The Food and Cooking of Alsace Wine Route   

For a good example of geographic destiny, look no further than Alsace, for its food  ( like its wine and culture ) has been predetermined by geography. The buffer between France and Germany and changing hands many times – 4 in the last hundred years – means that culinary favorites of both countries have meshed together forming unique and wonderful Alsace dishes some named and influenced for German traditions and others for French.                                                                                                                                                     
Cooking in Alsace tends to be quite heavy and rich. Pork is the important meat in Alsace with the pig is known as le seigneur cochon (the noble pig). A stew called baeckeoffe ("baker's oven") is initially prepared at home with pork, mutton, beef and vegetables marinated in wine for two days then put in layers of with potato and baked. Choucroute alsacienne is sauerkraut (aromatic pickled cabbage) with sausage, pork or ham served.

Flammeküche, - tarte flambée - in French, is pastry filled with cream, onions, cheese, mushrooms and bacon. A vegetarian alternative to this is zweibelküche or tarte à l'oignon. Tourte is a pie made of ham, bacon or ground pork with eggs and leeks.
In late May, asparagus (asperges), are available and the Alsatian variety is sought through out France. ~Foies gras is an Alsace speciality rivalling that of southwest France.
Coq-au-Riesling: is chicken and vegetables cooked with Riesling wine and is another regional specialty.
Fish is served in a variety of ways, notably with Riesling wine , examples are matelote (river fish stew) and truiteau bleu - trout boiled briefly in Riesling and served with a dash of vinegar.
Alsace is renowned for its patisseries, including the kougelhopf, a sultana and almond ribbed moulded dome-shaped cake, or the tarte alsacienne, a custard tart with local fruits such as quetsches (plums). Birewecks are made with dried fruit that has been marinated in kirsch.
Munster Cheese which carries an AOC quality label is made with cow’s milk . It is strong tasting washed-rind soft cheese that goes well with the fruity, aromatic wines like Gewurztraminer.

Below is a more complete listing of Alsace foods that you will come across on your wine touring Alsace. .

