by Rachel from Hongkong,

Christmas market is a meeting point for people to chat and chill after work. They enjoy the food and drinks there. I think our earth is also like that. It is a big meeting point. I have made a collection of the typical food and drinks at the German Christmas markets. Here you go:

 

  1. Glühwein

The hot mulled wine is cooked with spices and fruit. It can also be served with extra rum or cream. Not only red wine, there is also Glühwein made from white wine. I think the taste of white Glühwein is not as strong as the red one. The Christmas market is freezing cold so everyone will at least drink a glass of Glühwein. It is sweet but strong.

  1. Lumumba: Heiße Schokolade mit Rum

If you do not like wine, Lumumba may be another choice for you. It is hot chocolate with rum and cream. The taste of rum is very strong and somehow the taste of chocolate is overshadowed by it. You will be disappointed if you are a big fan of chocolate. The sweetness of chocolate neutralizes the strong rum and keeps a little bit original sweet flavor. You will feel very warm after it.

  1. Punsch

It is similar to Glühwein but it is made by juice instead of wine. It carries no alcohol so usually it is for children. It is called Kinderpunsch.

  1. Fruits covered by chocolate

In Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year, we will go to the New Year Market with our own family. One of the typical snacks is candied haws, fruits cover with sugar. In Christmas Market, we also have the skewered fruits like strawberry and banana. They are first soaked in alcohol and then covered by chocolate. Some are covered with white chocolate, black chocolate or milk chocolate. Some are as big as your face. Make sure your mouth is big enough to bite before buying it.

  1. Gebrannte Mandeln

They are Almonds covered by sugar. Not only covered by normal white sugar but also brown sugar and chocolate. Sweet and crispy. However, another volunteer, Hannah said it is too sweet for her and my mentor said the almond is too hard and it hurts her teeth. Yea well, but I like it and my brother also likes it.

  1. Dampfnudeln

My chief told me that Dampfnudeln was a snack originated in Austria. It is kind of like Chinese steam bun with powdered sugar, Vanilla sauce and jam. It is very FULLfilling. My friend Sarah told me if you go skiing on the mountain, you will definitely eat Dampfnudeln.

  1. Crêpe

Except the normal Crêpe with Nutella, there is a lot other kinds of filling including Orangenlikör which my chief loved and said it is a classic one. The Crêpe with Orangenlikör is very sweet but it doesn’t carry a very strong taste of alcohol.

  1. Grünkohl

It is a very traditional German food. Vegetables are cooked with potatoes. Usually you will eat it with wursts. I don’t know what kind of vegetables they really are but I feel their texture is like the dried white cabbage in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, we will use that for soup.

  1. Grill Schinken Brot

You can always find people lining up in front of the store selling Schinken Brot. The ham smells so nice that stop you to buy it. A bread with thick delicious ham is like eating a boneless ham knuckle. They would also ask you if you would like some sauerkraut in the bread. You can add some if you find the ham is too rich.

  1. Heißes Met

Met is honey wine. It is very sweet but very good. When it is served warm, it is like drinking honey water and the sweetness is never too much. Except normal Christmas market, there are also special Christmas market like middle-age Christmas market at which Met is normally sold. There is no sparking decoration in the middle-age Christmas market. Instead of that, they are replaced by fire torches and fire pan. People surround by the fire to get warm. The sales there will also dress up like middle-age people and you can also find special toys like knife and bow there. When you get a Met in the market, they will serve it with a special classic ceramic cup.

  1. ???

I have eaten a roll with vegetables, cheese and garlic sauce in the middle age market but I forgot the name. It is kind of like smaller Kabab without meat. When I was eating it, I didn’t know the sauce was leaking from the bottom. As a result, so many white garlic sauce dots spilt on my black trousers. I was told and they were all laughing at me.

  1. Churros

After deep frying, Churros is crispy outside but tender inside. It is stained with sugar and you can also eat it with Nutella. It is like a snack called Sata andagi in Hong Kong. Instead of linear, Sata andagi is round like a ball.