The UK of Germany - potatoes, beer and bacon! (Saarland (Germany))

Member Name: sun-is-shining

Product:	Saarland (Germany)
Date:	21/06/09 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lovely place, great food, better beer and lovely people

Disadvantages: you'll probably never want to leave

Coming from the "most beautiful federal state on earth" I'll make it my mission to spread the word of this little half-forgotten paradise. Yes, there are many, many great things in the UK but do you have Lyoner? Do you have to most scenic river bend? Do you have old steel factories?

Oh well, yes you do have all these things and furthermore you cook with potatoes, you put gravy on everything and bacon is one of the essentials of every meal. No wonder that I fell so good here :-)

Why not visiting this little region in Germany to see for yourself that our cultures are not so different from each other!
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Where is it?

The Saarland is one of the smallest federal states of Germany. It's beautifully located in the west cornering France and only miles away from Luxembourg and Belgium. The Saar river runs through this little paradise making it green and creating great walking and cycling ways along its shores.

Saarland is easily reachable via the International Airport in Saarbrücken-Ensheim or the smaller Airport in Zweibruecken (Not in Saarland anymore but only 5min over the regional border) which has Ryanair and Germanwings connections to London Stansted.

Trains from Paris coming are frequent and the TGV from Paris to Luxembourg stops in Saarbrücken. Saarbruecken is the capital city and the main hub when travelling to and from Saarland

Coming by car can be a quite interesting experience as we drive on the right side of the road (you in the UK are of course using the 'wrong' side of the road) and motorways don't have (or at least only in certain areas) speedlimits.
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What is it?

The obvious answer is of course that the Saarland is one of the 16 federal states of Germany. Than I could tell you about the river Saar that flows through it or about the wild history. But you can look that up on Wikipedia or indeed look at my 'What to do' section.

Here I try to explain the regional psyche as the Lonely Planet would put it.

After your arrival you'll soon realise that people assume that you have family in this region - why else would you be there. And even after you explained that all your ancestors are indeed from the UK the locals will try and link you to someone they know. As in Saarland it is impossible not to know everyone!

The locals will question you about your attitude towards beer (Karlsberg is the best), about our neighbours in Rheinland-Pfalz (Saarland is way better) and your opinion on the local football clubs (just moan about the trainer, that will do even if you have no idea about which club they are talking nor what the name of the trainer is.)

Everyone under 60 will understand your English but if you make the effort to learn some German you'll soon be invited to a typical Saarländisch Schwenker evening.
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What to do!

There's not really a lot to do - it's the whole atmosphere that is so special about this place. Sit in a beer garden in summer, watch people walking along the Saar and enjoy a cold beer - that's the perfect Saarländisch day!

If that gets a bit boring for you here are some suggestion how to spend a nice afternoon:

* walk and cycle along the Saar
* see the breathtaking view of the sunset at the Saarschleife - a scenic bend in the river
* Visit the sandstone caves in Homburg
* Visit the UNESCO Heritage site the Völklinger Ironworks, see the history of the iron factory and stunning exhibitions
* Go shopping on the High Street in Saarbrücken
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What to eat & drink!

You don't go to Saarland to be on a diet - you'd probably starve to death! Potato and meat are the main ingredients and most of the dishes are topped with bacon fried in butter. Don't worry, it's worth all the calories, the food is simply delicious!

* Dibbelabbes - cooked potato with bacon
* Kappes und Grumbeere - white cabbage with bacon and potatoes
* Gefilde (my favourite and only good when prepared from my grandma)- potato dumplings filled with minced meat often served with:
* Sauerkraut - pickled sour cabbage and beacon butter on top
* Himmel un Erd - heaven and earth, a nice mix between potatoes (earth) and apple (heaven)
* Lyoner and Egg on roasted potato. Lyoner is a very thick sausage similar to the bologna sausage. It's cut in pieces, fried with eggs and served on top of fried potatoes.

And of course the most important part of the Saarländish summer diet: Schwenken! Schwenken basically means having a BBQ in ones backyard but there are so many fine details that make it a 'Schwenker' instead of a normal BBQ. Unfortunately I cannot tell you all these little secrets as a) I'm a woman and therefore no real grill master and b) you are not a Saarländer.

Typical Schwenker products are pork cutlets, sausages, pork belly and garlic baguette.

There's only one typical Saarländisch pudding but it's the best I've ever had - even better that bread pudding and hot custard:

*Beer-battered elderflower! Simple to make but pure genius for me.


Mh, all this talking about fried sausages has made me thirsty. And what's better than a traditional Saarländisch beer? Nothing of course and you'll agree with me as soon as you tasted the amazingly clear and soft taste of 'Karlsberg' - the best beer in the world. It's brewed in Homburg and you can get it everywhere in te region - popular variants are Mixery (beer & coca cola) Radler (beer & lemonade) and of course Karlsberg light without alcohol.

Other famous and non alcoholic drinks are sparkling water (when you order water it will be sparkling, you'll have to tell the waiter that you want still water), Apfelschorle (apple juice mixed with water) and any soft drink.

Wine is good and widely available, chose light reds from France or the delicious white Mosel wines from the neighbouring regions.

Cider is especially famous around Merzig and there's a bit Viez festival once a year.
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What to avoid!

There are things you should avoid, if not the average Saarländer might start throwing sausages at you! And believe me, you want to avoid being hit with a 2 pound heavy Lioner Sausage!

* Never order a Bitburger beer - it comes from the neighbouring competitor state and stands for all the bad qualities of a beer the we Saarländer know to avoid!

* Never forget that Saarland is a proud state - don't suggest that it would be easier and save money to merge it with Rhineland-Palatinate. Saarland with its rich culture and great cuisine has nothing to do with it's barbaric neighbours!

* Don't use the word Barbecue when referring to grilling outside. In Saarland it is 'Schwenken' - BBQ on its highest level of perfection. Only a real grill master is allowed to wear the fat stained apron and watch the food with a bottle of Karlsberg beer in his hand!

*Don't confuse 'Carlsberg' with 'Karlsberg' beer - we are proud on our beer with the 'K'.

If you avoid these little traps every Saarländer will be to share food, drinks and stories about the everyday life in this little but interesting area!
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For further information see here:

http://www.saarland.de/SID-3E724395-1FF305A0/engl ish.htm
http://www.tourismus.saarland.de/en/index.php
http://www.karlsberg.de/start.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna_sausage



Bis bald und auf Wiedersehen im schönsten Bundesland der Welt!
(See you soon in the most beautiful federal state on earth!)

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