Gastronomy in Alsace
After a day galloping up and down the vineyard slopes of Marlenheim, the intrepid wine walker deserves a hearty dinner. And I certainly enjoyed one.
But it is important to approach an Alsatian dinner with a sense of history and culture.
Indeed, the story of Alsatian wine can be traced back to the first centuries AD when the Roman legions introduced the cultivation of the vine and the production of wine to the left bank of the river Rhine.
During the Middle Ages, the wines of Alsace were among the most renowned and most expensive wines of Europe, and were at all royal tables. Then the thirty years war ravaged Alsace and decimated its population.
It was only after the First World War that the vineyards regained their former reputation. And while wine snobs from Paris, Bordeaux and Burgundy might look down on Alsatian wines, they are truly great wines which must be enjoyed with an open mind.
Last night at dinner, I opted for tradition over modernity. This automatically means Choucroute Alsatian — this is a dish of Alsatian sauerkraut served with a variety of sausages, other salted meats and charcuterie, and potatoes. Alsatian riesling is the wine to drink with choucroute, its fresh crisp acidity being a perfect accompaniment.
Choucroute must be followed by Munster cheese, a strong-smelling soft cheese with a subtle taste, made mainly from milk first produced in the Vosges, between the Alsace-Lorraine and Franche-Comté regions of France. The name Munster is derived from the Alsace town of Munster, where, among Vosgian abbeys and monasteries, the cheese was conserved and matured in monks’ cellars.
Munster cheese is traditionally served with cumin seeds which add a nice spicy touch. And then for a wine accompaniment, there is nothing better than Gewurztraminer, with its complex sweet and spicy taste and aromas.
Finally, the restaurant owner convinced me that crème brûlée with kirsch was a French dessert with an “Alsatian touch”. True or false, I don’t know. But I enjoyed it very much!