Federweißer und Zwiebelkuchen

German mornings are chilled and raw these days.  Rain is not unknown.   Forests and open fields billow with fog, as if they’re on fire. 

Faded leaves have lost their verdant colors and those that fall, dance across the road like tiny, brown elves. High up on the hills, smudges of gold and red dot the horizon.  Yes, fall, winter’s stepchild, has taken away our splendid, carefree summer.

But, some remnants of fun remain.  After all, this is Germany, the land of seasonal celebrations and glorious libations.  Bierfests, of course, but also Weinfests, including the once a year appearance of Federweißer, or new wine.  Actually, it’s not quite wine yet, but its journey has begun.  Comes in red or white, capped with foil, but never corked because this new wine still bubbles with fermentation.

Ok, time for a quick German language lesson.  First thing to remember:  all German nouns are capitalized.   Number two:  that funny looking letter that looks as if someone got drunk in the middle of the word….ß…is pronounced like a double s.  So if I wanted to pander to my fellow Americans, I could write Federweißer as Federweisser.

Number three:  W is pronounced as a V.  V is pronounced as an F.  Wine is pronounced with a smile.

Number four:  If i comes before e in a word, then ignore the i and pronounce the e as a long e, but if the e comes before i, then ignore the e and pronounce i as a long i.  So, Federweißer is pronounced Fed-er-vice-er.

Got all that?  Grand!  You’re on your way to fluency and debauchery.

Fragrant and sweeter than apple juice, Federweißer (often also called Neuer Wein) signals the coming of autumn as surely as the leaves on the trees, and the sweater on your back.  Unlike other wines, Feder is cloudy and suits the taste buds best if it’s chilled.  Alcohol content is so low and the sugar content so high, you’ll manage a raging case of diabetes well before you get drunk.

This time of year, Federweißer is sold along the roadsides, in grocery stores, and at nearly every German style restaurant.  No home should be without a bottle or two and mine is no exception.

But Germans seldom just drink, unless it’s beer.  With Federweißer comes Ziebelkuchen (Zwebel-kook-en), an onion cake much like the famous quiche from across the nearby border.  Onion cake?  Really?  Yep and you may rest assured that with it’s salty custard flavor, sweetened only by the natural sweetness of onions, it’s a perfect accompaniment to your glass of Federweißer.

I don’t make Ziebelkuchen for the simple reason that an excellent bakery is only a few steps from my house.  For those unfortunates who don’t have a German bakery right down the street and won’t part with the money to fly to Germany for lunch, you can give onion cake a try in your own kitchen. http://www.food.com/recipe/german-zwiebelkuchen-onion-pie-305407

And, if you can’t find Federweißer sub a sweet Riesling.

Prost!