12 Best Black Forest Foods to Inspire Your German Adventures
Located in the southwest corner of Germany, Baden-Württemberg is the home of the infamous Black Forest (“Schwarzwald”). Although the area is well-known for mesmerizing vistas, fog drenched mountains, dark green foliage, and Grimm’s fairy tales, the regional cuisine is also some of the best in Germany. Let us help walk you through the best Black Forest foods to inspire your next trip to Southern Germany.
Beer with a view of Freiburg Germany
Beer/Radler
What would a “best Black Forest foods” list be without German beer? Germany’s Purity Law, which was enacted over 500 years ago in 1516, limits the number of ingredients to only four. Despite these restrictions, there are a total of 1,300 breweries in Germany and over 40 different types of beers.
So what kind of beer is most popular in the Black Forest? Radler.
Radler is a cool summer beverage created by mixing lemonade and beer. It might sound questionable at first, but trust us when we say it is one of the most refreshing drinks you can have on a hot summer day in the city or while hiking in the Black Forest.
In fact, you can expect to see most of the locals enjoying this low alcohol beverage along the Dreisam most afternoons.
Although this drink has recently been becoming popular in the United States, they are often higher alcohol content and not mixed in the same way. Enjoy the real thing in Germany!
To enjoy this beverage correctly, we recommend a trip to a local Biergarten (beer garden). You can find numerous traditional beer gardens scattered throughout the city of Freibug and also sprinkled in the Black Forest along hiking paths and gravel roads.
Our favorites:
Kastaniengarten Biergarten - Freiburg im Breisgau, in the city
Hausbrauerei Feierling - Freiburg im Breisgau, in the city (our favorite local beer!)
St. Wilhelmer Hütte - Black Forest, Feldberg
Waldrestaurant St. Ottilien - Black Forest, Freiburg im Breisgau
Be sure to enjoy some of the local traditional Black Forest food while visiting these beer gardens! Specifically pretzels, flammkuchen, and cakes… learn more below!
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in Titisee, Black Forest, Germany
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cherry Cake)
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, which literally translates to ‘Black Forest Cherry Cake’ is the most famous sweet delicacy of the Black Forest. So delicious in fact, we chose to use it at our wedding reception!
A Black Forest Cherry cake is a chocolate sponge cake base which is flavored with cherry, filled with cherry filling, layered with whipped cream and cherries, and then topped with more cherries and chocolate flakes. What’s not to love, right?
However, these are not just ordinary cherries. A traditional Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte has the cherries drenched in Kirschwasser….Brandy, they’re drenched in Brandy.
It is really so delicious and one of the best Black Forest foods. We highly recommend enjoying a slice with a coffee after a meal.
Our favorite place to eat a Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in the Black Forest?
Treschers Schwarzwald, Hotel & Restaurant - On their beautiful terrace overlooking Titisee Lake!
Münstermarkt Wurststand (sausage stand) in Freiburg
Grillwurst, Lange Rote
Next on our list of best Black Forest foods is a sausage (Grillwurst). For the southern Black Forest region specifically, Lange Rote (long red sausage) is the most famous and traditional.
This spicy (but not that spicy) long red sausage will come hot and sizzling in a white bread roll (called a breisgauer brötchen). Either full length or broken in half we recommend an optional caramelized onion (Zwiebeln) add-on. Add a little German mustard and you have the perfect lunch snack.
If you’re visiting Freiburg and at the Münsterplatz Farmer’s Market (Münstermarkt), you’ll see a line of Wurststands all offering a traditional Lange Rote. Trust us, you won’t need to look far with the delicious smell wafting in the air. Our favorite is Brunner Wurststand, which includes a slightly softer piece of bread at a reasonable price - just 2.80€!
Comforting Käsespätzle
Did somebody say…. German Macaroni and Cheese?
Spätzle is native to the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany and has a Swabian influence, like many of the traditional Black Forest foods. It’s similar to a noodle and is made from water, flour, salt and eggs. This almost-noodle like food is typically used as a side and replaces traditional pasta or rice. It can be used next to or under a slab of Schnitzel or also as Käsespätzle.
Käsespätzle (cheese Spätzle) is basically German Macaroni & Cheese. It is served hot with caramelized onions and ample amounts of Emmentaler and Bavarian mountain cheese.
It is truly one of the best Black Forest foods and something you MUST try… and then make again at home for yourself.
Brezel (Pretzel)
According to local lore, the Brezel was invented in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany in 1477. Although many think the pretzel is identical across Germany, they are actually composed of different ingredients, with different shapes and baking techniques.
In the Black Forest (known as the Swabian pretzel),features a large “belly” with a straight cut and the arms are deeper and thinner. This cut on the belly leaves a smooth outside shape without cracks and makes it a little softer. These pretzels also have a higher butter content of 3-10%, compared to 3% in a Bavarian pretzel.
The higher fat content plus the larger belly size and the softer bread makes these pretzels ideal to cut in half for sandwiches. It’s common to see not only Butterbrezels (pretzels cut in half with butter spread) but also with sliced meats, cheese, and veggies.
In bakeries, they are baked fresh hourly and if you’re lucky, you’ll get a warm one which just came out. Pure heaven.
Monkey 47 Distillery Tanks
Refreshing Black Forest Gin and Tonic With Monkey 47
Although gin might not come to mind when thinking about the best Black Forest foods, it is certainly taking hold as a new tradition for the younger generation. In fact, the Gin & Tonic is one of the most popular cocktails in Germany.
