mustard for customers to add to their liking. 

Currywurst

Curry and sausage is not exactly a combination that’s found often in the US, so currywurst definitely sounded weird before I tried it. It was one of the first foods I ordered at the Frankfurt Christmas market in Römerberg. The sausage came sliced up and topped with a ketchup-like sauce (perhaps slightly sweeter like barbecue sauce) and sprinkled with curry powder. Both my partner & I were surprised by how much we enjoyed it. It’s often served with or on a crusty roll. It was one of my favorite items that I kept coming back to at markets visited throughout the trip.

Grünkohl mit Mettwurst

Grünkohl mit mettwurst was recommended by friends in Dortmund, but I had no idea what it was when I ordered it. The grünkohl looks like green mush which didn’t seem very appetizing at first, but I later figured out it’s stewed kale. Lucky for me, it was delicious! The dish I had included chunks of potato in the stewed kale, and was so well seasoned that I ate every last bite. Mettwurst is a strongly flavored German sausage of smoked minced pork that’s often seasoned with garlic. This wasn’t available at every market, but I’d advise sampling it if you see it.

Weihnachtswurst

This Christmas sausage I found at Cologne’s Christmas market was a little different from a lot of the other sausages I tried. The sausage was served up on a crusty roll as is typical of sausages in Germany. What set it apart was the chunks of apple and onion mixed in with the meat and winter seasonings that had been added. I thought it was quite good while my partner preferred regular bratwurst.

Other Eats

Pretzels

One of the first stands I came across at the first German Christmas market I visited in Frankfurt was one full of pretzels and my partner made a beeline to the window for one. Since I’m not an avid pretzel fan it wasn’t my favorite, but they thoroughly enjoyed their first few minutes in a Christmas market snacking on a big pretzel the size of their face.

Raclette

Raclette is a type of semi-hard cheese from Switzerland, but it’s most commonly served by placing it near a heat source to melt it then scraping the melted cheese onto a piece of bread or potatoes. I first sampled raclette on rye bread at the Frankfurt market and fell in love. A little funky, this cheese was absolutely delicious on the bread. There were a variety of breads to choose from, but I just picked the basic option to try it out. Later at Cologne’s market I got raclette served on a baguette, which I thought was even better than the bread I’d had in Frankfurt.

Pommes Frites

French fries never tasted so good. I’m not sure what they’re doing differently besides maybe fresher ingredients or less additives, but the fries were delicious. Hot, fresh, and crispy without being overcooked or dry, fries were one of my favorite snacks at German Christmas markets. As is common in many European countries, fries are usually served with mayonnaise although some stands offered a variety of condiments. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked mayonnaise on fries! Like the bratwurst, my partner seems to think the mayonnaise was better tasting than what we have at home too. I think my favorite condiment I had with fries might have been a combination of mayonnaise and curry sauce that I got at Aachen’s Christmas market.

Reibekuchen

Potato pancakes are a staple of many Christmas markets and are often served “mit appelmuss,” or with applesauce. The ones I had at Dortmund’s market were served hot and fresh from the fryer. The outside had a lovely crisp crunch while the potatoes inside were cooked to tender softness. I loved them with the applesauce as it added a touch of sweetness. Highly recommend this delicious snack to anyone visiting a German Christmas market.

Sweet Treats

Crepes

Although crepes are traditionally a French treat, the thin pancakes rolled up with your choice of delightful fillings are widely available at German Christmas markets. They made a quick breakfast one morning at the Angel Market in Cologne. I chose Nutella as my filling while my partner chose Nutella with banana. The photos aren’t very attractive, but they certainly tasted great!

Gebrannte Mandeln

There were stands at all of the markets that sold candied nuts in a variety of flavors. My favorites were the cinnamon candied almonds served up warm and fresh. I was sorely temped by some of the other flavors offered such as chili, cocoa, or Irish cream, but loved the cinnamon so much I just kept going back for more. These can make a great treat to take home for family and friends too!

