Christmas 2008

German donuts

For the eighth year running, the world's largest authentic German market outside Germany and Austria has hit Birmingham.

Running daily from 10am – 9pm until Tuesday 23rd December, over 90 stalls stretch from Victoria Square to New Steet and more than two million people are expected to visit.

Aside from a wide variety of crafts and goods, the big attraction of Frankfurt is the chance to buy a range of food and drink, some of which has been shipped over directly from Germany whilst the rest is cooked and prepared on site.

Sweets

If you've got a sweet tooth, you'll be in your element at Frankfurt. Donuts, biscuits, hard boiled sweets, ginger bread and other delicacies litter the stalls.

Stollen - German Christmas cake

The most unconventional, at least in terms of appearance, is the 'stollen' which from a distance resembles slightly mouldy loaves of bread.

Stall owner Stephan has imported crates of the stuff from Dusseldorf and is anxious to prove that looks can be deceiving.

"What you see here comes straight from a German firm in Dusseldorf and has been produced by the same family for five or six generations," he explains. "It contains nuts, butter, fruits, marzipan, raisins and spices. Stollen is actually made in late August specifically for Christmas. If you store it correctly in a tin it can remain fresh until February or March. We eat Stollen cold and without custard or anything like that."

Chocolate fruit

Similar to fruit cake and rich in seasonal spices, stollen certainly is an interesting alternative to conventional Christmas pudding.

According to Stephan, cookies - taken for granted all year round in the UK - are something of a speciality for German families:

"German people love to make cookies in the run up to Christmas and we've got lots of different flavours and icing here. You'll notice they taste richer than British cookies largely due to the spices that they contain. 'Prinsten' are whole nuts and come in a variety of flavours. If you want something sweeter, I'd recommend 'Dominosteine'. It's basically orange marzipan covered in chocolate; very popular in Germany."

Fruit

Another popular German delicacy – that will satisfy the more health conscious chocoholics – can be found at Michaela's Chocoking store. Essentially pieces of fruit skewered onto sticks kebab-style, the treats are then covered in chocolate and decorated with icing.

Michaela's store

"These are a special type of chocolate that German people prepare by hand whenever there is a street party or big public celebration," she says. "They're considered a real treat; you won't find them in stores very often. My favourites are these ones here that are actually strawberries and pieces of banana covered in chocolate. They are very nice!"

Fruit isn't the only food given a sugary coating. German nuts – of all shapes, sizes and flavours – are popular, particularly when covered in sugar and honey. Christina and Walter offer bags of hot nuts, pick 'n' mix options and a range of gingerbread too.

"Hot nuts are ideal for keeping out the cold and these sorts are only really available at Christmas," says Walter. "My personal favourites are the almonds and cashews which are delicious. We also offer gingerbread that comes in all shapes and sizes, decorated with personalised greetings, in German or English."

Walter and Christina

Hot food

For those after more substantial nourishment to keep out the cold though and wishing to avoid the cliché of delicious German sausages (which are both plentiful and numerous), the grilled ham stall offers something different.

Now, most of us have experienced the sight of a lump of donor meat on a revolving grill going round and round at one in the morning in the local kebab shop.

But how about ham?

Ham on the grill

Grilled for five hours before being deemed ready to serve on warm bread, a portion contains a little homemade coleslaw and 130g of ham – with a dash of pickle. Typically salty, the ham though is supple and full of flavour giving a different meaning to the term 'ham sandwich'.

Speaking of different, German burgers – made from pork – are cooked on demand, hand prepared into lumps of raw meat rather than the supermarket-style pre-packed spheres most of us are used to at the summer bbq.

For six quid you can have the full meal which includes a portion of fried potatoes and some very tasty mushrooms, with the whole thing covered in an optional garlic sauce. George Foreman may not approve but there’s no denying the flavour.

German burgers

Those who fancy a more sophisticated dining experience though should head for Michaela’s continental store where a selection of finely crusted pizzas are baked to order complete with some slightly unusual toppings (ham and leak anyone?). Various mushroom themed soups are on offer too but most impressive is what the Brits would refer to as the 'wine list' – or rather 'display'.

Drink

Dozens of authentic German wines are available by the glass or bottle. "All of the wines you see are straight from Germany and difficult to get hold of over here," says Michaela.

"I think it’s fair to say that a lot of the British don't know about wine but in Germany we take great pride in ours. In the UK people buy wine straight from the supermarket whereas these wines come straight from the winery and you can taste the difference.

"Rose seems to be very popular over here and it is in Germany as well. My personal favourite is the Hammel which is a dry, red wine but still leaves a warm glow afterwards."

Choice of wine

Speaking of warm glows, there's nothing like German mulled wine to get the blood flowing. Or maybe boiling is more appropriate; for this known as 'Fire Punch' – mulled wine with an added kick.

"Fire Punch is very popular this time of year," says stall worker Renata who stands stirring what looks like a boiling vat of the stuff.

"It's mulled wine alright but also contains rum and sugar raising the alcohol level. We keep it at near boiling temperature and a glass is perfect for braving the winter cold."

A variety of beers are available at Frankfurt Market too, although a refundable deposit is required for a one pint or two pint sized glass.

Fire Punch being served

German-brewed Lowenbrau is the lager of choice (literal translation: 'lion's brew') and dates back to the 14th century where it was first brewed at Zum Lowen (The Lion's Inn). Lowenbrau, under its anglified pronunciation, has become a popular British lager sold in a variety of pubs across the country, and falls under the 'premium' lager banner on account of having an above 5% ABV.

The Frankfurt Market in Birmingham runs until Tuesday 23rd December 2008.