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One of my favourite things about living in Bavaria, was a good Biergarten, especially on swelteringly warm days as these (and believe me, Bavaria can get much hotter than the temperatures we are currently experiencing in our mini heatwave!)... The huge chestnut trees associated with such places provide cool relief with their shade - they were planted to keep the beer barrels cold after all, so naturally it's a good place to head to one when things start to heat up... These huge outdoor pubs are incredibly child friendly (usually with a playground attached) and make for a great afternoon out (this Munich Biergarten map for finding them via Ubahn is great should you be visiting at some point), indeed you can't really go to German cities like Munich and not visit at least one!
Most visitors don't realise how good the food can be either (although you are usually welcome to take your own picnic as long as you are buying drinks, it's typical for families to arrive with picnic baskets, throw out a tablecloth to effectively reserve a place and then head to to buy drinks), and besides the typical wurst und pommes and schnitzels, you can find steckerlfisch (usually barbecued mackerel or trout cooked whole over open coals, sold by size, wrapped in paper and best enjoyed steaming hot with a good cold bier and a few pretzels on the side), salads, and a surprising amount of desserts (traditional in place of meat on a Friday in what is still quite a religious state, and where fish wasn't always available).
Another Bayerisch Biergarten favourite is Obazda, something we make quite a lot if we happen to be making pretzels (these were left in the oven slightly too long sadly!), and have a bottle or two of weissbier lying around... Obazda is a cheese spread of sorts, and really easy to mix up if you fancy a bit of a Bavarian Biergarten of your own in the back garden, and in the current times where we are not sure what's going on with our pubs it seems like a good idea to me. It would be perfect for a lazy Summer's evening once things have cooled down a little bit, and with a few decent German biers on the side of course...
Obazda
250g Camembert (or brie),
80 butter;
20g fresh cheese such as Philadelphia or mascarpone
50ml beer (your choice but dark beer or weissbier is best)
bunch of chives
salt and pepper
1tbsp caraway seeds
1tbsp paprika (I liked smoked but you can use sweet)
1 red onion finely sliced
Leave the butter and camembert to come to room temperature before making. Slice the camembert and with a fork, mash that, the butter and the fresh cheese together. In a pestle and mortar bash the caraway seeds to release the flavour and then add to the cheese and butter. Add chopped chives, salt and pepper, paprika, and bier and stir. Top with the finely sliced onion and a sprinkling of paprika to finish it off.
Serve with Pretzels, radishes, and a decent bier or two. if you can't find/make pretzels, the small baked pretzels you can find in the shops are better than nothing!! This is not diet food, but it is good...
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