6 Recipes That’ll Bring Oktoberfest to Your Home

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The end of September heralds Oktoberfest, a German Festival celebration. Before we go on too far- yes it is called Oktoberfest and it is held at the end of September. This year the dates are September 21- October 6th, 2024 in Munich, Germany.

It is a mix of carnival style rides, German drinking songs, food kiosks, and massive beer tents.This year the celebrations in Munich are in their 189th year! If you aren’t headed to Germany to take part in the oldest and largest Oktoberfest we have put together some of our favourite German recipes that are gluten free and allergy friendly.

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Why was Oktoberfest started?

It started as a weeklong celebration of the marriage of the Crown Prince of Bavaria, Ludwig, to Princess Therese in the early 19th century in Munich, Germany. It became an annual event not long after the Napoleonic wars. The festival moved to September due to the cooler weather in October. Dirndls and Lederhosen are donned each year by many from around the world when they travel to the largest festival in the world, as per this history by Oktoberfest Tours.

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The Food at Oktoberfest

When perusing the stalls at Okotberfest in Munich you will see traditional foods like Sausages on buns (Bratwurst),  roasted pork shank (Schweinshaxe),  spit roasted pork on a bun (SpiessBraten), potato pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer), bread or potato dumplings (Dampfknodl or Semmelknodl), noodles (Spaetzle) with cheese or without, and the ever popular German Pretzel (Bretzel).

Not all these foods are easy to make at home or quick. Be sure to check out our 6 Oktober food ideas and recipes below.

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Gingerbread Hearts, More Souvenir than Food

One of our favourite memories is passing all the stalls with the decorated gingerbread hearts, Lebkuchenherz. They are more of a souvenir than something you’d eat . Really meant as something to buy for your beloved to cherish the memory of spending the festival with them. Some people do eat them but most do not. The ones we have seen are usually pretty firm and would need softening before attempting to eat them.

These are all things we make at home or Oma makes. We have sat down and watched her make countless times. Some are easier to make than others as well as to adapt to an allergy friendly and gluten free alternative. There are so many traditional German recipes to make at home to get you started with your own Oktoberfest celebration.

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6 Recipes to Get You in the Mood to Celebrate Oktoberfest at Home

Grab your dirndl or your lederhosen and get ready to pop on the schlager music. Let’s make some German foods for an at-home celebration with these Oktoberfest food ideas. Our German recipes are allergy friendly and gluten free and can be served alongside your favourite German Bratwurst!

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1. Kartoffelpuffer (Potato Pancakes)

Potato Pancakes are an iconic Oktoberfest snack. They are basically shredded potatoes mixed with a binder and flour and deep fried in oil. Our Reibekuchen or Kartoffelpuffer as they are called in German recipe is vegan as we swapped out the egg and for vegan friendly ingredients.

Get the Kartoffelpuffer (Potato Pancakes) Recipe

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2. Rouladen (Braised Beef Rolls)

Thin slices of beef and bacon wrapped around dill pickle spears and slow cooked in a gravy for hours is at the heart of this German Rouladen recipe. Perfect for celebration dinners when served with cabbage and potatoes. This gluten-free and allergy-friendly recipe is perfect for your next Oktoberfest celebration. Don’t forget to check out how to roll the beef rolls here.

Get the Rouladen (Braised Beef Rolls) Recipe

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3. RotKohl (Red Cabbage)

A sweet and tangy warm cabbage side dish that is cooked for hours to get that signature RotKohl texture. Finished with a dollop of red currant jam to give the glossy look that good braised red cabbage has. This is such a great side dish that you’l be looking to double the batch next time.

Get the RotKohl (Red Cabbage) Recipe

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4. Eintopf (One Pot Soup)

Eintopf is a traditional German one pot soup that usually contains pork, sausage and whatever harvest or root vegetables you have on hand. It is a comforting soup that sometimes resembles a stew when it is cooked over hours and the potatoes cook down. We hope you enjoy our family’s traditional one pot soup. This is a naturally gluten free and allergy friendly recipe.

Get the Eintopf (One Pot Soup) Recipe

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5. Gulaschsuppe (German Goulash)

A stew-like hearty comfort food dish German Goulash is similar to the Hungarian version. Gulaschsuppe is full of beef chunks, tomatoes, sweet bell pepper chunks and paprika. Our version is great for large celebrations as it is free from the major food allergens and gluten free. Having a warming soup is great for the chillier areas celebrating Oktoberfest.

Get the Gulaschsuppe (German Goulash) Recipe

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6. Lebkuchenherz (Gingerbread Cookies)

This is a sturdy gingerbread cookie recipe perfect for making large cookies to decorate for your Schätze. Making the cookies ahead and decorating them at the festival are a great activity for family friendly Okotberfest celebrations. The best part is that this recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and allergy-friendly. To make a quick icing use powdered icing sugar and water with natural food powders like spinach and beets to keep the treat vegan and allergy-friendly.

Get the Lebkuchenherz (Gingerbread Cookies) Recipe

This article originally appeared on TheAllergenFreeKitchen.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.

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