The last time I wrote about food during the Yuletide season was this one. Circumstances have definitely changed since then - public areas opened up, retail restored to its original operations, so yes, people are back in droves to the fully-reinstated Christmas markets or Weihnachtsmarkt, as they are fondly referred to here.
And so it would be severely remiss of me to not dedicate at least one mention of my favourite street foods you can find at a typical Christmas market in the Thuringen state.
First and foremost, the one thing that everyone, and I literally mean everyone, makes a beeline for is the mulled wine. Here, it's called Glühwein with mainly two versions - red and white. Personally, I prefer the red one, simply because it feels more classic (I'm traditional that way!) and I just feel that something as traditional as the Weihnachtsmarkt which dates back for centuries, requires a traditional reverence. Naturally, the white one is just as traditional, but hey, Christmas time is all about emotions and feelings, so we go with whatever we feel creates the moment, yes?
The first Glühwein I had was at the smaller Weihnachtsmarkt in Erfurt, and it was with a medieval theme (Mittelalter Weihnachtsmarkt). Booths and retailers are all decorated in medieval clothing, and food and drinks served with medieval names in as close to medieval styles as possible.
As you can see, the mug itself has medieval art to create the ambience of an old-style, traditional gathering. Eating tables were high wooden bar tables which bore scars of wear and tear of years long gone by, making the place strangely homier.
The Glühwein itself came in a variety of funky names; some of which were downright irreverent, I might add. There was the Naughty Knight, Sexy Chambermaid, Frisky Lord - just to name a few - all with their own prescribed original recipes. If one had absolutely nothing to do the whole day, trying out the whole courtly menu could be a day's fun activity all on its own. It would be equally entertaining to see how one would eventually (have to) walk out of the Christmas Market, but of course.
I also tried out a bite to eat here. This is the medieval version of the modern-day garlic bread, dubbed Knobibrot.
Quite an interesting creation, I must say. First, the garlic "bread" I was expecting didn't look like it, which was an amusing surprise. It was more like a pizza dough; round and thick but without the tomato base sauce or crispiness. Then, it was generously slathered on with thick garlic cream, which can then be topped up with toppings of one's choice: paprika, crispy fried onions, olives, tomatoes, and some others.
What was interesting for me was that one could, for an extra kick on the meal, add on some spicy sauce of either Sambal Olek or this mystery super spicy sauce they lovingly named, The Devil's Own. I tried the latter and yes, it kicked big time. [Warning: do not try this if you find regular hot sauce too spicy]
All mixed together, one would then proceed to bite into this amazing concoction of rich, flavourful goodness that was soft and warm to the buds. Mine had the extra boost of spicy hotness which I so need in my food, so yes, it was an absolutely enjoyment I would gladly repeat, if I had enough time to revisit this Weihnachtsmarkt (Address: Schillerstrasse 50, 99096 Erfurt).
So with Christmas literally around the corner and if you're yearning for some Yuletide cheer in a less-crowded surrounding to enjoy much-needed Glühwein and some Knobibrot or typical Thuringen Bratwurst like these, heading over here to the Mittealter Weihnachtsmarkt might be a grand old idea.
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