When you hear the name Frankfurt numerous affiliations may spring to mind – sausages for one, or Frankfurt Interational Airport, perhaps the German Stock Exchange, maybe the International Automotive Exhibition, or football fans may know it as the host city for the 2005 World Cup.

 

Strolling through Frankfurt’s city centre confuses ones senses. There is no division between historic buildings and state-of-the-art architecture - they share the same block. This city is home to the German Stock Exchange, the European Central Bank, the Deutsche Bundesbank and over three-hundred financial institutions, yet Frankfurt produces some of the most revolutionary creative minds in Europe and promotes the arts like no other European city by providing more than forty museums and exhibition venues and over sixty theatres. It’s a proud German city but more than a quarter of its population is foreign. Frankfurt is one of the world’s most significant trade fair locations in the world, attracting more than two-million people every year yet take to the streets for their own traditional folk festivals. Frankfurt is a city of contracdictions.

 

Yet few travellers to Frankfurt get to look beyond the international airport and the glitzy trade shows. In contrast to the bustling inner city life with its internationally renowned shopping opportunities, there lies the colourful historical quarter of Sachsenhausen.

The serine Sachsenhausen district has managed to retain much of its old charm and is the perfect place to take in a glass or two of Frankfurt aromatic apple wine, a traditional drink associated with the city since the time of Charlemagne, over 1,200 years ago.

During the 16^th century vine disease was badly affecting the livelihoods of landlord’s and tavern owners who started looking at alternatives to wine and began brewing apple wine. By the 18^th century the popularity of apple wine reached its peak and today huge apple wine-pressing operations like Höhl and Possmann are among the market leaders with an annual production of around 25-million litres of apple wine.

 

Today, Sachsenhausen is known as the stronghold of apple wine consumption in Frankfurt; however, it is also readily available in downtown and suburban restaurants. Taverns bearing the distinctive pine wreath signify that the proprietor serves traditional apple wine, which is ordered in a stone jug and then decanted and drunk from a ribbed glass.

 

Apple wine is pressed in October from a careful blend of sweet and sour traditional varieties of firm, small apples, which makes for several seasonal varieties of the beverage. The freshly-pressed clouded autumnal apple juice does not contain any alcohol but when barrelled it ferments quickly and can soon be served as Rauscher. In turn, if the Rauscher is left untouched and ferments in its barrel throughout autumn, it reaches its full strength and turns into proper apple wine which is served around Christmas. If left to ferment some more, it matures and becomes an aged apple wine.

 

Order your aromatic apple drink like the locals do and drink it pure. In the winter months apple wine takes on a different dimension and is served hot, infused with sugar, cinnamon, cloves and lemon.

Apple wine’s best accompaniment is a traditional meal such as Handkaes mit Musik (so called because of the resulting flatulence), a sour originally shaped by hand simmered in cider, with onions, vinegar and oil; or the less noisy Schneegestoeber which is a Camembert mixed with cream cheese, pepper and paprika, both are served with an accompaniment of either bread, potato salad or sauerkraut. The carnivores’ choice would be one of the traditional German sausages like the Bratwurst; or an authentic frankfurter which is almost always eaten in pairs and served with bread or potato salad, alongside an obligatory splat of green sauce, which consists of several herbs and sour cream.

The Sachsenhausen district captures the true spirit of the city. Here locals meet to celebrate Frankfurt’s dissimilarity with itself. Apple wine flows, smelly cheese is consumed, with visitors included in the discussions, which leads to some implausable yet life-long friendships being formed.

 

As the home of continental Europe’s largest airport, Frankfurt is easily commutable and one of Ethiopian Airlines destinations. So when you next hear the name Frankfurt think of what it couldn’t be, then hop on a plane and experience it for yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

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