Oktoberfest in Philly!

Our Philly Neighbors enjoyed the vibe in Munich - then headed to Philly for Oktoberfest on a smaller scale!

Oktoberfest party menu?  Coming right up....

Oktoberfest is one of the biggest Fairs in the world.  The Fair attracts around 5-6 million visitors who swarm to Munich in Germany to consume vat-loads of local beers and platefuls of traditional German food. 

The celebration dates back to the wedding nuptials for Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria who held an enormous wedding party for the townsfolk which went on, and on, and on -- for days. 

Likewise today's Oktoberfest runs for 10-12 days of intense drinking and eating and lively singing, of course.

Unlike our celebrations in the U.S., Oktoberfest in Germany ends the first weekend in October...it actually starts late September.  Who cares?  We sourced authentic wurst (sausages) from a friend in Germany and when the box of goodies arrived, we knew we needed to source a crowd to consume the 10-12 different types of sausages therein...

Our Philadelphian version of Oktoberfest featured:

1.  two types of Bratwurst - both of which needed to be boiled and then kept simmering in a crockpot (so said the instructions).
2. Humongous quantities of different kinds of pre-cooked German salami (I thought salami was Italian?) including the aptly named Kilometer...

• Beer sausage, also pre-cooked, was designed to be sliced and served as an appetizer. 

• A neighbor, Dana Hall, cooked up a delicious fondue and we dipped baby gherkins, onions, bread and an array of cold sausages and luncheon meats in the gorgeous fondue, which coincidentally (or not) was pepped up by the addition of a bottle of real German beer from Bavaria.  Dana put it best: "I think that was the best fondue I ever had...it's definitely a meal in itself, not an appetizer though!"

For this fondue recipe, see this hearty and super filling recipe on the Food Network

•  We also grilled Cheese Knuckers - the name alone cracked us up - and a variety of Wurst, which we served with traditional Bavarian potato salad and red cabbage.  We'll serve up these recipes in our next post.

If you do fancy trying this at home then you can source Bavarian beer surprisingly enough in some liquor stores in Philly.  But it's expensive.  To get designated as an Oktoberfest beer, the beer actually has to be brewed within the city of Munich, Germany, so it's a genuine import.

Fresh sausages are readily available at the Market, try Smucklers or Halteman's for a good assortment of authentic German links.

It's worth visiting the Market to catch sights such as this...

"Prost" as they say in Germany. "Cheers" as they say in England.  Want to learn how to say "cheers" in every known language under the sun?  Then visit this website.  You'll never be caught short again.