The Picky Eater’s Ultimate Guide to Bavaria

From the minute I decided to study abroad in Germany, I was haunted by one question – what on Earth would I eat?

Though college has certainly changed my eating habits for the better (think: more fruits and vegetables!), I stray away from most meats in my diet. Chicken and hamburger meat are my only exceptions to this rule – I haven’t eaten turkey on Thanksgiving in years since my family gave up trying to get me to budge on my stance. So, before leaving for the land of sausages, I decided Google would be able to help me out. But if you’re a picky eater like me, save yourself the heartbreak from a simple search of “what do I eat in Munich?” You’ll want to hear it from me, the now-German-food-expert who successfully lived through two weeks in Bavaria, the classic, sausage-minded region of Germany, and lived to tell the tale. I’ve compiled this list of my favorite foods from Munich and Nuremberg to help out anyone else who may need a picky eater’s menu in addition to that ever-requested English menu.

1. Spätzle

The macaroni and cheese equivalent of the German/Austrian border region is a total lifesaver. I ate it three nights in a row at three different restaurants – it’s always a safe option. The egg noodles are served with cheese sprinkled over the dish, which melts into the noodles to create a gooey comfort food. The best part? Fried onions are garnished across the top to combine two classic favorites.

2. Speaking of fried onions…the best onion rings ever are found in Munich.

Our second night in Munich just so happened to be the 4th of July, so it was totally necessary to celebrate at an Irish pub around the corner. Maybe the onion rings at Kennedy’s Bar and Restaurant tasted better that night because we were surrounded by so many other Americans who were stranded in Deutschland on this ever-important holiday and shared our glory – I wouldn’t know, because when we went back on our last night in the city, they were all out of onion rings. If anyone makes it to Munich, go to Kennedy’s, get the onion rings and let me know how they are.

3. Cheese. All the cheese.

In hindsight, all of my research for the menus on this trip should have prepared me for our first dinner in the country, when we chose to go to a cultural classic – an open-air beer garden. The menu was packed with classic Bavarian dishes, like sausage, sausage and more sausage. If you’re like me, you have the option of a cheese plate, served with slices of bread and a selection of Bavarian cheeses. It was a little discouraging on my first night, when I swore I was destined to eat cheese and bread for the next month, but it turns out I was able to broaden my horizons in the future, as evidenced by my next pick.

4. Pretzels

Don’t judge this one by the heading. While a solo pretzel is a good on the road snack to grab in the middle of a long day of touring and learning or good to nibble on when you don’t feel up to eating anything else, the American carnival food and Bavarian classic is also incorporated into the dinner menu at so many classic Bavarian-style restaurants. One of my favorite choices was a mushroom goulash with pretzel dumplings, which was a salty mushroom soup with soft pretzel balls mixed in.

5. Italian food

Okay, I know I’m not in Italy, but even the Germans will tell you they love their Italian food. When we were feeling tired of the beer garden scene, Professor Bormann recommended that we try Italian. And when you give a group of tired 20-somethings a harmless reminder to carb up on pizza, pasta and garlic bread, it didn’t need to be repeated. There are so many Italian restaurants across Germany, and it’s true that the natives thrive off of Italian food. Which is surprising, but who would I be to complain about spaghetti and tomato sauce? A fool.

Here’s the bottom line: you can and you will make it in Bavaria as a picky eater. But the culture will probably make you want to try a sausage…I haven’t caved yet, but the day that I will is getting closer and closer.