10 Best Local Dishes from Bavaria

Weisswurst or 'white sausage' is a Bavarian sausage made from veal, pork, and bacon found at local farmers' markets and taverns. The parboiled sausage is usually seasoned with spices, such as ginger, parsley, cardamom, lemons, and onions. Weisswurst is typically served alongside soft pretzels, sweet mustard, and a half-litre of Hefeweizen, a light wheat beer.

Historically, in the days before refrigerators, locals ate weisswurst only for breakfast or as a mid-morning snack. As the sausages are neither cured nor have preservatives, eating them after midday was deemed unsafe. Today, despite the existence of fridges, the tradition of eating weisswurst in the morning persists. There's even a local saying: "the white sausage mustn't hear the church bells chime noon."

Bavarian pretzels – locally referred to as bretzels – are known for their crunchy, salt-encrusted exterior and soft, chewy centre. Although these twisted breads are tasty on their own, a dollop of obatzda takes bretzels to another level of deliciousness.

Obatzda is a thick, creamy spread made by mixing 2 parts soft cheese (usually camembert or Romadur) with 1 part butter – onions are also sometimes added to the mix. The dip is then seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and spices. Bretzels and obatzda are popular dishes at beer houses across Bavaria, especially during Oktoberfest.

Flädlesuppe is an excellent option when you're in the mood for something tasty, light and comforting on a crisp winter's day in Bavaria. The southern German dish is a simple soup made with thinly cut strips of savoury crepe-like pancakes called flädle (hence the soup's name) and a clear beef broth. 

The pancake strips are placed in a bowl, and the piping hot beef broth is poured over them. The soup is usually garnished with chopped herbs, such as parsley or chives. 

Wurstsalat is precisely what its name suggests in local Bavarian tongue: sausage salad. The traditional meat salad consists of fine strips of ham sausages marinated with onions, salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar. Bavarians typically order the salad as a main dish or a side in beer houses and traditional Bavarian restaurants. 

The flavoursome low-carb, high-protein salad tastes fantastic with a slide of bread or a few soft bretzels. The combination makes for an ideal brotzeit, “bread time”. In Bavaria, brotzeit is the name given to a hearty snack that locals eat in the afternoon when they’re enjoying beers with their friends and want something in their stomachs. 

Many traditional Bavarian dishes feature liver (leber), and one of the most popular dishes is Leberknödelsuppe – liver dumpling soup. The leberknödel, or liver dumplings, are made by mixing beef liver, flour, eggs, and spices and then serving them in a clear beef broth. 

You can find the hearty liver soup in many Bavarian restaurants. It is typically served with a side of sauerkraut, finely-shredded, fermented cabbages. Dumpling sizes and shapes vary from one restaurant to the next. For example, some places serve liver dumplings in the shape of short noodles, whereas others serve large ball-shaped ones. 

When you visit a beer garden in Bavaria, a portion of schweinshaxe is sure to keep you filled, no matter how many German beers you drink. The dish consists of a whole pork knuckle, which is marinated for days and then slow-roasted until the skin becomes a golden brown and crispy pork rind and the meat becomes firm and succulent.

Schweinshaxe is served alongside a giant potato dumpling that will help you soak up the flavoursome pork juice that accumulates on the bottom of your plate. While you commonly find roasted pork knuckles in Bavarian restaurants, schweinshaxe is one of the many classic dishes served at Oktoberfest.

Leberkäse, “liver cheese”, is similar to meatloaf. Despite its name, there is neither liver nor cheese in this dish. Instead, it’s made by grinding corned beef, pork, and bacon together very finely and then baking the dense concoction in a loaf tin. 

Finger-thick slices of Leberkäse are traditionally served warm or hot on bread rolls, in sandwiches, or with soft pretzels. Beer gardens typically pan-fry slices of the meatloaf and serve it with fried eggs and German potato salad. 

Käsespätzle can be likened to a gourmet version of mac and cheese and is one of Bavaria’s most popular comfort foods. The delicious and filling dish is made by baking alternate layers of spätzle – short, chewy egg noodles made with eggs and flour – and grated käse (cheese). 

The soft, gooey little noodle dumplings drowning in cheese are then topped with crunchy fried onions. You can usually order käsespätzle as a main course or as a side to accompany a meat dish.

Schweinebraten is a German-style pork roast served with homemade gravy and typical sides like erdäpfelknödeln (potato dumplings), semmelknödel (bread dumplings) and sauerkraut. The dish is prepared by roasting a pork shoulder or neck long and slow in a rich sauce made with dark beer, cumin, caraway, and mustard seeds.

Schweinebraten is popular during Oktoberfest, but you can try it year-round at most beer halls. To elevate your experience, pair the pork dish with an ice-cold beer, preferably a German lager.

Kaiserschmarrn is a fantastic sweet treat from Bavaria.  Best described as scrambled sweet pancakes, kaiserschmarrn consists of caramelised fluffy pancakes that are chopped up and mixed with raisins, berries, and any kind of seasonal fruit. A tasty apple sauce accompanies the dish.

The mildly-sweet food is served as brunch, a light lunch, a dessert, or anytime you want to indulge. Kaiserschmarrn may have originated in Austria, but this traditional dish is very popular and typical in Bavaria.