Agneau pascal” : see Oschterlämmele
Anisbredle
Aniseed cookies – one of the oldest recipes for Christmas cookies (bredle)
Asperge (als : Sparichle)
Asparagus has been cultivated in Alsace since the 16th century. Traditionally served with 3 sauces (mayonnaise, French dressing and hollandaise) and ham,                                                                                                                                              Bäckeoffe Casserole with potatoes and three different types of meat marinated in white wine and traditionally baked in a terrine in the baker's oven
Bargkas
Hard cheese to be savoured raw or cooked (raclette, cheese toppings)
Beignets de Carnaval : see „Fastnachtskueschle“
Berewecke
Christmas bread made with dried pears and fruit, left to dry out for a long time
Bibeleskäs
Soft white cheese garnished with herbs and served with sauté potatoes or jacket potatoes
Bienenstich
Honey cake with a French custard filling
Bretzel
Pretzel made of bread in the shape of crossed arms dating back to the 12th century. The crust is sprinkled with coThe regional version of bread and butter puddingoking salt. It is the symbol used for Alsatian bakeries and the shape is symbolic in itself as you can see the sun 3 times through it.
Bettelmann
The regional version of bread and butter pudding
Bouchée à la reine
The regional version of vol-au-vent
Bredle
Christmas cookies – of which there are a thousand and one varieties
Buttemuess
Rose hip jam
Carpe frite
Fried carp served with mayonnaise and lemon – speciality of the Sundgau region…
Cervelas
Small pork sausage (saveloy)
Charcuterie: see Cervelas, Knack, Pâté en croûte, Presskopf – en outre
Bierwurscht : "Beer" sausage, seasoned with mustard seeds – Brotwurscht : A white sausage that can be fried or poached - Blüetwurscht : black pudding – Fleischwurscht : sausage similar to a saveloy – Jambonwurscht : Ham sausage - Landjäger : « gendarme », A dry salami sausage with rectangular sides - Lard (als : Burespeck) : Country-style smoked bacon – Lewerwurscht : Liver sausage spread – Metwurscht : A sausage spread made with raw pork and beef - Schwarzwurscht : A black sausage with lard
Choucroute (als: Sürkrüt)
This form of pickled cabbage (sauerkraut) is finely sliced and fermented. 75% of French production comes from Alsace. Choucroute garnie is sauerkraut cooked in white wine with a selection of salted and smoked meats, pork meats and potatoes. Pork is the most commonly used meat, but goose is also used, as is fish.
Chou rouge (als : Rotkrüt
Red cabbage cooked with apples and sweet chestnuts
Civet de lièvre see Hasepfeffer
Coq au riesling
Chicken deglazed with Riesling wine, served with a creamy sauce and spaetzle or noodles
Dampfnüdle
Dumplings made with leavened dough and cooked in a casserole
Escargots (als : Schneke)
Snails: in Alsace snails are seasoned with garlic and parsley
Fastnachtkueschle
Carnival doughnuts come in around 20 different varieties, including with apples, jam and elderflower
Foie gras (als : Ganzlewer)
Foie gras comes in loaves, terrines and more rarely in pie form, which earned the Strasbourg version of foie gras its reputation at the end of the 18th century thanks to Jean-Pierre Clause, the chef and pastry cook of Maréchal de Contades. In fact, geese have been force-fed since the days of Ancient Egypt and this practice was then continued for a long time by the Jews living in Central Europe. Foie gras can be served fresh, cold or pan-tossed on all festive occasions
Flammekueche
A dish with a dough base topped with a mixture of cream, soft white cheese, bacon chunks and onions. You eat it with your fingers! Baked in a baker's oven, it was traditionally made on the days when bread was baked at the farms. You can also try the sweet versions with apple, plum and cinnamon toppings
Fleischschneke
Meat balls
Galettes de pommes de terre : see Grumbeerekiechle
Griesknepfle
Semolina quenelles
Grumbeerekiechle (ou - dätchala)
Potato pancakes made with grated potatoes
Grumbeereknepfle
Potato quenelles
Harengs (als : Häri)
Rolled herring filets (rollmops) fried in a vinegar or cream sauce and served with potatoes (see: Matjes)
Hasepfeffer
Jugged hare marinated in red wine
Jambonneau, jarret : see Wädele
Kassler
Smoked pork loin or fillet served either hot or cold
Knack (als : Werschtle)
The Strasbourg version of a frankfurter always comes in pairs
Kougelhopf (als : Kugelhopf)
Leavened dough shaped in a special cake mould – a ribbed and scalloped conical form which is hollow at the top end and is the symbol of Alsace. The ingredients for the sweet version include dried raisins and whole almonds, while bacon chunks and walnuts are ingredients in the savoury version
Lebkueche
Flat spice bread cut into a variety of shapes (tongues, hearts etc.)
Lewerknepfle
Liver quenelles
Linzertorte
Linzer torte of Austrian origin filled with raspberry jam and topped with strips of pastry
Männele
Brioche shaped like a little man traditionally eaten on St Nicholas' Day (6th December)
Matjes
Herring fillets in cream (with onion and apple) served with potatoes
Munster cheese – a matured, soft cheese.
Matelote
A fish stew with a selection of freshwater fish steaks served with a creamy Riesling sauce and noodles
Navet salé : see Süri rüewa
Nouilles (als : Nudeln)
Typical Alsace noodles are made with lots of eggs
Oie
Goose is cooked in many ways – Roasted for St. Martins' Day (11th November) with cabbage and sweet chestnuts (als : Martinsganz) – Stuffed neck of goose served either hot or cold – Soup made from goose giblets and vegetables prepared in winter when the fat geese are butchered
Oschterlämmele
Paschal lamb – a lamb-shaped
Palette : see Schifele
Pâté en croûte
A pie made with pork and/or veal marinated in white wine and served with raw vegetable salads
Petits gâteaux de Noël : see Bredle
Pot-au-feu (als : Suppefleisch)
After sauerkraut, pot au feu (beef stew) is one of the oldest dishes in Alsace. This typical Sunday lunch is sometimes served with horseradish sauce and raw vegetable salads. The first bowl consists of just the broth with tiny bone-marrow dumplings (als: Marigknepfle).
Presskopf
Pork brawn in jelly 
Quenelles : see lewerknepfle
Quetsche
Dark plum typical of Alsace – used to make tarts and jam – or distilled as eau de vie
Roïgabrageldi
Potatoes steamed with onions and bacon, a typical farm dish from the Upper Vosges
Salade mixte
Mixed salad with saveloy sausages and gruyere cheese served with a tasty French dressing
Salade de pommes de terre (als : Grumbeeresalad ou Hartäpfelsalat)
Potato salad
Pot au feu salad – a salad prepared with stew meat
Saucisse de Strasbourg : see Knack
Schifele
Smoked shoulder of ham
Schnekekueche
Made up of snail-shaped coils of leavened dough set in a circular shape and filled with ground almonds and hazelnuts
Spätzle
Traditional pasta that looks like shredded noodles
Springerle
Christmas cakes baked in finely sculpted moulds
Stolle
Christmas brioche (Chrischtstolle) or small brioches shaped liked ecclesiastic hats
Streusselkueche
Cake made with leavened dough, sprinkled with a mixture of curdled butter, sugar, flour and cinnamon
Strudel aux pommes
Apple strudel made from rolled-out pastry with a filling of apples, dried raisons, almonds and spices – another dish inherited from Austria
Sübrot (ou Süweckle)
Literally "penny bread" – a roll split and hollowed down the middle
Süri nierle
Finely chopped veal kidneys, pan fried and deglazed in vinegar
Süri rüewa
Fermented white turnips cut into strips and cooked like sauerkraut
Tartes
bilberry tart, Käsküche cheese cake, rhubarb tart, with or without French custard or meringue), Quetschelkueche / plum tart sprinkled with cinnamon)
Tarte flambée : see Flammekueche
Tarte à l’oignon : see Ziwelkueche
Tomme « Prés du Ried »
Hard cheese from the Ried plain, only recently created to help preserve the meadows in the flood basin of the river Ill
Tourte
Meat pie called the "winegrower's pie" with flaky pastry and thinly sliced or minced meat. The more finely minced pie from Munster valley is an absolute must for the farm meals served in the farmhouse inns.
Vacherin glacé
Round ice-cream cake with a meringue base and whipped cream 
Wädele
Small knuckle of ham. Shoulder of ham (may be caramelised)
Wihnachtsbredle : see Bredle
Wurscht :
Charcuterie
Ziwelkueche
Onion tart
Zopf
Plaited brioche