Germany. Today I take you to Bremen, the medieval capital of the Hanseatic League that united the cities of the most important merchants in Northern Europe. Bremen is waiting to be discovered: its spectacular Gothic buildings, the famous statue of the Musicians, Becks beer, born right here, the best German wines kept in one of the most famous and ancient cellars in the world: dated 1405.
Six meters underground: visit to the cellar of the Bremen Town Hall
Bremen, although not a wine region, holds an oenological record, thanks to this winery which contains about 650 different qualities of wines and which for its exceptional nature has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site Enter its magical vaults to discover (and taste) the world’s largest selection of German wines. Many guided tours are organized with… final toast.
Ratskeller is also a very popular restaurant, where you can find the original priölken, private cabins, initially reserved for only 3 people who had to stipulate important contracts, while today they are available to those who prefer a more intimate environment. My delightful guide Sonja reserved just one of these tiny cabins, where I tasted some local specialties such as the traditional ‘seemannslabskaus’ a dish of carme, mashed potatoes, fried egg, beets and the inevitable smoked sardine, strictly accompanied Beck’s beer traditionally served in large ceramic mugs.
After dinner, a must visit to the famous pink barrel, located right under a rose painted on the ceiling. The cask contains the famous vintage Rüdesheim from 1653. Although the wine is still drinkable, it is rarely tasted because it is priceless. Only the cellarman and the current mayor of Bremen can enjoy just a sip once a year ..
However, Queen Elisabeth II managed to taste it during her state visit to Bremen in 1978. Her reaction is not recorded, but she would have sensed a delicate sherry aroma, as the ancient wine now has little in common with a regular red. .
Where to eat well
Canova, romantic location, refined Chef and a menu that winks at distant flavors and aromas, in a fun menu with many luxury products such as eels, oysters, foie gras sweetbreads, coquilles S. Jacques, veal cheeks etc., always with great attention to regional products, also focusing on a high share of ecological products.
All dairy products and eggs are ecological, like many vegetables and fruits, aided by excellent partners from the surrounding area, such as Markos Seibolds Feldfruchspezialitäten, Knufs Baker, Fullblood Wagyu, Die Ziegerei, Artefakt Olivenölkampagne.
Here you will find local specialties such as goat cheese with beetroot, pumpkin and wild herbs, smoked eel with brioche, onion, apple and brioche, thedinghausen beef, Asendorf cheese, … but also Heligoland lobster cooked with fennel, even the juicy white aparagus that Chef Marius Ries enjoys fermenting to savor his plate of cheviche
I meet Marius for a short interview
What are your favorite ‘gourmet’ trips?
Yucatan and Mexico, wonderful nature, food of great freshness and quality … I also love France, Ardeche or the Atlantic coast near La Rochelle, Ile de Ré, Bretagne. There I find Oysters, sparkling wines, good food, …
When you are free, where would you like to spend the weekend?
I like to spend time with my three children, my wife and my dog, in so many different ways, from picking mushrooms and berries to fishing, playing football, looking for good restaurants, having a good dinner with family and friends.
Do you drive a car?
Most of the time we ride bicycles but we own a Vw California. We like to travel, we are with the three children, we like to be spontaneous, so it is a good solution for us
A dish you will never forget ...
The smell of a dish with chicken and lemon… I was in Berlin, I was 8 and I was at a friend’s birthday party in Berlin. Or the evenings with my family and their friends in my early childhood. Different people from different countries with many children. Loud, colorful and always with lots of good food. Friendship and food. These were the best moments and still are …
TO BE SEEN
Market Square and the Town Hall
Since 2004, the Bremen Town Hall and the statue of Roland have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built between 1405 and 1410 with a facade in the “Weser Renaissance” style (17th century). On the first floor, the spectacular Golden Room reserved for presidential meetings, (which I had the chance to see, with its wonderful golden art nouveau-style tapestry
The statue of Rolando symbol of the ctta and a symbol of justice and freedom. It is a superstitious destination. In fact it seems to be lucky to touch his pointed knees before venturing through the streets of the historic city center
The Bremen Town Musicians A few steps from the Town Hall is the famous statue of the characters of the Grimm fairy tale. The bronze statue of the artist Gerhard Marcks dates back to 1951
St. Peter’s Cathedral an imposing medieval construction, the most important Evangelical Lutheran church in Northern Germany, with over 1200 years of history. In the early Gothic style of the 1st half of the 13th century, to visit the museum of the cathedral, the Lead Cellar and then climb the tower.