One of the most world renowned gins has a small distillery located in a remote village in the Black Forest. Through some beautiful twisty Black Forest roads, Monkey 47 is inconspicuously tucked away in Loßburg, Germany. This small and locally run facility is able to fill the world’s need for top shelf gin. Take the tour (available in English and German), have a tasting or two, and bring home some (several) discounted bottles.
Interested in visiting the Monkey 47 distillery? Take a look at our post to help you get there and what to expect!
Maultaschen
Maultaschen, like Spätzle, is a Swabian dish which originated in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany but possibly with some Italian influence. Think of it as a German mix between a Polish pierogies and Italian ravioli.
It’s a dough made of flour which has been wrapped (sometimes rolled) and stuffed with spinach, vegetables, cheese, and/or meat. They are often eaten with soup but can also be eaten alone as a main course.
Maultaschen is one of our favorite Black Forest German foods and very well prepared at one of our favorite restaurants in Freiburg, Oma’s Kuche (Grandma’s Kitchen).
White asparagus and Salmon Flammkuchen
Flammkuchen with white asparagus and salmon
Flammkuchen with Friends
Grab your friends for this next Black Forest Food. Flammkuchen is a popular biergarten dish to share, lunch menu item, or snack.
It’s relatively simple, a rectangular (sometimes round) shape of very thin crust covered with crème fraîche or white cheese. On top of this is typically bacon (speck), onions, tuna, and many more different meats or veggies. Most Americans would call it a very-flat crust pizza without pizza sauce.
This easy-to-consume thin sheet of pizza originated in the Alsace region of France, just over the German border from Baden-Württemberg (Black Forest region). Before the 1960s (when it became a restaurant sensation) it was a way for farmers who only baked bread once a week to test the heat on the wood fired ovens. Ideally the intense heat would bake the flammkuchen in 1-2 minutes with the edges nearly burned from the hot flames.
Although not originating in the Black Forest, it is still one of the most popular and best Black Forest foods to grab when at a biergarten or a bar with friends. Some restaurants will even create a dessert version of this.
Our favorite places to grab a Flammkuchen:
Kastaniengarten Biergarten - Freiburg im Breisgau, in the city at the Biergarten
St. Wilhelmer Hütte - Black Forest, Feldberg
Schlappen - Freiburg im Breisgau, in the city
Cheers! Schnapps
Did you know that the Black Forest region of Germany has over 14,000 distilleries? They are famous for Kirschwasser (cherry water), although the translation doesn’t really do it justice. It’s booze. Like cherries, their Schnapps is made from seasonal fruits; Mirabelle plums, raspberries, pears and strawberries.
You can often find these small batches all over. Local farmer’s markets and regional stores will often sell it for a fairly low price. During the Christmas Market season (Weihnachtsmarkt) you will find plenty of sellers pushing their product for Christmas gifts. Don’t be afraid to ask for a tasing.
Kuchen, All the Cakes
It’s safe to say that Germans in the Black Forest region love their cake. It’s a staple for daily life when paired with a coffee. Much like we wrote previously about the Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, many traditional German Black Forest cakes exist and SHOULD be tried, for testing of course.
Out on a hike in the Black Forest? Stop in a cafe or restaurant and eat a piece of cake.
Walking through the city? Stop and eat a piece of cake.
Out on a bike ride? Eat a piece of cake.
Do what the locals do, enjoy your cake.
Spargel (Asparagus)
When Jonathan moved to Germany in 2013, it was towards the end of asparagus season. He was taken back by how many seasonal menu items were available based on asparagus. White asparagus mainly. I can’t say we ever had white asparagus in the United States, or even known of its existence.
In the Black Forest region of Germany, white asparagus between mid-April to the end of June (Asparagus time - Spargelzeit) is eaten and solid as white gold. Germans go mad for it, often eating it every day.
White asparagus is often served traditionally with melted butter, potatoes and ham covered with a creamy hollandaise sauce. If you plan on cooking it yourself, be sure to take the outside skin off. Don’t learn the hard way like we did.
If you are visiting Germany between April and June, be sure to enjoy some white gold prepared as it should be, by the people who know how to do it best.
Schwarzwälder Schinken (Black Forest Ham)
When we moved to the Black Forest in Germany in 2013, our friends and family always asked us about Black Forest ham and joked that little hams were bouncing around the forest. Although they aren’t literally bouncing around the forest, they really are known as one of the best Black Forest foods and world renowned.
Schwarzwälder Schinken (Black Forest Ham) has been a protected geographical indication in the European Union since 1997. Any product solid within the EU as Black Forest Ham must have been at least prepared, processed, or produced within the Black Forest region of Germany.
Black Forest Ham has a very specific preparation process which gives it its distinctive black outside color and unique taste. First, the raw him is salted and seasoned with coriander, pepper, garlic, juniper berries and other spices. After a 2-3 week cure, the salt is removed and then the ham is aged two more weeks. The next step is to cold-smoke the ham using local conifers and sawdust at 25°C for a few days. The final step is to ripen the ham in an air-conditioned room for several weeks.
Although many countries outside of the EU sell ‘Black Forest Ham’, it may not be prepared the genuine way. So, when visiting the Black Forest in Germany, be sure to enjoy some of the original Black Forest ham!
