King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the Swan King (Märchenkönig) , was born in Nymphenburg Castle outside Munich in the early hours of August 25, 1845. The eldest son of King Maximillian II and Queen Marie, he was named after his grandfather, King Ludwig I. He had a materially privileged upbringing but his father was distant and in the tradition of the day, he was disciplined strictly and thoroughly beaten far too often. When he was only 18 years old his 53 year old father died and he ascended to the throne.  He loved the arts, architecture, music (especially 

Wagner with whom, I suspect he was in love) and good food – lots of it. The beautiful young man was responsible for changing the strict mealtime ceremonial etiquette of the Duchy into a glorious occasion! Even his castles had to be built in such a way that his food arrived warm from the kitchens! At the end of his life the slender, handsome young king that ascended to the throne had become decidedly overweight and, sadly, declared insane by the doctors of the day and probably murdered by them (if one takes into account the curious circumstances of his death). I’m pretty sure he wasn’t insane and that it was simply a convenient way for the government to hide the fact that the poor man was homosexual.

Bavaria began as one of five principle duchies of Germany during the Middle Ages, ruled by the Agilofing family from 550-788 A.D. The cuisine of each duchy was different and thanks to this  culinary marriage the food of Bavaria is varied, bold – the recipes vast and in culinary terms, a visit to Bavaria both tantalising and astounding and often far removed from the fashionable eating of today. Christianity found its way to Bavaria around the seventh and eighth century, via Scottish and Irish monks and later Charlemagne absorbed the duchy into his empire, bringing in even more influences to the bold Bavarian table. Over the next four hundred years, the title of duke passed through several families. Henry the Lion, of the House of Welf, founded the city of Munich, which would become the leading city of Bavaria. In 1180, Bavaria was given as a fief to the Wittelsbach family, who would rule until the end of WWI in 1918.  This dish below, was created by their chefs around the 17th and early 18th century.   The  famous French chef Carême (1783-1833) includes a few recipes for this dessert in the early 18th century. The suffix crème in German speaking countries refers to this  gelatin mould  and Schokolatencreme, Weincreme and so on are all based on this. There are many variations,  flavoured with chocolate, lemon, kirsch and so on. When the chefs returned to France and continued to make it, they called it Crème Bavaroise (Bavarian Cream).

BAYERISCH CRÈME

Ingredients

• 500 ml cream
• 500 ml full cream milk
• 125 g sugar
• 6 extra large egg yolks
• 1 large vanilla bean, split open
• 40 g powdered gelatin

Method

• Bring the milk to the boil with the vanilla bean at which point it must be removed from the heat and allowed to cool slightly.
• Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar until light and fluffy and then stir in the hot vanilla milk a little in a steady stream, whisking continuously.
• Pour into a pot and stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens into a thick custard.
• Dissolve the gelatin in this and remove it from the heat, stirring every now and then.
• Allow to cool.
• Whip the cream until it is very thick and once the custard starts to set, carefully fold in the whipped cream.
• Allow to set in the fridge for at least four hours.
• Serve with plum or berry purees – or even espresso cream for an international touch!

The duchy was divided several times, only to be reunited in 1506 by Duke Albert IV, who had the bright  idea of introducing primogeniture, the idea that title and lands can only be inherited by the eldest male son. This kept lands within the family, and kept the duchy from further division. Because of this strong unification, Bavaria withstood the Protestant Reformation that began in Germany in 1517 thanks to Martin Luther and his 95 Theses. Bavaria was a stronghold of Catholicism during the Counter-Reformation and, as did the Nazis much later on, the Chuch made the headquarters of the Catholic League there during the Thirty Years War. Thanks to this, during his reign, the Duke became an elector of the Holy Roman Empire, giving Bavaria a huge political advantage. When Duke Maximilian Joseph died in 1777, the question of the Bavarian succession intensified into a brief series of military skirmishes, with Prussia and Austria each vying for territory. In the end Prussia got Ansbach and Bayreuth and the elector of Saxony, who had been backed by Austria, was paid off to relinquish his claims to the succession. This conflict was dubbed the Potato War because each side tried to cut off the others food lines. On that note, then a delicious potato salad that I learnt to make 30 years ago when I lived in Germany.

