Hospitality & culinary delights in the kitchen and cellar
Hospitality and cuisine are two terms that travelers will encounter at every turn on the Romantic Road. The Romantic Road rightly bears the nickname “Germany’s Pleasure Route”. On the 460-kilometer route, regional cuisines from Franconia, Baden, Württemberg, Swabia and Upper Bavaria alternate. Rustic, folksy restaurants can be found as well as noble gourmet temples. In the warm season, romantic beer gardens lure, where connoisseurs can discover the regional and seasonal cuisine. Winegrowers from the Main and Tauber regions serve delicious wines, brewery inns serve beers, some of which are brewed according to centuries-old recipes. The hedge farms along the Tauber are simple guest rooms, rustic barns or courtyards covered with vine leaves that only open their doors at certain times of the year, mostly in spring to serve fresh, young wine and in autumn at Federweißen time.
Some typical dishes in Franconia are fried or grilled sausages or cooked as blue tip in the broth. The shovel with dumplings and carp blue or baked is also a Franconian classic. In the Swabian region, Maultauschen, spaetzle and onion tart are at home and in Upper Bavaria people appreciate meat loaf, white sausage, roast pork and knuckle of veal.
Wellness and accommodation
Hospitality and culinary delights are also very important in the hotels, inns and guesthouses along the Romantic Road. The same applies to holiday apartments and farms, which invite you to carefree holidays. Tourists will find houses of all categories along the Romantic Road, from 5-star hotels to simple overnight accommodation in a cheap guesthouse. In many hotels you can plan your very own wellness program with a swimming pool, sauna area, wellness massages and much more.
Franconian gourmet highlights
Blaue Zipfel
The Romantic Road runs between Rothenburg o.d.T. and Dinkelsbühl through the Middle Franconian district of Ansbach. The region is known for its bratwurst specialties. The Nuremberg sausages are world-famous, but according to many gourmets, the Ansbach sausages are spicier and tastier. This is mainly due to the marjoram, an important component of the spice mixture.
The sausages in Rothenburg o.d.T., Schillingsfürst, Feuchtwangen or Dinkelsbühl are made by many traditional butchers according to old house recipes. Sausages with sauerkraut are on the menu in many restaurants and inns in the region. Blue Zipfel are served less frequently as a real specialty. Soak them in vinegar water together with spices and onion slices until they have taken on a mildly sour taste. You can see how the preparation succeeds in the following video.
Franconian 'Schäufele'
In addition to sausages, there are many other specialties on Franconian menus. Probably the most famous dish is the Schäufele with dumplings. This specialty is made from pork shoulder with rind. The meat has to stew in the oven for two to three hours until it has turned a crispy, golden brown colour. There are also dumplings, which usually consist of half raw and half cooked potatoes.
