Buck Reed

Oktoberfest

Fall brings us a number of festivals, but few are as food-centric as a popular one started in Munich and carried on for 205 years: Oktoberfest. Started as a celebration for the king’s wedding, it now boasts being the world’s largest folk festival.

This year, they are expecting 7.5 million visitors to the weeklong celebration—last year, about that many liters of beer were consumed, making it the biggest beer-drinking event of the year. But food is as big a part of this festival as the beer, as each tent has a full kitchen attached and almost all of them have a specialty dish. In all, 500,000 chickens will be grilled or roasted and over 100 oxen will be consumed, along with 50,000 pig knuckles, 200,000 pairs of various sausages (Weisswurst being the most popular), and 80,000 liters of wine and 30,000 bottles of champagne. It should be noted that modern mathematics has no apparent way of counting how many warm, salty pretzels are consumed at this event, but a gazillion has been thrown out there.

Frederick has two notable festivals. The first one, sponsored by the Rotary, is on the first weekend of October at the fairgrounds; and the second one is Oktoberfest at Schifferstadt on October 17-18. Both have great music, great beers, and some authentic German food.

However, if you want to cook your own little Bavarian feast, there are more than a few options to go with. First off, there is German grilled chicken, of which every tent has a version. Roast beef with a red wine sauce and vegetables is another great choice. Don’t forget the sausages, which can be purchased at Wegman’s. I like the traditional weisswurst, but, of course, bratwurst is also a great go-to as well.

Now let’s talk sauerkraut. If you don’t like your family, cuisine in general, or the world as a whole, then by all means take the sauerkraut out of the can, heat it up, and serve it. But if you want to turn that mess into something divine, then follow these quick instructions: (1) Pour contents into a colander; (2) Rinse contents with beer or cider; (3) Place in cooking vessel; (4) Add something to it: chopped pimentos, finely chopped onions, caraway seeds (my favorite), mustard…..just add something for sauerkraut sake; and (4) Cook as desired (I prefer with bratwurst, covered and roasted).

The following are also some great choices for German sausages: Weisswurst (traditional Bavarian sausage made from veal and fresh pork bacon); Bratwurst (means “farmers’ sausage,” made primarily from pork and can be fresh or smoked); Blutwurst (blood sausages—worst public relations guy ever—come in many varieties, served both hot and cold; Frankfurter (these are hot dogs made only with pork or beef and love. The natural casing gives this sausage that distinct crisp snap); Knockwurst (these thick smoked sausages are made of pork and veal and have a strong garlic flavor); Bierwurst (originally from Bavaria, with a heavy garlic flavor and dark red color, heavily seasoned with spices and brotherhood).