Eating My Way Through Europe, Part 1: Bavaria

So I went on a big European adventure with the University of Delaware Chorale for three weeks this summer. We went to tour around various towns in Germany and Hungary, with the purpose of preparing for a Big Fancy International Choral Competition at the end of July. It was a pretty big deal. And I could talk about how life changing the experience was and how it solidified my passion for music and how I made such great connections etc.

But this is a food blog. And boy was there FOOD.

We started our trip in Erding, right the heart of Bavaria. When you think of Liederhosen and yodeling on a mountaintop, you're thinking of Bavaria. And what is more German than a big 'ol soft pretzel?

I have to say, soft pretzels from Germany were nothing like those nasty super pretzels that you would get in your school cafeteria, and they were SO much better than the chewy-doughy mess of a Philly soft pretzel (...which I do love...but...come on). Everything about these pretzels were perfect. The outside was buttery and crisp, and the inside was soft and pillowy and if I could have a mattress made out of the stuff then I would eat that mattress.

...what was I talking about??

The best part about the pretzels is that you could literally find them EVERYWHERE. And they were delicious no matter where you bought them!! I could write poetry about German pretzels. But...this isn't that kind of blog.


We spent the first two and a half days rehearsing and performing around the area, and we even got treated to a delicious dinner of Wienerschnitzel in the town of Traunstein. But I didn't get a picture of it, because I was too hungry to remember.

This was a meal I had on my first free day. A couple of friends and I had decided to skip out on the optional excursion, and decided to explore Erding. We found a cafe that served this delicious quiche. Can we talk about how I am a sucker for a good quiche?? And this one was made with fresh tomatoes and the crust was super flaky and I sometimes have dreams about this quiche. The side salad was equally as delicious, because every component was super fresh, and I'm pretty sure that balsamic vinegar has magical properties. IT SAVES LIVES.

This is the first glass of wine I had in Europe. I ordered it after trying to convince myself that I liked beer for like two days only to realize that I'm really just a vino girl.

On our first Sunday in Europe, Chorale had this delicious dinner at the Erding Weissbrauhaus. It was one of my favorite meals of the whole trip, partly because I enjoyed the whole meal from start to finish. The first course of this meal was an onion soup that had fried onions in it (SO YUMMY) and giant buttery pretzel croutons.

I'll tell you a secret: my friend has a gluten allergy, so I took all of her croutons. I'm just that good of a friend ;)

SPAETZLE.

Oh. My. God. Speatzle.

Spaetzle is like...a German crossover between mac and cheese and gnocchi. The spaetzle itself is considered a dumpling, but acts a bit more like a pasta. And I'm not sure what sauce they put on it...but it was buttery and cheesy and I wanted to rub it all over my face. Is that weird? It was also topped with more fried onions, which I had no complaints about.

I didn't realize that eating authentic German apple strudel was an item on my bucket list until after I had crossed it off, but I will never forget the dance for joy my taste buds performed after I took a bite of the delicious pastry. It was just...just so beautiful. The pastry was served on a pool of this glorious vanilla sauce that I would like to bathe in. Is that too much information?

Also does anyone know what the fruit on top of the pile of whipped cream was? I was scared to try it, but I did it anyways and I spent the rest of the night trying to convince people that they wouldn't like theirs so I could eat more.


The next day we left Germany for the next leg of our trip...

Greece.

But you'll have to wait until next week to read about that!