Food has always been a major part of the German culture, which is rich, hearty and delicious.
food
Food has always been a major part of the German culture, which is rich, hearty and delicious. Each region has its own traditional cuisine. Did you know that a grand German festival dates back to 19th century? Yes, that is right! It was in 1810 that Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) and Princess Theresa of Hildburghausen got married and to celebrate their wedding, the couple organized a festival, which took place in October, hence it is called the 'Oktoberfest'. Basically the festival is about traditional Bavarian German celebration with German food specialties, traditional music and dancing.
Well, we were lucky enough to taste the authentic German food. Thanks to the management at Avari Hotel, Karachi who organised a colourful event in a bid to introduce us with the German cuisine. The hotel has always been focused on taking food mavens on gastronomically inspired food festivals from around the world and this time they celebrated Germany's culinary traditions from 21st to 28th of October 2016.
Upon entering the restaurant one could notice that the entire place was decorated using the hues of the German flag - black, red and yellow. Not only this, there were German flags placed at various spots and even the table runners had colours of the flag. Also live music was being played, which was mellow and created a soothing ambiance.
At the food festival, a variety of German dishes was being offered for foodies to try out. And it was quite obvious that German cuisine doesn't involve a lot of spices like our desi foods. Also, Germans, just like us, are meat lovers but their dishes are balanced with the right amount of veggies.
Now coming to the specialities offered at the hotel! The salad bar was out of this world and included Beef Salami (Rindfleisch Salami), Chicken Pie (Hühnerpastete), Cold Cut Salad (Wurstsalat) along with Red Cabbage Salad (Rotkohlsalat), Potato Salad (Kartoffelsalat) and a lot more.
Wait there is more! Yes, the main courses. Some of the dishes on the menu included Smoked Sausage and Green Peas Rice (Räucherwurst), Beef Roulade with Mushrooms (Rouladen), Sea Scallops (Seekammuscheln), Pan Fried Duck Breast with Orange and Honey Glaze (Gebratene Entenbrust Orangen & Honigglasur), and Brussel Sprouts (Rosenkohl). Other yummy delights offered at the festival were Breaded Stuffed Chicken Breast (Panierte gefüllte Hühnerbrust), German Cake with Salmon and Chives (Kuchen mit Lachs und schnittlauch), Seafood and Cheese Ravioli (Meeresfrüchte & Käse-Ravioli) and many more.
The Consul General of Germany, Mr. Rainer Schmiedchen, was also present at the event and we got to know that his favourite dish is Potato Dumplings (Kartoffelkloesse). Other attendees seemed to thoroughly enjoy the special German dishes prepared by the executive chef Mr Imran Ali Khan. At the event, Mr. Erik Huyer, General Manager of the hotel stated, "German festival was all about flavourful food choices especially for those who enjoy sinking their teeth into something sweet or savoury."
Sorry guys, the festival is over now, but fret not as there are more food festivals to come your way.
