The Romans started making their presence felt in Germany at around 50 BC. It wasn’t part of their empire yet, but they practically walked into it and certainly didn’t have much of a contest for the lands belonging to the Celts on the Mosel and the Rhine. This was probably because the Treveri, who lived in the Trier, Koblenz and Luxembourg regions, were terrified of the wild Germanic tribes who habitually crossed the river and devastated the lands on the left of the Rhine,  had begged them for help. Julius Caesar was thrilled when he was asked for “protection“ 

and dispatched his troops post haste - and with them,  the laws, administration and systems of Rome. For about 500 years Rome dominated the land of the Celts and the old traditions and culture of the Celts were suppressed until almost nothing was left and the area from Trier to Cologne,  became essentially Roman.  Trier thrived and became the economic hub of the region – to some extent the capital and it traded with southern and western Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor and Britain and today the archaeological pickings in the region are rich. Cities like Cologne bear testimony to the presence of the Romans and thanks to the Germans inclination to preserve their heritage, the city is a history lover’s parardise. Below excavations of the old praetorium in Cologne.

It stands to reason then that the food in this part of Germany is richly influenced by the food of the Romans and a man like Apicius will sleep peacefully in his grave, knowing how the food of the region has developed through the ages – much of it thanks to his genius. How sad that he found it necessary to commit suicide.* Idar Obestein is home to a liberal and tolerant people and they share their food with grace and generosity – as long as nobody interferes with the “national dish” of spit roasted meat. The Spiessbratenfest is celebrated every summer and the locals vehemently insist that the occasion cannot be compared to a barbecue whatsoever. In 1850 locals, who had traveled to the jungles of Brazil to prospect for gems, returned with something far more valuable – the secret of preparing spit roasted meat!  Usually the whole animal, but often a piece of meat – a rolled joint, duly spiced and stuffed with onions – is roasted but the recipes are secret and even though mention is often made of paprika, thyme, nutmeg or borage everybody has their own recipe and it is one of these that we share with you today.

SPIT ROASTED PORK

Ingredients

• 1 Suckling pig, cleaned well, brined and trussed for spit roasting by the butcher
• 1,5  liters good fruity white wine,
• 500 ml good apple cider
• Olive oil for basting
• A few handfuls of fresh sage leaves
• 6 – 7 lemons, zest only
• 10 apples, peeled and pitted, finely chopped
• 2 large onions, chopped
• Coarse sea salt mixed with the zest and good hot paprika – half and half
• Freshly ground black pepper
• garlic – whole cloves (in their skins) to taste

Method

• Make several superficial slits in the skin, not through the skin completely otherwise the skin will rupture as it cooks.
• Make one long slit down the back and several diagonal slits on each side and see that none of the slits touch any other.
• Rub the pig with olive oil on all its surfaces (inside and out) and rub well with the salt, paprika and zest.
• Fill the body cavities with coarsely chopped apples, onions, garlic cloves and sage leaves seasoned with salt and pepper.
• Close the body cavity securely with twine.
• Make a basting sauce with the wine, the cider and the olive oil – be generous with the oil.
• Always keep this mixture warm, near boiling next to the spit.
• Make sure that the fire is not too hot so that the meat doesn’t burn before it is cooked.
• Pork always tastes better when it has been cooked on a lower heat for a longer time.
• Place the spit on your spit over the fire pit and begin the process.
• Start basting liberally  after the first half an hour and do this every 10 to 20 minutes.
• In time a rich, glazed appearance to the skin will appear.
• Continue for about 3 to 3 and a half hours, not forgetting to tend the fire.
• Naturally the size of the pig and the heat of the coals will always determine the cooking period which will depend on the heat of the fire as well as the size of your roast suckling pig.
• When the meat is cooked, remove the spit from the fire and set the roast suckling pig aside to rest for about 30 minutes.
• Place in a large platter and remove all the trussing twine from the spit.
• Carve and serve.

Stuffing the stomach of an animal with a mixture of meat and spices and then hanging, smoking or boiling it is the oldest form of sausage making on earth. Babylonian clay tablets describe it in 300 BC and Homer describes it at length in the Odyssey. The recipe used in the Palatinate is not that old, though, because one of the essential ingredients are potatoes – and they were only introduced in the 1700′s.