Schokofrüchte or Fruchtspieße

The chocolate covered fruit stands were probably among my partner’s favorite sweet treats at the Christmas markets. There was such a variety available that there was something for everyone. From the many different fruits, the types of chocolate the fruit was dipped in, and even additional toppings like nuts or sprinkles. It was hard to walk by these stands without slowing down to admire and consider all the delicious choices behind the glass. This skewer with dark chocolate covered pineapple and strawberries had my partner rolling his eyes back in delight.

Schaumküss or Schokoküss

These little chocolate covered treats are a perfect sweet treat at German Christmas markets. Roughly translating to chocolate kiss or foam kiss they’re a sweetened egg foam or marshmallow on a wafer base that’s covered in chocolate. In addition to being available with different chocolate coverings, the sweet center is also available in a variety of flavors. I tried a few different flavors including amaretto, marzipan, and caramel and every single one was delicious! Costing only about €1 or less, I could have easily had one as my dessert after every meal.

Lebkuchen

Descended from the honey cakes baked for centuries by Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians, the modern lebkuchen cookies are most similar to gingerbread. You’ll come across at least one booth at every Christmas market selling lebkuchen in a variety of shapes, sizes, and decorations. Many lebkuchen are heart shaped bearing different messages in icing ranging from ‘Merry Christmas’ to ‘I love you.’ They were adorable and make great souvenirs to take home (they’re sealed in plastic shrinkwrap). However, they weren’t my favorite treat at the Christmas markets as I found them to be a bit dry and bland. To be fair I’ve heard you can get better lebkuchen from actual bakeries than at the markets as the kind sold at the markets is baked harder so that it lasts longer.

Printen

Aachen, Germany has it’s own variation of Lebkuchen that’s only found in or around Aachen. Instead of honey it’s sweetened with sugar beets and was traditionally baked in casts that resulted in an engraved pastry. Today it’s available in a variety of styles including crunchy or soft, with or without nuts, and chocolate covered. The stands that sell printen will often hand out samples and help you choose what kind to purchase based on your preferences. I actually liked this far more than the lebkuchen I’d purchased at Frankfurt Christmas market, and I bought some of the crunchy printen to take home. 

Licorice and Bonbons

Bright and colorful candies make these stalls stand out from the crowd, and there’s usually children hovering nearby to stare longingly at all the confections behind the glass. There’s an abundance of hard candy bonbons, chewy ropes of licorice, candy canes, and lollipops that would make Willy Wonka proud.

My partner wanted to try to find salted black licorice friends had brought back from Germany before as he swore it was delicious. Black licorice alone is not usually something I enjoy, and adding salt didn’t sound like the way to improve it to me. He ended up buying a small bag at Frankfurt’s market that he thought looked like the candy his friends had shared with him, but alas, it was the wrong candy. At all the following markets he continued to search for the right licorice, but never found it. To this day we have no idea what candy he actually bought, and continue to refer to it as the ‘wrong candy.’ Eating adventures sometimes don’t go as planned and while we still enjoyed the candy he bought, it wasn’t what he expected.

Nougat

There were booths at every market full of huge blocks of white nougat with various fruits, nuts, and flavors. This chewy confection is made from whipped egg whites sweetened with honey or sugar, and usually includes roasted nuts and sometimes candied fruits. White nougat is not to be confused with German-style nougat that mostly consists of hazelnuts and chocolate candy.

We finally broke down at Cologne’s market and bought some. The vendors will often let you sample some of the different nougats available so you can pick the flavor you like. Sold by the gram, they use huge knives to slice chunks of nougat off the blocks to get customers the amount they want. They’ll weigh the piece of nougat and trim it until they get the right weight then wrap it up in waxed paper. This is not a treat that made it back to the US with me as I had a hard time not eating it all in one sitting!

Drinks

After the shoppers and families head home for the evening, the crowds at the markets tend to be congregated around the stalls serving up endless mugs of hot beverages and around stages with musical entertainment. Naturally I wanted to get the full German Christmas market experience so I followed suit and indulged in the holiday drinks as well. 

Something to keep in mind is that the markets in each city (and sometimes different stalls at a market) will have different mugs. When you order your first drink you’ll be charged a deposit, or “pfand” for the mug which is usually between €2-4. When you return the mug, you’ll get your deposit back. Alternatively, you can keep the mugs as affordable souvenirs or gifts for friends and family at home. (I happen to be sipping mulled wine from a Christmas market mug as I’m writing this post!)

