Regional specialities

Leipzig's most famous speciality is the "Leipziger Allerlei" − a vegetable dish, which is also served as a side dish. It became very well known in the 19th and 20th centuries. Around 1900, the dish was simply called “Allerlei” (all kinds of things), and the name of origin “Leipziger” (Leipziger) was only added when it was included in various cookbooks. Legend has it that the dish was intended to protect the wealthy citizens of Leipzig from tax collectors after the Napoleonic Wars. By serving them “only” a vegetable dish, they were made to believe that there was no money to be made in the household.

Today you can find "Leipziger Allerlei" as frozen food in supermarkets throughout Germany. According to the traditional recipe, however, in addition to young vegetables such as carrots, kohlrabi, asparagus and cauliflower, it also contains morels, crayfish tails and bread dumplings. The "Leipziger Allerlei" original is seasonal served in June, during the asparagus season, when the closed season for crayfish is over and the vegetables have been freshly harvested.

A special treat is the Leipziger Lerche, which made the leap onto international menus in the 18th and 19th centuries. As the name suggests, skylarks were originally cooked in pans. An estimated 1,5 million of these songbirds were caught in the Leipzig meadows every year, baked with herbs and eggs and served by the "lark women" in the Salzgässchen with sauerkraut or wrapped in bacon. In August 1860, thousands of songbirds died in a terrible hailstorm. As a result of protests by citizens, the King of Saxony banned lark hunting in 1876. Resourceful master bakers immediately found a replacement by creating a delicacy made from oven-fresh shortcrust pastry, almonds and nuts, as well as strawberry jam and marzipan.

The shortcrust pastry tarts is reminiscent of a bird's skin. The two cross-shaped strips of shortcrust pastry symbolize the original thread that held the stuffed animal together. To this day, the Leipziger Lerchen by hand made in seven different steps and are more popular than ever before.

In September, the carp season officially begins in the municipality of Wermsdorf. Until the end of November, there is a lot of activity on the 27 ponds of the Teichwirtschaft Wermsdorf can be observed. Its history goes back 500 years. At the beginning of the 16th century, influential feudal lords had dams built and artificial bodies of water created. Compared to natural lakes, these are shallower and can also be drained. Since then, fish farming has been inextricably linked with Wermsdorf.

The approximately 350 hectares of pond area have been managed by Wermsdorfer Fisch GmbH since 1992. A good 200 tons of freshwater fish are caught here every year. In addition to mirror carp, scale carp, grass carp and silver carp, sturgeons, pike, catfish and zander are also native here. They are used as fresh fish or smoked sold in the region or delivered frozen to retailers and supermarkets throughout Germany. In addition to the fish specialties The sturgeon egg extract obtained since 2012 is also enjoying Caviar nationwide popularity. If you would like to try the delicacies yourself or watch the traditional fishing, then the annual “Horstsee fishing“ just the right thing for you.

The Wermsdorf goose farm Eskildsen is one of the most respected companies of its kind internationally and even exports breeding geese to Canada and Australia.

Up to 19.000 fattening geese and 6.000 breeding geese live on the open-air grounds in Wermsdorf. In addition, around 200.000 chicks, known as goslings, hatch every year. According to tradition, it is very busy here around Christmas time. Around 15.000 geese are Wermsdorfer Gänsemarkt sold in the run-up to Christmas from November 1st to December 22nd. Thanks to being kept outdoors, the animals, which weigh several kilos, have little fat, a firm meat structure and a full flavour. 

Founded in 2004 and based in Wermsdorf since 2012, Chocolaterie Olav Praetsch offers everything that chocolate lovers desire. Whether whole milk, nougat, pistachio, marzipan or pralines with exotic fruit hearts and poppy seed topping - the variety is endless. The chocolatier even refines liver pate with chocolate and turns it into a delicacy.

The raw chocolate For his unusual variations, Olav Praetsch sources from one of the world's best manufacturers in the French Rhône Valley. It not only contains no preservatives or freshness agents, but also no foreign fats.

Regionality is playing an increasingly important role in shopping. Therefore, a trip to the numerous regional and farmers' markets in the Leipzig region in particular. Real favorite markets are the Farmers' Markets at Kloster Buch near Leisnig, the fresh food markets in the monastery church of Grimma, the "Delicious" evening markets in Delitzsch and the regional markets in Rochlitz. Here numerous direct marketers offer you fresh produce from our own cultivation, rearing and production as well as handicraft and arts and crafts products 

In Leipzig you can find fresh produce on the weekly markets and in Plagwitz at Saturday market.