Regional Traditional German Food: Schleswig-Holstein

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust—rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

"Moin Moin!”

That's the greeting you'll get when you visit Schleswig-Holstein, the most northern German state. It's a friendly welcome to a part of the country that lies between the stormy North Sea and the relatively calm Baltic Sea. 

Before 1946, wars and political intrigue left this part of the country economically poor. Agriculture and fisheries provided the sole basis for survival, leaving their mark on the cuisine of the area. 

In 1946, Schleswig-Holstein attained political unity. The influences of Denmark and Germany are intermingled in their culture and cuisine. Local produce is still in abundance and is the basis for hearty and rich dishes, needed in this area with its harsh climate. 

Schleswig-Holstein's Favorite Foods

• Fish of all types, especially sprats (Sprotte), cod (Dorsch ), herring (Hering), salmon (Lachs), plaice (Scholle), and sole (Seezunge ) 
• Oysters (Perlmuschel), shrimps (Krabben), mussels (Muscheln), lobster (Hummer) 
• Cabbage (Kohl/Kraut) of all types: red cabbage (Rotkohl), green cabbage (Weißkohl), cauliflower (Blumenkohl), Brussel sprouts (Rosenkohl), savoy cabbage (Wirsingkohl) 
• Salt Meadow Lamb (Salzwiesenlamm) are sheep that graze on the salt pastures of the dikes, their constant trampling keeping the dikes compacted 
• Holstein cottage-smoked hams (Schinken)
• Dairy products from black and white Friesian cows such as yogurt (Joghurt ), sour cream (Sauerrahm), buttermilk (Buttermilch), Kefir, Dickmilch, Schmand, and Quark
• Canola (Raps) for oil
• Honey (Rapshonig)
• Marzipan from Lübeck, considered the "Marzipan Capital of the World” with over 200 varieties of this almond/sugar treat 

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Favorite Schleswig­-Holstein Recipe

Rote Grütze 

Denmark and Germany join together in this traditional fruit dessert.

Once only popular in Schleswig-Holstein, this fruit sauce is now found throughout Germany and can even be considered a national dessert. 

Go to recipe >

Traditionally made with just fresh red currants or a combination of red currants and raspberries, there are many variations possible.

Some of these possibilities are strawberries, red or black currants, raspberries, cherries, cranberries, and even rhubarb.

What do you do with Rote Grütze?

It is served over cream, vanilla custard, or with vanilla sauce. It's also great, layered in a glass with cottage cheese, Quark, ice cream, or yogurt.

How I discovered Rote Grütze …

My favorite memories of this dessert are very recent. Our friends took us on a "must do" excursion: taking a walk to a Hallig which is part of the Schleswig-Holstein's Wattenmeer National Park. This was a 6 km walk from the beach to the Hallig (island) at low tide.

Hiking barefoot through the wet sand and navigating around the little sea creatures such as stingrays and areas of sharp shells was quite an adventure. Once on the Hallig, we rested with a cup of coffee and Rote Grütze, all the while keeping our eyes on the clock. Rested and nicely filled, we quickly hiked back to the mainland before the tide came back in.

That was my introduction to this easy fruit dessert. All that seems to matter is that this fruit sauce is red. Other than that it seems, any combination of fruits work.

Here's my quick and easy recipe for Rote Grütze. 

More Recipes from Schleswig-Holstein ...

Lentil Soup

Herring Salad

Lamb Stew

Homemade Quark

Rote Grütze

Visit more of Germany's Regions  and States ...

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.