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Matjes is a seafood dish commonly found on Hamburg dinner tables.

Lower Saxony As a region, Lower Saxony’s cuisine is also mainly influenced by its location against the North Sea. The resulting fusion incorporates local agricultural resources with international flavors brought in by commerce. Bremen, being a major port city, has a long history of international trade and cultural exchange, which has turned its cuisine into a mix of traditional German dishes and international flavors. The city-state is particularly known for its seafood dishes, including smoked eel, herring, and mackerel. Hanover, which is a landlocked city in the east of the region, has a more traditional German cuisine, with a focus on hearty meat dishes such as schnitzel and sausages. While lacking the more international influences of the coastal region, the west of Lower Saxony was once home to many nobles and wealthy landowners, leading to the development of elaborate and refined dishes served in grand estates. Today, many of these dishes, such as the Hanoverian roast goose, are still enjoyed during festive occasions.

Chapter 1: Northern Germany

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