Cuisine of Hamburg

Due to its centuries-old history as a majorport townthe cuisine ofHamburgis very diversified and sapid as ingredients' supply was safe.
Until the 20th century, the cuisine ofHamburgwas predominantly characterized by the extensive choice of different kinds offishfrom the riverElbeand the nearbyBaltic Sea. The region ofVierlandesupplied Hamburg with freshvegetables.Fruitcame from the areaAltes Landand untilindustrializationthe neighbourhood ofWilhelmsburgwas considered the ‘milk isle’ of Hamburg. International trade in thePort of Hamburgmadespicesand exotic nutrition items fromIndiaandSouth Americaavailable since the 16th century, which were soon incorporated into civic kitchens.
On this basis, the cuisine of Hamburg developed which regrettably lost some of its characteristics nowadays due to the supraregional harmonization of theNorth German cuisine. But due to its high economic importance, Hamburg does feature many internationally recognized gourmet restaurants from which 11 were repeatedly awarded with aMichelin starin 2010.
For much of its history Hamburg has been a major trading hub, resulting in both the development of a wealthymercantileclass, and a wide availability of goods from around the world. In the homes of wealthy residents, the kitchens were located in the back of the house, and divided into two parts. One part was the ‘splendor kitchen’, in which the tin and coppertablewarewas exhibited, and the other part was the real ‘work kitchen’, with a brick-built stove made ofclay. Thecrockeryandcutlerywere kept in a cupboard called the ‘Schapp’ in the hallway,jarsandbowlsin the ‘Richtbank’, which was a table or low cupboard on which dishes and meals were prepared and arranged for serving. Since the 18th century there were also kitchens that were built into thecellarsin the homes oftradesmen.However many of the traditional dishes have their origins in the lower-class households of Hamburg's population. There were no separated kitchens in thedomicilesand booths of the impecunious and poor and, as firewood was quite expensive, ovens were seldom used for cooking. This means that warm dishes were rare and if there was any cooking the dish was most commonly prepared as a stew.A famous legend of the ‚Lachsessen‘ (lit.: salmon meal) hints to the nutritional differences between social classes.According to it, Hamburg had such an abundant amount ofsalmonso even the poor did not want to eat it anymore. The council of Hamburg then enacted an edict saying that masters were not allowed to give salmon to their maidservants and minions more frequently than twice a week. Though this is only a legend it is indeed true that salmon were widely available since the 19th century.
Due to its location on theElberiver and its proximity to the sea, the regional cuisine features manyfish dishes. In addition to preservedherringdishes likeMatjesorBismarckhering, Green Herring ('green' meaning fresh, hence not marinated, fried or cured) is also very common. A fried herring becomes aBratheringif it is marinated invinegarafterfrying. Another famous fish dish isRäucheraal, which is a smoked eel and was already featured bystreet vendorssince the early 19th century and could be found on the dinner menus of many local restaurants. The dishFinkenwerder Scholleis another speciality which is considered typical for the cuisine of Hamburg as well asPannfischwithbaked potatoes, a dish that features fish leftovers in a mustard sauce.Carpis traditionally served forChristmas dinneror onNew Year's Eve, and the omnipresentFischbrötchenis a roll with raw or fried fish inside that is sold asstreet food.
One of the most popular soups in Hamburg, is the creamy lobster soup calledHamburger Hummersuppewhich is served with a small amount of whipped cream and garnished withdill. A variation of this soup is the small shrimp soup Hamburg style, calledHamburger Krabbensuppe. Adding a dash ofCognacto both variations is optional but very common. The Hamburg variation on theSteckrübeneintopfwhich is popular all over North Germany is called 'Hamburger National'.Birnen, Bohnen und Speck,Labskaus, and theHamburger Aalsuppe[de]are further examples for the stews of Hamburg of which the latter is a vegetable stew withroot,green vegetablesanddried fruitwhich rose to supraregional popularity due to the controversy if it has to be served with or withouteel. However, the preparation without eel is considered folk-etymological.
As in any larger city, there is a great variety of snacks available in Hamburg. Apart from international products likeDoner Kebab, Asian cuisine, or pizza, there are some snacks with a local or regional tradition. Next to the popular fish sandwiches which are calledFischbrötchen, toasted white bread with small, brown shrimps from the North Sea calledKrabbentoastis popular either for breakfast or as a snack at lunch time. Other popular snacks areCurrywurstwhich comes in different styles made with different kind of sausages, orKnackwurst.