KARTOFFEL SALAT

Bavarians usually use cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced but I substituted with the snow peas because they make such a delicious variation that I’m sure the Bavarians won’t mind. When using cucumbers, peel and cut in half, scoop out the flesh, salt and squeeze a little to try and extract as much juice as possible and then slice thinly and add.

Ingredients.

• 1 kg waxy potatoes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 chives
• 10 snow peas (snap, mange tout, mangia tutti)
• 100 ml hot chicken stock (freshly made, filtered)
• 3 tablespoons good quality wine vinegar
• 200 ml good German mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

• Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender.
• Drain and run ice-cold water over them immediately.
• Peel them and allow them to cool to room temperature.
• Cut them into thin discs, and place them in a dish with the onions.
• Make a marinade of the stock, vinegar, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and pour it over the salad.
• Allow it to stand for an hour.
• Clean the peas, top and tail and cut in half.
• Add this to the potato salad with the chopped chives and parsley and mix carefully.

Bavaria joined Napoleon’s Confederation of the Rhine, and in 1806, Napoleon dissolved the Holy Roman Empire, and elevated his new ally to a kingdom. French chefs pourred into the country and the Bavarian Army took part in the invasion of Russia, ending in thousands of deaths and shortly afterwards King Maximilian deserted Napoleon, joining the allies.  The kind of meal the soldiers would have encountered when they came into contact with the incredibly hospitable Bavarians are these:

SEMMELSKNÖDEL

Ingredients

• 10 old, slightly stale bread rolls
• 500 ml milk
• 1 small onion
• 40 g butter
• 1 lemon, zest only
• 3 tblsp chopped parsley
• 3 eggs
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

• Grate or process the bread and put it in a bowl.
• Warm the milk in a pan and pour the hot milk over the bread.
• Leave to steep for at least and hour and a half
• Chop the onion and fry in the butter until translucent and allow to cool slightly.
• Add the onions to the bread and mix in along with the parsley, salt and pepper.
• Mix the 3 eggs together and then use to bind the mixture, adding the eggs a little at a time – the mixture must bind but not be sloppy – add more dry breadcrumbs or milk if necessary.
• Boil up a huge pan of slightly salted water and allow it to simmer.
• Make a test Knödel with moist hands and using a slotted spoon, slide it into the simmering water.
• Use the rest of the mixture to make dumplings and add to the pot.
• Let the pan come up to a gentle boil and once the dumplings swim to the top of the water, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and partly cover the pot.
• Leave to cook for about 20 – 25 minutes.
• Remove with a slotted spoon.

In the end, Maximillian was allowed to keep his entire kingdom intact. Compared to many governments of its time, Bavaria had a modern constitution and a liberal government. Ludwig I abolished trade guilds in 1848 and in so doing, allowed industrialization to flourish. Later, under the Swan King Munich became the great cultural center of Europe, attracting artists and musicians – like Richard Wagner, beloved by the king. During the second half of the Nineteenth Century, Bavaria sided with Austria in their war against Prussia in 1866 and later with Prussia after being trounced alongside Austria. Bavaria then joined the new German Empire, along with Prussia, following wars with France in 1870. During this time, King Ludwig II nearly bankrupted the Bavarian Government, building his fairy tale castles of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein, among others. Herewith a recipe for duck liver pâté, featured on Ludwig II’s menu on the 10th of May 1866! The recipe was slightly different, heavier and the pâté was encased in a pastry crust – far too heavy for the modern taste and this is why we chose one of James Martin’s recipes – it’s become a firm favourite and always delicious.

