Local Specialties

If you don’t care about mountains and lakes, mountain-biking or skiing, the Black Forest is still a destination worth visiting simply because of its culinary excellence. There are plenty of high-end restaurants serving regional specialties. One town is even known as ‘Germany’s Secret Gourmet Capital‘ with its restaurants having been awarded Seven Michelin Stars. But there is no need to visit well-known expensive restaurants to taste the local specialties. Each Black Forest town usually has one or more guest houses serving culinary treats. And if you happen to visit Germany in the summer months the famous Straussen- and Besenwirtschaften are open and for sure something you will write home about!

If you are passing through the Black Forest on your way to other destinations and only have a few hours or a day to spend here you should check out our Winery Tour, Culinary Tour, Biergarten Tour, Brewery Tour or Straussen-Tour.

Vesper (cold cuts)

Vesper is a typical snack for the Black Forest region. A vesper is taken between meals or in place of an evening meal and consists of different hearty homemade blood or liver sausages, cheeses and Black Forest ham with a crusty farmer’s bread.

Schwarzwälder Schinken (Black Forest Ham)

Schwarzwälder Schinken can only call itself Black Forest ham if it has been made in the traditional way as defined by the ‘Schutzverband der Schwarzwälder Schinkenhersteller’ (local Association of Black Forest Ham Producers). The real Black Forest Ham takes several months to get the typical taste and flavor.

Dreierlei - Wurstsalad, Bibeleskaes und Braegele

Badisches Dreierlei - Wurstsalat, Bibeliskaes und Braegele

Badisches Dreierlei consists of three different specialties from Baden. There is Bibliskäs, a sort of cream cheese with different herbs, Brägele, traditional fried potatoes and meat salad made from beef.

Badischer Wurstsalad

Badischer Wurstsalat is a meat salad made from beef. Strassburger Wurstsalat is a variation of it and means that cheese is served on top of the meat salad.

Bibileskaes

Bibliskaes (Bibeleskaes, Bibiliskaes) can taste a bit different in each location you are ordering it. It’s made out of creme fraiche and depending on the kind of herbs being added, the taste changes. It’s a light fare and a very popular summer appetizer.

Viertele

You can enjoy a Viertele (a quarter = 0.25 litres of wine) Badische Wein any time of the year. But from the beginning of March until the end of October there is at least one wine or wine-growing festival each weekend. At the same time many Winzergenossenschaften (wine-grower’s cooperatives) open up their wine cellars for tastes and purchase of their wines. Wine Lovers will appreciate the full flavor of local Black Forest wines like Riesling, Silvaner, Gutedel, Müller-Thurgau, Grau- and Weißburgunder, Bacchus, Chardonnay and Spätburgunder.

Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte, aka Black Forest Cake

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake aka Black Forest Cherry Cake)

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake or Black Forest Gateau) is a Southern German Cake made out of several layers of chocolate cake with whipped cream and cherries between each layer and then decorated with additional whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate shavings. Traditionally, Kirschwasser (cherry schnapps) is added to the cake. (Kirschwasser is a clear, colorless fruit brandy traditionally made from double-distillation of cherries with an alcohol content of 40%–50% ABV, 80–100 proof). It is said that best Kirschwasser for the cake is made from locally picked fruit as the Black Forest is the only place where the right kind of cherries thrive. If you are interested in learning how to make a Black Forest Cake, join us one of our our Cake Tours.

Flammenkuchen

Flammenkuchen is a Badisch specialty (in neighboring Alsace called Flammekueche or french tarte flambee) and translates into ‘baked in the flames’. It is made of thin bread dough rolled out in a circle or a rectangle, which is covered by crème fraîche, onions and bacon. It is one of the most famous gastronomical specialties of this region.