The cuisine of

Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...

forms part of the

German cuisine The cuisine of Germany () is made up of many different local or regional cuisines, reflecting the country's federal history. Germany itself is part of the larger cultural region of Central Europe, sharing many culinary traditions with neighbo ...

in which the different influences of the regions

Niedersachsen Lower Saxony (german: Niedersachsen ; nds, Neddersassen; stq, Läichsaksen) is a German state (') in northwestern Germany. It is the second-largest state by land area, with , and fourth-largest in population (8 million in 2021) among the 16 ...

and

Friesland Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...

and of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

are perceptible. The proximity to the sea and the harsh

climate Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...

play a great role and determine which ingredients are available.

Typical dishes

One of the most known dishes of Schleswig-Holstein is

Birnen, Bohnen und Speck Birnen, Bohnen und Speck ("pears, beans and bacon") is a North German dish which is especially popular in the states of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Hamburg. It also goes under the names of Bohnen, Birnen und Speck ...

. Other very popular dishes include: * Grünkohl with

Kochwurst ''Kochwurst'' is the name given to the German pre-cooked sausage, a class of sausage whose ingredients are largely cooked before the preparation of the sausage meat. The individual ingredients are held together by solidified fat (as in ''Streichw ...

and Schweinebacke (a cured cut from a pig's head), sometimes with Pinkel * Saure Rolle (a kind of sour

sausage A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. ...

) *Danish Rote Grütze (preferably with liquid

cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

) *

Labskaus Labskaus () is a culinary speciality from northern Germany and in particular from the cities of Bremen, Hamburg, and Lübeck. The main ingredients are salted meat or corned beef, potatoes, and onion. Some recipes put beetroot, pickled gherkin, or ...

* Mehlbüdel (a kind of dumpling which is served with sugar, liquid butter and pork meat) * Schnüsch (a vegetable stew with

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...

) * Rübenmalheur (a

rutabaga Rutabaga (; North American English) or swede (British English and some Commonwealth English) is a root vegetable, a form of ''Brassica napus'' (which also includes rapeseed). Other names include Swedish turnip, neep (Scots), and turnip (Scott ...

stew) *Holsteiner Rübenmus (mushed rutabaga, similar to

Stamppot ''Stamppot'' (English: 'mash pot') is a traditional Dutch dish made from a combination of potatoes mashed with one or several vegetables. History and description These vegetable pairings traditionally include sauerkraut, endive, kale, spinach, tu ...

) *

Holsteiner Sauerfleisch The Holsteiner is a breed of horse originating in the Schleswig-Holstein region of northern Germany. It is thought to be the oldest of warmblood breeds, tracing back to the 13th century. Though the population is not large, Holsteiners are a ...

(a kind of sour

aspic Aspic or meat jelly () is a savory gelatin made with a meat stock or broth, set in a mold to encase other ingredients. These often include pieces of meat, seafood, vegetable, or eggs. Aspic is also sometimes referred to as ''aspic gelée'' or ' ...

) * Fliederbeersuppe (elderberry soup) * Swattsuer (a kind of blood soup, also known as '

Schwarzsauer ''Schwarzsauer'' is a North German blood soup Blood soup is any soup that uses blood as a principal ingredient. List of blood soups Examples of blood stew include: * Black soup, a historical pork-blood soup of Ancient Greek cuisine particular ...

') *''Buttermilchsuppe mit Klüten'' (

buttermilk Buttermilk is a fermented dairy drink. Traditionally, it was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cultured cream. As most modern butter in western countries is not made with cultured cream but uncultured sweet cream, most m ...

soup with flour dumplings) *Grünkohlsuppe (a kale soup) *

Großer Hans Grosser or Großer is the masculine nominative singular form of the German adjective "gross", meaning "big", "great", "large", "tall", and the like. It is part of many placenames, especially of mountains. It is also a surname. People with that surn ...

