Germany’s States and Regional Food Specialties
Explore the history, culture and food of Germany’s Sixteen States
Germany, as a nation, is actually very young. Prior to the national unification in 1871, Germany was divided into many kingdoms and principalities, each with distinct customs and even distinct dialects. Explore the sixteen Bundesländer (states) that today make up the Federal Republic of Germany.
Baden Württemberg
...home to a quarter of all the Michelin rated restaurants in Germany
Bavaria
...North and South have different language patterns, dialects, attitudes and foods
Berlin
...Germany's capital city, known for lively arts and nightlife, and modern lifestyle
Bremen
...Hanseatic port rich with Grimm's fairytales, coffee roasters, beer, chocolates
Hesse
...Weinfests, Rhine Hesse wines, apple cider, mineral water
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
...a major industrial area, it's also a prominent agricultural state
Rhineland Palatinate
...two thirds of the wine produced in Germany come from this region
Saxony
...Dresden and Leipzig, 'Land of Christmas', 'Florence on the Elbe'
Schleswig-Holstein
...rich in produce from land and sea, international trading brought almonds for marzipan
Brandenburg
...'Prussia's vegetable garden', replete with castles, nature preserves, and the asparagus road
Hamburg
...Hanseatic port, surrounded by apple orchards and organic farms
Lower Saxony
...from the Dutch border to Lunenberg Heath and the North Sea Islands
North Rhine Westphalia
...a major industrial region, it’s also a prominent agricultural region, especially in the north
Saarland
...coal mining region bordering the Alsatian region of France
Saxony Anhalt
...birthplace of Martin Luther and the Bauhaus — think Harz mountain witches in the north and the Saar wine region in the South
Thuringia
...the spectacular landscapes of the 'green heart of Germany' were home to Luther, Bach, Goethe and Schiller
