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Regional German Food Specialties

Across regions and states: onion-based dishes in Germany

The common-or-garden onion originated from Asia, probably in Afghanistan. It is one of the oldest plants cultivated by man and has been used as a food, flavouring and medicine for over 5,000 years.

Nowadays, most onions in Germany are grown near Frankenthal in the Palatinate and around Bamberg and Erfurt.

Onions were a staple food for the Romans, while in the Middle Ages, people hung them on their doors to ward off the plague. In their raw state, onions contain an acidic essential oil that irritates the stomach and makes us shed tears as we chop them. Roasting, braising or frying the onions, on the other hand, releases the sugars that give the vegetable its distinctive sweet flavour.

Zwiebelkuchen, Onion soup, Goulash made with lamb

Popular onion-based dishes in Germany include Zwiebelkuchen, (a flan that also contains bacon), Onion soup and Bollenfleisch, a traditional Berlin goulash made with lamb.
Zwiebelkuchen is the customary accompaniment to “new wine” at autumn wine festivals in numerous German wine regions, including in Baden, along the Rhine and Moselle, in the Palatinate (where it is known as Zwiwwelkuche) and in Franconia (Zwiebelplootz).

The onion, along with other members of the Allium family such as garlic, contains sulphurous compounds that are broken down by enzymes when sliced. This is what gives these plants their antibacterial and anticoagulant properties and helps them reduce levels of blood sugar and cholesterol. The onion is more useful even than garlic for everyday ailments: the juice of fresh onions, for example, is a traditional remedy for coughs and colds. Experiments have also shown that fermented onion juice can help relieve respiratory allergies. Onions even lessen the pain of insect bites: simply halve, then apply directly to the affected area.

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