(a kind of bread pudding) * ''Nordseekrabben'' Vegetables are frequently served with a butter and flour-based sauce which is called "Gestovtes Gemüse". In the city of

Eiderstedt Eiderstedt (german: Eiderstedt, ; da, Ejdersted; North Frisian: ''Ääderstää'') is a peninsula in the district of Nordfriesland in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Overview It is approximately 30 km in length and 15& ...

this cooking method is used to prepare

which is then served as a side dish. In

Elmshorn Elmshorn (; nds, Elmshoorn) is a town in the district of Pinneberg in Schleswig-Holstein in Germany. It is 30 km north of Hamburg on the small river Krückau, a tributary of the Elbe, and with about 50,000 inhabitants is the sixth-largest t ...

Graue Erbsen(lit. "grey peas") have a long tradition and generally milk and meat products play an important role. Cheeses from Holtsee are considered a speciality just as Holsteiner Katenschinken. Because of the proximity to the sea,

fish Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

plays a great role in the cuisine of Schleswig-Holstein and is featured in many dishes. Particularly typical are Maischollen, Heringe and Kieler Sprotte and

carp Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish from the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. While carp is consumed in many parts of the world, they are generally considered an invasive species in parts of ...

dishes are traditionally served for

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

. Famous desserts are

vanilla ice cream Vanilla is frequently used to flavor ice cream, especially in North America, Asia, and Europe. Vanilla ice cream, like other flavors of ice cream, was originally created by cooling a mixture made of cream, sugar, and vanilla above a container of ...

served with Friesischer Bohnensuppe (a local

liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyon ...

). Especially in the rural and peasant cuisine many recipes were buried in oblivion since the mid of 20th century such as Mädchenröte (a dessert made of egg whites and cassis), Förtchen (a kind of pastry), a precursor of the famous Berliner, Munkmarscher Muscheltopf (a seafood stew), Kalbfleischpudding or filled breast of pork, which is one of the many dishes with sweet and sugary side dishes.

Taste characteristics

One of the preferences of this regional cuisine is to combine the sweetness of a dish with a taste contrast like sour or salty. These combinations are also described as "Broken sööt" which means "broken sweetness" in English and is especially present in dishes which are "söötsuur" (sweet-sour). Many typical dishes feature this "broken-sööt-taste" due to their preparation such as Holsteiner Sauerfleisch or Rübenmalheur. This impression mainly emerges from the association of tangy meat dishes with sweet side dishes such as in the famous stew Birnen, Bohnen und Speck. In this stew the sweetness of

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in the Northern Hemisphere in late summer into October. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosacea ...

s is combined with the hearty and rich bacon broth. In some dishes this taste combination is accomplished by stewing meat for a long time together with vegetables and is then being served e.g. with caramelized potatoes or some sugar to add and adjust sweetness after the cooking process. Often the sweetness is also due to

dried fruit Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to th ...

such as

plum A plum is a fruit of some species in ''Prunus'' subg. ''Prunus'.'' Dried plums are called prunes. History Plums may have been one of the first fruits domesticated by humans. Three of the most abundantly cultivated species are not found ...

s or

raisin A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the ...

s which are not only used as a stuffing for

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, qu ...

but can also be served as a side dish to grilled meats or fish or being featured in chicken or beef broth.

Beverages

Apart from the common drinks, the cuisine of Schleswig-Holstein features many

s and

liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or h ...

s, such as

Korn Korn (stylized as KoЯn, or occasionally KoRn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The band is notable for pioneering the nu metal genre and bringing it into the mainstream. Originally formed in 1993 ...

and

Akvavit ''Akvavit'' or ''aquavit'' (; also ''akevitt'' in Norwegian; ''aquavit'' in English) is a distilled spirit that is principally produced in Scandinavia, where it has been produced since the 15th century. ''Akvavit'' is distilled from grain or po ...

, which are popular to be drunk together with

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

. This combination is also called "Lütt un Lütt" which literally means "small and small". The most famous

brands have their origin in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein and are Flensburger Pilsener and Dithmarscher Pilsener. Hot drink specialities are particularly "Tote Tante" ("dead aunt"), "Pharisäer" ("pharisee", a coffee drink with

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

) and "Punch" (a kind of glögg). {{Authority control