Glühwein

Glühwein (pronounced glue-vine) is the German name for mulled wine, a hot, spiced wine typically served in the colder months. I’ve always been a fan of mulled wines in the US, so in all honesty this was actually what I was most looking forward to when we were planning our trip to Europe for the Christmas season! From my first mug in Frankfurt to the last one I had in Cologne before completing the German portion of our trip, I was in glühwein heaven and living my best bucket list life. Every mugful was piping hot, lightly sweetened, and deliciously spiced. 

The glühwein most commonly found at German Christmas markets is red wine and is delicious just as is, but I were lucky enough to meet up with some German friends who helped introduce me to some variations. One of my partner’s friends, Michael recommended ordering our glühwein “mit amaretto,” meaning with a shot of amaretto liqueur added to it. He was so right because adding a shot of amaretto is delicious! There’s a few different liquors that can be added which may be listed on the menu as “mit schuss,” meaning with a shot.

The next day I met up with my friend Kim who recommended I try white glühwein which was a bit lighter and sweeter than its red counterpart. If you’re normally a white wine drinker at home, this might be the drink you’ll want to seek out at German Christmas Markets. Later we also came across stalls that served a rosé variation of glühwein. It was a lovely deep pink shade and was the perfect mix of the light, sweet white and the deeper, drier flavors of the red.

Glühbier

Now that you’re (perhaps overly) familiar with glühwein, let me introduce you to glühbier which is hot mulled beer. Yes, that sounded strange to me too, but nonetheless I gave it a try (for science & knowledge or something). Much like mulled wines, mulled beer is warmed and sweetened with honey or sugar then spiced with winter spices which typically consist of cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom, etc.

With trepidation in his eyes my partner took the first sip, then a look of surprise came over his face before he passed it to me. Despite not being a beer drinker at home I found the glühbier to be quite tasty! It was hot, sweet, and very slightly fruity while maintaining some of the malty flavor of the beer. We were both pleasantly surprised and a little sad that we didn’t try it until our last market in Cologne.

Eierpunsch

This hot, sweet alcoholic beverage is similar to eggnog made with egg yolks, sugar, white wine, and vanilla. Setting it apart from eggnog is the white wine which adds a fruity flavor that blends surprisingly well with the creamy nature of the drink. My partner didn’t care for it even though he’s a big eggnog fan at home as he found it to be too sweet and the fruity flavor profile odd. While I’m not normally an avid eggnog drinker at home, I enjoyed this eierpunsch at Dortmund’s Christmas market with its lovely topping of whipped cream.

Apfelwein

This tart hard cider is a favorite in the state of Hesse where it’s mainly produced. I only encountered it while we were in Frankfurt as it’s a pretty regional beverage. Much like glühwein, in the winter apfelwein is served hot and spiced with cinnamon. While I enjoyed the mug of hot apfelwein I had at Frankfurt’s Christmas market, I liked it better when I ordered it at a traditional apfelwein tavern since I felt the flavor was better and they provided sugar for customers to sweeten to their liking. Since this is something you’ll only find in Frankfurt, I highly recommend you try it if you’re there. 

Kinderpunsch

If you’re looking for a non-alcoholic (but still festive) drink at the Christmas markets, then look no further than kinderpunsch. It’s very similar to glühwein as it uses the same spices and is served warm, but the base is juice instead of wine.

Heisse Schokolade

Shakespeare once said ‘hot chocolate by any other name would taste as sweet,’ or something along those lines. Just kidding, but really hot chocolate was delicious at the markets. I ordered it when I felt like it might be a little early in the day for glühwein, and was never disappointed. If you want to give it a kick, you can always add a shot of schnapps, amaretto, or another liquor of your choice. 

An Excuse to Return

By no means did I sample every type of food and drink that’s available at German Christmas markets (I’m not even sure that would possible). However, I hit many of the highlights along with some local specialties in the cities I visited. It just means that I have to go back to Germany to experience more of what the markets have to offer, right? Writing this has me salivating to go back and indulge in more of the delicious food to be found at German Christmas markets.

Have you ever visited any German Christmas markets?