Bremen Cathedral founded in the 11th century on the ruins of older buildings. Renovated in Teutonic Gothic style and enriched with marvelous towers. If you venture into the crypts, you will discover the most hidden meanders of the Bremen Cathedral.
Übersee-Museum
Asia, America and Africa are just a few meters away from each other. The museum, inaugurated in 1896, brings together collections relating to the commercial, ethnological and natural sciences. A historical museum, dating back to 1896, which exhibits the commercial and ethnological history of countries scattered over the different continents, which in history have orbited around Germany.
Kunsthalle
The historic building exhibits 600-year-old masterpieces: a diverse collection of paintings, exceptional sculptures and fine graphic sheets. German and French Impressionists, large exhibitions.
Universum Experience science up close! The Universum offers three thematic areas: Technique, man, nature.
Beck’s Brewery The traditional Bremen brewery: Discover the brewery, the Beck’s and Haake-Beck brands on an interesting guided tour. Experience the museum, the commodity warehouse and the brewhouse. By the end you will have earned yourself a free taste of the tasty local beer.
4 passi in Böttcherstrasse
La Böttcherstraße è un suggestivo percorso nel del centro storico di Brema, piena di botteghe e negozi, collega la Martinstraße (strada lungo il fiume Weser) al Marktplatz (la piazza del Municipio). Alza gli occhi e ammira il Portale di luce (Der Licht-bringer) e il carillon di porcellana di Meissen. La storia dice che all’inizio del Novecento , la via venne acquistato dal mercante Ludwig Roselius (che sarà il proprietario dell’azienda Hag, la nota produttrice di caffè) un magazzino che si affacciava sulla via.
Roselius himself later bought all the other buildings on the street. He had them demolished and entrusted the reconstruction project to the architect and sculptor Bernhard Hoetger, which ended in the early 1930s. The well-known architect was also the author of the bas-relief depicting the Archangel Michael fighting the dragon, which still dominates the road today.
Schnoor (Schnoorviertel)
Historic district of Bremen. The most characteristic elements are the half-timbered buildings built between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, which miraculously escaped the bombings of the Second World War. This district represents the first inhabited nucleus of the city. The ancient medieval settlement, where the first inhabitants gathered in community. The district, once very poor and inhabited mainly by fishermen, is now the heart of the tourist life of the city. Full of alleys, which are home to street food places, restaurants and hotels.
At the table!
Local specialties are fish and game, but you can also try regional classics like Bremer Knipp sausage, hashish labskaus and Oldenburg duck. 
Hearty meat dishes, from fried veal shank, to pinkel, sausages stuffed with buckwheat and spices, served with black cabbage, to delicious venison ribs accompanied by cranberries, grated potatoes and mixed with onion and eggs.
The traditional dessert is Bremer Klaben, a kind of cardamom panettone.
Really good and not difficult to make, rigorously prepared one day in advance and left to cool, because it should not be served hot.
Grand finale: a sprinkling of vin santo, or a sprinkle of rum.
Do you want the recipe?
BREMER KLABEN.
INGREDIENTS:
450 grams of raisins
About 150 grams of rum
125 gr lukewarm milk
1 cube of brewer’s yeast
50 gr sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
500 gr flour
250 gr butter
1 sachet of vanillin
100 gr of candied orange
100 gr of candied citron
the grated rind of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of ground cardamom powder
200 gr chopped almonds
METHOD:
Wash the raisins and soak them in rum.
Mix the warmed milk with the yeast and a spoonful of sugar. Let it sit
Mix the flour, sugar and salt, and combine them with the milk and yeast.
Also add the butter into chunks and knead
Cover the dough for 20 minutes
mix the raisins with all the remaining liquid, the candied fruit, the grated lemon peel, the cardamom, the almonds and the vanilla.
Cover and let it rest for another 40 minutes.
Put them in a buttered pan, cover with a sheet of parchment paper and bake at 200 degrees r After 30-40 minutes, the paper and continue to cook 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees.
Let it cool, take it out the next day and serve,
INFO
