Wednesday 10 October 2012

An actual Octoberfest!

You know I'm celebrating Octoberfest over here, and so far I've learned the history of the Pumpkin Pie.  I've also catapulted a pumpkin to smithereens in the name of charity, and decorated the house with fake dead leaves and er, pumpkins. It's National Pumpkin Pie Day on October 12th guys - I want to see your pies!

Well, I couldn't have Octoberfest without attending a real Octoberfest. This part of the USA is heavily influenced by German culture, hence the obsession with pretzels and a growing local craft beer industry. This is one part of October I can really get behind, so we joined our local community in supping beer and watching the traditional dancing.

Swing yer lederhosen!
The general consensus was that Lederhosen, like the Kilt, are a national dress that just works. More Lederhosen please.
We also sampled some traditional Oktoberfest cuisine. No, not weisswurst, brot or sauerkraut:

funnel cake and deep fried Oreos. Nom Nom Nom

Yup, that's funnel cake, and a box of deep-fried Oreos. For my British readers, funnel cake is a deep-fried dough-based dessert not unlike the Spanish churro. It's the staple food of fairs, fetes and boardwalk amusement parks. I first tasted funnel cake at Seaside Heights in New Jersey, and then again many times while working on the Coney Island Boardwalk one summer.

But trust me: It is authentically German enough to make an appearance at an Oktoberfest in Pennsylvania Dutch country. In Austria it's known as Strauben.

The deep-fried Oreo I can't explain, except that it was battered in the deliciously fluffy funnel cake batter, contrasting with the infamous deep-fried treat that hails from my previous home-country (Scotland, to all you folks who don't know). Deep-fried Mars Bars, in my experience, have a far crunchier batter and a much more gooey inner consistency. This didn't stop me from eating two of those iconic US cookies though.

Brits: I know there's a stand in Camden Market in London that sells deep-fried Oreos if you want to share the experience! I offered to treat my nan to a plate when we were there in May. She turned me down, and I have no idea why. It's something that Americans and Scots (and 19th Century Germans?) share alike: A surprisingly tempting propensity to take food items and find a way to deep-fry them.

blogtoberfest? Remember, it's the Glad Blog Octoberfest all this month, so please send me your own Fall themed posts - I'd love to feature my favorites. Bonus points if you feature pumpkin related activities or products, local Fall Fests, or fun traditions I haven't heard of.

5 comments:

  1. The attire certianly looks super authentic! I wish they had funnel cakes at the real Oktoberfest ;)

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    1. Oh wow, well maybe that's something you need to pioneer. Bring funnel cakes back to their Bavarian heritage!

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  2. I love any Oktoberfest Celebration. I hope we can get to Germany next year for the real thing. We waited too long this year.

    I'm loving seeing all of your Fall photographs! I don't think I've seen one pumpkin here yet.

    Enjoy!!
    xoxo
    Selena

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    1. Thank you! I'm just totally overwhelmed by pumpkin here, but that's okay. It's a fun month!

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  3. I've never been to an Oktoberfest, and I have little to no idea what goes on there... but from the pics it looks like a lot of fun!

    And while I love all things deep-fried, I can't quite imagine how deep fried oreos would taste. I lived in the States for several years but never once encountered it. I love funnel cakes though, so I am tempted to try.

    -Denise
    http://blog.ispasiyo.com

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