Dumplings, cheese, and cannoli: the flavors of southern Europe at Grüne Woche

Two hours before the first guests enter the halls of Grüne Woche, Christl Alm is already bustling with activity. There is also plenty to do in the popular restaurant at the Austrian joint stand: cutting bread rolls for bratwurst, Leberkäs, and Käsekrainer, shaping bread dumplings and spinach dumplings, preparing salad dressing, and—most importantly—putting the meat in the oven.

Before the rush: peak activity at the Christl Alm

“It takes about two hours for the first round of roast pork to be ready,” says Hannes Traunberger from Linz, head of the Christl Alm. For over ten years, the restaurant with its red and white checkered tablecloths has been one of the attractions of the Grüne Woche World Tour. At over 50 tables, Hannes and his 33-strong team serve visitors homemade apricot dumplings, Kaiserschmarrn and giant yeast dumplings, potato gröstl, grilled ham and roast pork. “Many come for the roast pork or bacon dumplings. Three years ago, we introduced something new with the spinach dumplings, and they are loved,” says Hannes. He likes the atmosphere in the southern European-style Hall 4.2: “The guests enjoy spending time here – and so do we. It's just great with Switzerland, Italy, and France,” he says.

The sweet and savory side of Sicily

Looking around the hall, the first thing you see are the colorful macarons from Petit Paris. A little further back, the display is stacked with green and black olives from Sicily, stuffed with almonds or garlic, with or without pits, dried tomatoes, and tuna from the Mediterranean. This is the stand of Giuseppe Farruggio and Corinn Gallo from La Qualita Autentica. The journey through the flavors of Sicily has just begun, says Corinn: “We have a second stand.”

With a smile, she points to the mountains of candied almonds and peanuts. Orange and lemon sticks covered in dark chocolate lie next to ornate blocks of light and dark chocolate, refined with chili, coffee beans, and the famous pistachios from Bronte—Sicily's “green gold.” In addition to torrone (caramelized almond or pistachio nougat), aragustina, and cannoli filled with vanilla, chocolate, or pistachio, there are chocolate lollipops in playful shapes such as butterflies, rabbits, teddy bears, and clowns—and fresh strawberries and bananas to enjoy with melted chocolate right at the stand.

Swiss classics and a detour to Portugal

Chocolate is also found in Switzerland, of course, for example at Chocosuisse, the association of Swiss chocolate manufacturers. And what else is a must in Switzerland? Raclette, of course. These pans filled with melted cheese make their grand appearance here in Germany between Christmas and New Year's Eve. After that, the raclette grill disappears back into the basement in most households. At Raclette Suisse, the motto is: “Raclette is always a good idea!” And this is also evident from the long queue at the stand. Here, the original Swiss raclette cheese with its typical spicy aroma is traditionally scraped from the wheel (French: “racler”) and served on bread with or without ham and pepper.

Afterwards, take a short stroll to Hall 7.2c, where Galáxia Gulosa presents the hearty side of Portuguese cuisine with juicy bifana or leitão à Bairrada sandwiches. Creamy pastéis de nata and artfully crafted doce fino from the Algarve provide a sweet complement.