Frankfurt cuisine revolves around a few dishes, without which any dining experience in the city must be considered incomplete.
One of them, Gruene Sosse (Green Sauce), is an emulsion of eggs and oil with a variety of green herbs (dill, parsley, sorrel, chives and others) that was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s favorite dish. He covered potatoes and meat with the sauce and most likely downed it with another Frankfurt specialty, Apfelwein (hard apple cider.)
Legend has it that Apfelwein became popular in the Frankfurt area several hundred years ago because it was impossible to get a hold of wine. Hessians still wanted to drink, so they created this tart cider. It is normally served in a “Geripptes” glass, which has small diamond-like lozenges that help refract light. It is common for children as young as 12 to drink Ebbelwoi, as the locals call it, and it can be mixed with tonic water, Coca Cola or even Fanta, depending on one’s preference.
Most Ebbelwoi establishments will serve the local and regional favorites as well, such as Frankfurter Wuerstchen, a tasty sausage with an audible snap, served with mustard and a Broetchen (roll), or with Sauerkraut. Other yummy dishes include Rippchen, cooked pork served with Sauerkraut or Schweinshaxe, (pig knuckles) that are weighed on the spot and served with mashed potatoes and Sauerkraut.
A lighter meal would be four boiled eggs with Gruene Sosse or Tartarrenbrot, an open-faced sandwich with raw beef, pickles and onions.
There are countless Ebbelwoi joints on the south side of the Main River in Sachsenhausen. It is possible to find good dishes anywhere in FFM (Frankfurt), but if you want the authentic (and the best,) Sachsenhausen is the place to go.
A few Frankfurt Restaurants of note are:
Sachsenhaeuser Warte: The old guard tower at the edge of Sachsenhausen is now a restaurant serving classic Frankfurt cuisine with all of the above as well as various versions of the Schnitzel cut and Leberknoedel, a ball of liver, onions, pickles and spices served with mashed potatoes and sauce.
Zum Gemalten Haus: A must for visitors to FFM. You cannot go wrong here with any of the dishes and if you are real hungry, grab a Sachshaeuser Pfanne, a huge plate of eggs, potatoes, sausage, onions and spices.
Apfelweinwirtschaft Adolf Wagner: Drink Ebbelwoi here. The place is always packed but you can squeeze in next to some locals and they’ll tell you tall tales in Hessian-accented English.
Zum Feuerraedchen: It’s hard to say which Ebbelwoi joint is the best in Sachsenhausen, but you can have fun trying a few out. After getting tipsy at Wagner, head here and pour it on.
Written by Sascha Matuszak for EuropeUpClose.com