Meat Sweats…. & Other Details of my Euro Trip

So just about a week ago, I got home from an action-packed, fun filled vacation to Germany and the Czech Republic with Matt (bf) and some friends. From Oktoberfest, to visiting Dachau, (very sad but worth the experience) to walking across the Charles Bridge we did SO much in the 9 ish days we were over there.

What we did most though…. eat. Well that and drink, we definitely drank. Funnily enough, I’m not a big beer drinker at home but I swear I was drinking like a fish over there. When in Rome ya know.

I am a big proponent of trying everything at least once; how could you possibly know if you like it if you won’t even give it a go. Best part about eating in another country? The menu is likely in another language anyway so just point and keep your fingers crossed you randomly selected something good.

While pork is a protein I am no stranger to, I can’t say I have ever indulged in pork knuckle before. Pork knuckle, or Schweinshaxe, is the ham hock traditionally long marinated and roasted to make tender. It used to be a cheaper cut of meat and therefore known as a peasant meal but good God, it was tasty. (and having it at the Augustiner-Bräu, one of Germany’s oldest breweries made it that much more delicious)

Other meat-centric meals typically consisted of Schnitzel, (one of the best we tried was at a small neighborhood restaurant in Starnburg – 30 minutes South of Munich) meat stews – I MUCH enjoyed a hearty deer goulash during a day trip to Austria that was outstanding, and of course German sausages. Bratwurst, Knockwurst, Weisswurst, and most interesting to me – Currywurst. 

In the late 1940’s, a German woman, Herta Heuwer, exchanged alcohol with British soldiers for ketchup and curry powder. This exchange brought about the now famous street food – Currywurst – composed of German sausage doused in ketchup and sprinkled with curry powder.

I am a carnivore to my core, but a gal can only eat heavy meats for so many days in a row before I need a break. By the time Matt and I got to Prague and Berlin, we were ready for a change of pace so we went a little less traditional. We found this amazing restaurant by the Lennon Wall and treated ourselves to something we hadn’t seen in days, seafood! (well, after a starter focused around prosciutto… what can I say) Of course, we also managed to find a Mexican (ish) restaurant and Italian so empanadas and pizza were on the menu for us as well.

We did try a traditional Slovak dessert that was delicious (but messy) when we were walking back from the Old Town Square in Prague. Trdelník is a pastry dough that is wrapped around a wooden or metal stick, and roasted over an open flame and coated with sugar and cinnamon. Watching these being made was awesome and eating was even better – we had ours filled with ice cream.

Overall, we each probably gained 5-10 pounds, but when you are eating your way through Europe with your friends, does it really matter? I vote no.  I am glad to be home for sure but the brainstorming for where we will have a culinary experience next is already in the works.