ENTENLEBERPASTETE

Ingredients

• 1kg duck livers, left whole, all sinewy bits removed
• 6 tbsp brandy
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 handful Basil
• 250g unsalted Butter

Method

• Preheat the oven to 160C
• Arrange the livers in a single layer in an ovenproof dish, then add the garlic, basil leaves, brandy and seasoning.
• Put the livers to the preheated oven and poach for about 30 minutes, turning once.
• The livers are ready when they are brown on the outside but still light pink in the middle.
• Transfer the livers and cooking liquor to a blender with 250g of the butter, and combine until smooth.
• Check the seasoning, then scrape into small pots and leave to cool.
• When cool, clarify the remaining butter by melting it in a pan and removing all the curd-like sediment.
• Spoon the clear liquid over the surface of the pots and arrange a couple of fresh basil leaves on top.
• Chill in the fridge until set.
• Serve the pâté with conserved sour cherries and crackers.

By the end of WWI, and the defeat of Germany, the Kingdom of Bavaria was no more but survived as an autonomous state during the chaos of the 1920′s. When Hitler rose, it ironically became the home to Nazi headquarters and Munich and Nuremberg the chosen cities. Much of Bavaria was heavily bombed during WWII for obvious reasons and after the War, Bavaria fell into the American occupation zone, and rapid rebuilding took place. It has been part of the Federal Republic of Germany since 1949. Today the food of Bavaria is probably the most cosmopolitan of all Germany for these reasons. In earlier times beef was served in Bavaria mainly on special occasions such as Easter, Whitsuntide, parish fairs and Christmas Eve when boiled beef played a traditional and very important role. It remains a traditional meal and a favourite throughout Bavaria, usually eaten with potatoes. The Free State of Bavaria is still cattle country and there are over 100,000 farmers who keep 4,2 animals and of these 1,6 million are dairy cows. Boiling and braising beef is the favourite  for many reasons, not least the fact that a good beef stock is necessary for dumplings.

BÖFFLAMOTT

Ingredients

• 1 kg beef, cut from the shoulder
• 50 g cured bacon to lard the meat
• 1 onion, spiked with a bayleaf and 2 cloves
• ½ leek
• ¼ celeriac
• 1 large peeled carrot
• 1 root of Hamburg parsley (optional)
• 5 juniper berries, crushed
• 125 ml good wine vinegar
• 1 liter red wine
• 2 tablespoons clarified butter (this is known a schmalz* in Bavaria)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 100 ml cream

Method

• Clean the vegetables, dice them and put in a dish with the meat, the spiked onion, the juniper berries, the red wine and the vinegar and add enough water to just cover the meat, mixing everything together to make sure that all the flavourings reach the meat everywhere.
• Let it marinate for 2 – 3 days in the fridge, turning every now and then.
• Remove, lard with the bacon and pat completely dry.
• Rub well with salt and pepper.
• Pour the marinade through a sieve.
• Melt the clarified butter in a large pot and seal the meat on all sides with this.
• Add the vegetables from the marinade and fry briefly with the meat, adding a dash of red wine.
• Add the marinade now and braise the meat (pot roast) for about 2 hours on top of the stove.
• Remove the meat and set aside.
• Take all the vegetables from the pot and puree or pass through a sieve, removing the cloves, juniper berries and bay leaf from the spiked onion.
• Add the residue from the bottom of the pot to the sauce, check and correct the seasoning and add sugar to taste – finally stirring in the cream.

A widespread favourite, especially in Upper Bavaria, is so-called Tellerfleisch (image below)- boiled beef (traditionally from bullock) sliced, coated with a little stock and served on a large platter with salt, pepper,  horseradish sauce, boiled potatoes and bread. It’s known in the Munich area as Kronfleisch. The diaphragm muscle (kron) is boiled in stock for only 10 minutes and served with freshly grated horseradish.

In Franconia and Altbayern brisket of beef is favoured and considered an especially tender cut. Classical beef dishes such as Rinderschmorbraten, Böfflamot (boef à la mode with recipe supra) and Sauerbraten, featured in an earlier post are all favourites in Bavaria. Beef or veal is the base of the most famous sausage product of Bavaria, the Munich Weißwurst. The veal certainly gives the typical taste to world renowned Weißwurst. Bavarian beef  is exported in large amounts to Italy and France because it’s just so good!