20 Oktoberfest Recipes: German Recipes to Celebrate Autumn (2024)

FAQs

What are the traditions of Oktoberfest in Germany? ›

Besides the food and beer, the festival is full of traditional Bavarian music, open-air performances, a grand entry and parades, vendor tents, carnival rides, a shooting competition, and traditional German outfits. The two-week fair wraps up in dramatic fashion with a boisterous brass band and a gun salute.

Being situated in Bavaria, the Munich fest's theme is very much inspired from the Bavarian flag. The blue and white colours signify the true spirit of any festival, namely, harmony and peace.

A number of U.S. cities, particularly those with large German American populations, hold Oktoberfests modeled on the original in Munich. These popular celebrations, which feature beer and German food, are an attempt to reproduce the Bavarian sense of gemütlichkeit—cordiality.

Popular cold dishes are headcheese (Presssack), sausages, salted radish (Radi), pickles (Essiggurken), sausage salad (Wurstsalat), cold pork roast, and spread cheese (Obazda/Obatzter). All tents offer mixed platters of cold dishes (Brotzeitbrettl). Some of them even include chicken or duck.

Beer Tents

One of the most important things about Oktoberfest are the tents (which are more like permanent looking warehouses than tents). There are fourteen of them scattered around the fair grounds, mostly along the main avenue. Every tent has a different personality.

The Chicken Dance is a well-known drinking and dancing song at American Oktoberfest events. It is also a popular dance at weddings, particularly in whose culture includes polka music.

German charcuterie is all about hearty, savory flavors. Think bratwurst, liverwurst and black forest ham. This style often uses strong spices like caraway and mustard to give the meat its signature flavor.

Pretzels! – Brez'n – The number one Oktoberfest food, eating by the gazillions (probably). Nothing goes better with a giant-sized beer than a salty, soft Bavarian pretzel that's also the size of your face. Half Chickens – Hendl – C'mon, over 550,000 people are doing it.

FESTBIER/WIESN

The Festbier, also known as the Weisn, is a strong German golden lager and is currently the official beer served at Germany's Oktoberfest. It's a pale lager that uses a Pilsner malt, giving a biscuity, toasty flavor and is light and clean in color.

What are traditional German foods? ›

Traditional German fare is hearty, stick-to-your-ribs delicious, and beckons to be enjoyed with a pilsner, helles, or kölsch — and friends! These German recipes celebrate some of the dishes Germany is most known for: crispy fried schnitzel, robust sausages, chewy pretzels, and all manner of mustard-tinged delights.

From pretzels as big as your head to sizzling sausages and heavenly pastries, Oktoberfest is a foodie's paradise. From delicious deep-fried dishes like Kartoffelpuffer or slow-roasted Schweinshaxe (pork shanks) to refreshing beers like Hofbräu Maibock, it's hard to go wrong at this traditional food at Oktoberfest.

Brezen (pretzels)

You can't have Oktoberfest without pretzels. Large and soft, they're the perfect accompaniment to beer. Try making your own with this über-authentic recipe for German-style pretzels.