Bavarian

What it is

Bavarian cuisine is the cuisine the world most often thinks of as “German.” Lederhosen, Oktoberfest, and Munich beer halls have exported it disproportionately. The kitchen overlaps heavily with Austrian and South Tyrolean cooking; many “Bavarian” dishes are equally claimed by Vienna.

How it tastes

Pork, salt, malt, and mustard. Beer is treated as a cooking ingredient as well as a beverage; pretzels and rye breads are eaten with everything; sweet mustard and horseradish kick up the meat platters. The pace is unhurried — meals built for long lunches.

Signature dishes & techniques

Weisswurst — pale veal sausage eaten before noon with sweet mustard and a Weissbier — is the morning ritual in Munich. Schweinshaxe, slow-roasted pork knuckle with crackling skin, anchors beer-hall dinners. Knödel (bread or potato dumplings) soak up the dark gravy; apfelstrudel closes the meal.