Alsatian Cuisine

Alsatian cuisine is one of the most distinctive and hearty regional cuisines in France — a unique fusion of French finesse and Germanic heartiness. Here, you don't nibble elegantly; you eat. The "winstub" (Alsatian wine tavern) is the institution: wood-paneled dining rooms with checkered tablecloths, serving tarte flambée, choucroute, and baeckeoffe.

The Great Classics

Tarte flambée (Flammkuchen)
The national dish of Alsace: paper-thin, crispy dough topped with crème fraîche, onions, and bacon, baked in a wood-fired oven. The "nature" (classic) is unbeatable, the "gratinée" (with Munster cheese) a hearty upgrade, the "forestière" (with mushrooms) autumnally aromatic. In a real winstub, tarte flambée is served on a wooden board and eaten à discrétion — you order as many as you can manage. Price: €10–14/piece.

Choucroute garnie (Sauerkraut)
Perhaps the most famous Alsatian dish: mild sauerkraut braised in Riesling, garnished with a sumptuous selection of meats and sausages: smoked pork, Strasbourg knackwurst, Montbéliard sausage, bacon, Kasseler, potatoes. A portion of choucroute royale (the large version) is a mountain on the plate and satisfies two people. It is accompanied by Riesling or Sylvaner. Price: €18–26.

Baeckeoffe
The "baker's oven" — a stew of three types of meat (pork, beef, lamb), potatoes, and vegetables, marinated in white wine and slow-cooked in a clay pot. Traditionally, women brought the prepared pot to the baker on washday, who cooked it in his oven after baking bread. Available in every good winstub today (usually only by pre-order). Price: €20–28.

Kougelhopf (Gugelhupf)
The iconic Alsatian yeast cake in its characteristic fluted shape: airy, buttery, slightly sweet, with raisins (soaked in Kirschwasser) and almonds. Every bakery has its own recipe. There is also a savory version with bacon and nuts. A whole kougelhopf costs €8–14 in the boulangerie. No Alsatian breakfast without kougelhopf.

Gewürztraminer — the wine for food
The most aromatic wine of Alsace: intensely floral with aromas of lychee, rose, mango, and spices. With Munster cheese, it is the perfect combination — the sweetness of the wine balances the intensity of the cheese. Also excellent with spicy Asian cuisine, foie gras, and desserts. Glass from €5 in the winstub, bottle from €9 at the winery.

Other Specialties

Munster cheese — soft cheese with a washed rind, intense in smell, surprisingly mild in taste. From the Vosges, served with caraway and boiled potatoes. From €3/piece at the market.

Pretzels (Bretzels) — larger and softer than Bavarian pretzels, with coarse salt. Fresh from the boulangerie from €1.

Spätzle — the Alsatian version of Swabian egg noodles, often served as a side dish to meat dishes.

Foie gras — Strasbourg is considered the birthplace of foie gras (goose liver pâté). Jean-Pierre Clause created the famous "pâté de foie gras en croûte" here in 1780. Ethically controversial, culinary undeniably excellent. Can from €15 at the market.

Bredle — Alsatian Christmas cookies in dozens of varieties: butterbredele, cinnamon stars, anisbredele, spritzbredele. Available in every bakery and at every Christmas market during Advent. Bag from €5.