PFÄLZER SAUMAGEN

Ingredients

• 1 small, well cleaned pig’s stomach – ordered from the butcher, soaked overnight and drained well and all openings except one, sewed up neatly
• 5 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 fat clove garlic, crushed and diced
• 1 handful parsley, washed and finely chopped
• 8 cooked potatoes, peeled and finely diced
• 350 g lean pork belly, diced finely
• 350 g ordinary pork, diced finely – I like to use a little smoked meat here
• 350 g sausage meat
• 2 dry bread rolls, soaked in milk and well pressed out
• 3 extra large eggs
• 1 tbsp fresh marjoram, finely chopped
• 1 tsp hot paprika
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• Butter
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

• Sauté the shallots and the garlic until just translucent in butter and then add the parsley, stirring over the heat until everything is well combined.
• Remove pan from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Combine the diced potatoes well with the sausage meat, the other the rolls, the shallot mixture and the eggs.
• Season well with salt, pepper, paprika, lemon zest, marjoram, nutmeg and place neatly into the pig’s stomach
• Sew up the stomach neatly.
• Fill a large pot with water and simmer the meat in there for about 2 ½ – 3 hours.
• It must never boil, only simmer.
• Slice into 2cm slices and serve with sauerkraut.

The Rhineland-Palatinate is rich with forests and “walking in the forest” is common even in cities like Cologne with the forest near Rodenkirchen a particular favourite of mine. Count Walram of Sponheim was hunting deer, boar and village maidens in the Schoonwald forest already in 1250 and in no particular order. The forests have been the hunting grounds of the rich and the famous for centuries and even Theodor Heuss held the first Federal German State Hunt in these forests just over 50 years ago. Today the politicians still hunt here on occasion when their busy schedules allow and wild boar not only features on many menus, it is also one of the most delicious meats on earth.

WILDSCHWEINRÜCKEN IN KRUSTE

Saddle of Boar In a Crumb Crust

Ingredients

• 1 x 3kg saddle of young wild boar (this recipe is excellent with pork as well, though there is no comparison), washed and dried
• 400 – 500 ml breadcrumbs
• 2 handfuls parsley, chopped
• 2 tsps fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 3 tsps fresh sage, finely chopped
• 3 lemons, zest only
• 1 small Spanish onion, finely chopped
• 2 sticks celery, finely sliced
• 2 medium sweet carrots, finely sliced
• 500 ml port
• 150 g butter at room temperature
• 3 large eggs
• 150 ml cream
• 250 g green olives, depipped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Olive oil for frying.

Method

• Oven temperature 200 C
• Season with salt and pepper and seal the saddle of boar of high heat, meat side down.
• Turn over and add the celery, the carrots and the onions and sauté.
• Pour in the port, cover with a lid and simmer over medium heat for about 1 ½ hours.
• Whisk the butter and the eggs together until light and foamy and start incorporating the breadcrumbs, zest, parsley, sage and thyme until a thick paste is formed.
• Remove the meat from the pan and allow it to dry off a little.
• Cover the meat with the paste, making sure that you cover the entire surface.
• Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes – 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and set aside on a carving board to rest.
• Remove the juice from pan and sieve into a pot.
• Pop in the olives, season to taste and bring to the boil for about 5 minutes.
• Pour in the cream and stir well, removing from the heat and set aside.
• Remove from the bone, carve and serve with the cream and olive sauce.

KASTANIENCREME

Almonds have been growing in thePalatinate for over a thousand years and have always been used for both culinary and medicinal purposes; lemon trees made their presence felt but certainly didn’t thrive; figs are popular, but it is the chestnut tree that is the most important of all the trees in the region. They don’t merely grow in groups or patches, they flourish and thrive on huge expanses of woodlands and in the shelter of the Haardt, the ancient trees flow from the slopes of the Palatinate forest and dip almost into the Rhine.  Above, the chestnut avenue in Cologne. Sweet chestnuts are delicious and no Christmas market would be complete without generous portions of roasted or boiled chestnuts. Whilst the correct German name for chestnuts is Maronen, in this region they are known as Keschte. It is said that the Romans brought the chestnut saplings to the area along with the vines whereafter the monks lovingly cared for them during the Middle Ages.

Chestnut Cream

Ingredients

• 500 g chestnuts, cross slit and roasted at 175 C for about 10 minutes
• 100 g sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Grand Marnier
• 250 ml fresh cream

Method

• Peel the cooled chestnuts and remove the inside skin with care.
• Simmer the chestnuts in water for about half an hour until they are quite soft.
• Drain and puree* them very well, mixing in the sugar, the liqueur and the vanilla extract.
• Whip the cream until stiff and fold carefully into the chestnut puree.
• Chill the cream before serving.
• *They should really be passed through a sieve and not simply pureed.

*When he discovered that he didn’t have enough money left to finance the next three (typically lavish) dinners he wanted to give, he committed suicide by drinking hemlock.