Alsace Specialities

Alsace's specialties are many and are mostly gastronomical. For those you appreciate good food and drinks, there is a lot to satisfy their appetite. The people of Alsace enjoy eating and sharing with their guests.

Wines & Spirits

The Romans during their conquests introduced the vine. With a perfect climatic and soil conditions, Alsace produces 7 grape varieties, which were awarded AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) quality status in 1962.

Bottled in traditional tall bottles, Alsace wines are named after their grape variety rather than their domain.

Sylvaner
Dry, light, slightly fruity, this refreshing wine is best enjoyed with seafood and salads.

Pinot Blanc
Dry, round, combining freshness and versatility this wine is excellent with poultry, fish, and starters.

Riesling
One of the best white wines, it is dry and delicately fruity. Perfect with fish, seafood and shellfish.

Muscat d'Alsace
Both dry and aromatic, this fruity wine is a wonderful apéritif but also recommended with asparagus.

Pinot Noir
The only rose or red wine of Alsace, its fruity characteristic makes it an ideal wine to go with pork and red meats.

Pinot Gris or Tokay d'Alsace
The palate is round and smooth. With its complex aromas this wine can often replace red wine with white meats and game.

Gewurztraminer
With a floral, fruity and spicy bouquet, this wine is known for its exceptional aromatic characteristics. The palate is round, powerful and full-bodied. Could be served either as an aperitif or with cheese and deserts. It also goes well with Asian, Indian and Mexican cuisine.

Alsace is also the principal beer-making region of France, catering for more than 50 % of the national beer production. Another specialty is the Crémant d'Alsace, which is an AOC sparkling wine made in the same traditional method as in Champagne.

Cheeses

The main cheese of this region is the Munster. Whether consumed hot or cold, it is an ideal way to end a meal and it is delicious especially with some Gewurstraminer wine or a glass of kirsch and some cumin seeds. Monks who lived in the valley created this cheese in the 7^th century. The name Munster (both the cheese and the valley) is derived from the word "monastery".

Traditional Cuisine

The Baeckeoffe (baker's oven) is a dish made of 3 types of marinated meat and potatoes. Traditionally, on days that women did the washing, they would take their pots in the morning to the baker, who would bake their meal in his oven for at least 3 hours.

The Choucroute of course is quite well known worldwide. There are many variations to the classical recipe, which has been reinvented using fish or goose instead of pork.
The Matelote du Rhin, is a mixture of freshwater fish, brewed in Alsace wine.
Flammekueche is a thin pastry topped with cream, cubes of bacon and onions baked in the oven.

Sweets & Desserts

Kougelhopf is a type of a brioche made with beer yeast and baked in a particular mould.

Pain d'épices, meaning "spice bread", is a delicacy traditionally a specialty in the Gertwiller area.

Other Specialties

Foie gras d'Alsace
Pretzels