A main dish of Hamburg cuisine which originates in the bourgeois cuisine owes its development to the intensive trade with Portugal. It featuresoxtailinMadeira wineand is nowadays rather used as soup course instead of themain dish. Other important dishes areSchwarzsauer(a sour kind of blood soup),Himmel, Erde und Hölleandpoultrydishes usingchicken,duckandgoose. Especially 'Stubenküken' are considered a forgotten speciality and is a dish using young chicken which were bred in spring. As it holds true for the whole neighbouring area ofNorth Germanythe cuisine of Hamburg often featureskalein its dishes as well which is reflected in famous dishes e.g.GrünkohlorKohlrouladenmitWirsing.
Typical sweet dishes of the cuisine of Hamburg areRote Grützewithmilk, vanilla sauce,vanilla ice cream, or liquidcream, Fliederbeersuppe (elderberrysoup),Großer Hans(a flour dumpling eaten withcherrycompoteandbread puddingwithlemonsauce.
The originalbread rollof Hamburg is called "Rundstück" (lit.: round piece) and those that were not eaten for breakfast are plated with slices ofroasted pork, smothered insauceand are then called "Rundstück warm" for lunch (lit.: round piece warm). A famous bread isSchwarzbrot, a dark and fluffy whole wheat bread. For tea (or 'coffee and cake' as teatime is called inGermany)Kopenhagenerare served which is filled withjamormarzipan. Another famous baked good for 'coffee and cake' is the traditionalapple pieof Hamburg which is prepared bypan fryingthe apples anddeglazingthem withwhite winebefore baking the actualcake. "Black and white cookies", either self-made or bought in local pastry shops, are popular in Hamburg, too.Franzbrötchenare also very popular: Despite the name contains the wordBrötchen, it is not a roll but a kind of flaky pastry typical only for Hamburg and baked with much butter and cinnamon. Locals enjoy it for breakfast, too. In Christmas times, there'sKlöben(also called 'Stollen' in other parts of Germany), a bread-shaped pastry made ofyeastdough withraisinsandsuccade. 'Braune Kuchen' (lit.: brown cakes) are crisp rectangularbiscuitsbaked withmolassesandgingerbreadspice that are based on a recipe developed back in 1782 from the Konditorei Kemm.'Weiße Kuchen' (lit.: white cakes) however are a kind offried dough foods.
The so-calledHeißwecken(lit.: hot rolls) are a yeast dough product withraisinsthat are dusted withconfectioner's sugarand filled with cream and are traditionally eating duringlent.
Hamburger Speckis a sort ofcandymade out of foamed sugar with various coatings. The color is often reminiscent of the colors of Hamburg, red-white-red. The name refers to the similarity withbacon(orspeck).
Beer has been brewed in Hamburg since the early 14th century. In the year 1375 there were 457breweries, 270 of which also exported beer. The yearly production was about 170.000 hectoliters. In the centuries that followed beer exports increased due to quality enhancements because of production changes (morewheat beerwas produced and the production ofdark beerandred aledecreased). The recipe was guarded like a secret treasure and since the time of theHanseatic Leaguewhich opened the trade the export ofbeerformed the base of Hamburg's wealth, the city being considered the 'brewery of the Hanse'.In the 16th century 600 breweries are noted in historical sources which exported the beer as far asSwedenandRussiaand since the 17th century evenbockbeer was exported from Hamburg. In the 18th century both production and export decreased and the beer market did not recover until the fast growth of population in the late 19th century. In 1890 there were only 32 breweries and nowadays there are only two old breweries in existence, theHolsten Breweryand the Gröninger brewery.
The predominant kinds ofschnappsuntil the mid of the 20th century were Köm, the northern German version ofAquavitorKorn(distilled from rye or wheat). The small island ofNeuwerkin theNorth Sea, which belongs to Hamburg, is famous for producing its own Aquavit. Especially the trade withSouth AmericabroughtRumto the city and is featured in theGrog, a popular drink not only amongstseamen.
The main focus was laid on the import ofwinesfromMédocwhich were stored inbarrelswith little temperature variabilities in a humid and foggy climate to mature and incorporated the typical 'Rotspon' flavor.
The different varieties of coffee and tea became popular in Hamburg in the 17th century. It was widely consumed and severalcoffee housesdeveloped of which the first one is documented in the year 1677.
Even nowadays, the majority of the coffee and tea import of Germany is managed by the port of Hamburg. The varieties are also mixed (and in case ofcoffee beansroasted) in Hamburg and are then distributed throughout Germany and other parts ofcontinental Europe.