Franconian cuisine centres on three main dishes: Schäufele (braised pork shoulder with dumpling), the Nürnberger Rostbratwurst (EU protected since 2003, documented since 1313), and the Brotzeit cold platter (bread, ham, sausage, Obazda spiced camembert, radish). At most beer cellars you are welcome to bring your own Brotzeit.
What to Eat in Franconia
- Obazda: spiced camembert cream, the beer cellar standard
- Schäufele: braised pork shoulder — Franconia's Sunday roast
- Nuremberg Rostbratwurst: protected g.g.A., only produced in Nuremberg
- Coburger Bratwurst: large, grilled over pine cones
- Saure Zipfel: Bratwurst cooked in vinegar-onion stock — almost nobody outside Franconia knows these
- Pressack: pressed pork with vinegar and onions — authentic and honest
Individual dishes — detailed articles
Obazda — The Beer Cellar Standard
Obazda (also Obatzda, Obazter) is a spiced cheese cream made from ripe Camembert, butter, cream cheese, paprika powder, caraway and onions. It is orange-coloured, spreadable, and belongs on every respectable beer cellar table. On a slice of Bauernbrot (farmhouse rye bread) with radishes alongside, it is the ideal beer cellar opener. What makes a good one: genuinely ripe Camembert, enough butter for creaminess, sweet paprika (not sharp), caraway.
Schäufele — The Franconian Sunday Roast
Schäufele is the pork shoulder — braised slowly on the bone until the meat falls away by itself. It is the centrepiece of Franconian gastronomy. It is not the Bavarian Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle). The Haxe is the lower leg; the Schäufele is the shoulder — finer-grained, juicier, less gelatinous, with a fat rind that forms a crust during proper braising. Served with potato dumplings (Kloß) and Blaukraut or Sauerkraut.
The Three Franconian Bratwürste
Nuremberg Rostbratwurst: Small — 7–9 cm long — strongly seasoned with marjoram, grilled over beechwood charcoal. Protected geographical indication (g.g.A.): may only be produced within the city limits of Nuremberg. Served three or six on a Weckla (bread roll) with sweet mustard.
Coburger Bratwurst: The opposite — nearly 30 cm long, grilled over pine cones. The resin from the cones gives the sausage a characteristic note. Coburg's street food equivalent of the Nuremberg Rostbratwurst.
Saure Zipfel (Blaue Zipfel): Bratwürste not grilled but poached in a stock of vinegar, onions, bay leaves and spices. They turn grey-blue in colour and develop a pleasantly sour, spiced character that pairs remarkably well with Kellerbier. Almost nobody outside Franconia has heard of them. Order them.
Cold Cuts — The Wurstplatte
Pressack: A pressed pork terrine from pig's head meat, formed in a press and chilled. Dark red, firm, intensely flavoured. Served sliced, with vinegar and onions drizzled over. This is what Franconians eat themselves — not tourist food.
Landjäger: Air-dried, smoked rectangular sausage — hard, intensely seasoned, shelf-stable. Hiking food: fits in a pocket, keeps well, sliced with a knife on the Fünf-Seidla-Steig it is the simplest and most satisfying Brotzeit possible.