One of my favorite things to do when visitors come is to take them out for ice cream, called Eis and pronounced like we say ice, in German. Germans are stereotypically practical in many senses, but their over-the-top ice cream servings are a sure exception.
The ice cream is definitely more gelato-style than American creamery, but it is certainly delicious. My favorite flavor is the Joghurt (yogurt) Eis, which tastes quite similar to the tart frozen yogurt flavors found throughout the US, but in a more ice cream consistency. At the ice cream shops, you may walk up and get a cup or cone to go at an average price of ~€0.80/scoop, which is pretty cheap in comparison to U.S. ice cream parlors. There are all sorts of creamy and sorbet flavors to choose from and they vary from shop to shop.
The real German ice cream experience begins when you grab a table, preferably outside, at one of the many shops dotting the pedestrian zones of every German city and town. The menus on the table are typically large, colorful, and thick - larger than many restaurant menus. On the menu, you can find:
Spaghetti Eis - ice cream pushed through a noodle press and topped with strawberry sauce, strawberries, and coconut flakes to appear like spaghetti. Now, you can find other varieties of Spaghetti Eis like Schoko Spaghetti, Tiramisu Spaghetti, and more.
Kaffee Becher - all sorts of coffee and ice cream combinations, with cookies, cream, and many other add-ins.
Obst Becher - these are huge fruit comes with every fruit under the rainbow available. These look like tropical dreams with melon pieces, berries, and more shooting out in all directions. They are delicious and certainly a sight to see! My go to is certainly the Erdbeer Becher, or strawberry cup.
Other fun specialties - some shops go even further with funnies like Lasagna Eis, Schneeman (snowmen), and other figurines.
These cups are not for the faint of heart. I definitely recommend splitting the cup or your stomach will certainly think it just ate a dairy-heavy meal.
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melting Joghurt Spaghetti Eis[/caption]
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On a sunny day in Germany, grabbing an Eis Becher with a friend after a day in the sun is pretty hard to beat. This is very apparent by the large crowds at the shops, too.
22 comments
My jaw is dropping. That's so much ice cream, but so awesome looking! I would definitely want to try it. After studying in Rome and eating my weight in gelato, I came back and have trouble stomaching regular ice cream for some reason. My body is rebelling from lack of travel. ;) Hopefully this would sit well with me!
ReplyDeleteIce scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious and reminded me of our trips to the frozen yogurt shop & of course, the Dairy Queen, back in the day.
I understand, American ice cream, at least the Texas variety, is sweeter and has a higher butter-fat content than gelato and, I assume, eis?
European versions normally use eggs to to thicken the mixture as opposed to so much milk/cream, more akin to what Americans call custard, also available frozen. Perhaps less lactose and more tolerable for you?
Some interesting presentations with the spaghetti/lasagna, etc., wonderful toppings, and the price certainly sounded right, although the photos seemingly contradicted the .8 euro price you suggested?
You look gloriously happy, content & alive, and that is a great comfort.
Proud of, happy for & love you.
Always,
Daddio
WHAT!? omg I would come to germany seriously just for this ice cream!
ReplyDeleteoh.my.gosh. this is ridiculous! why don't we have crazy ice cream dishes like this in America???
ReplyDeleteI want all of those to get in my belly! ... Even if I am lactose intolerant lol
ReplyDeleteGerman ice cream = best thing ever. EVER.
ReplyDeleteThat is a lot of ice-cream, but tasty looking! My 5 year old would go mad with excitement if something like that was put in front of him.
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of.... Namibia! In the German town of Swakopmund, I always sit for what feels like hours and stare at all of the Eis options while Jurgen patiently translates each item. Soooo delicious... and worth every.single.calorie. :)
ReplyDeletexxx
Jenna
Ah, I love ice cream in the summer! I especially wish I would've tried spaghetti ice cream when I was in Germany :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid I always ordered pizza Eis. Peaches as Salami and coconut as cheese. Pretty awesome.
ReplyDeleteI love that you wrote about this! My all-time favorite is a Waldbeerbecher :)
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by the Spaghetti Eis. I bet it's yummy but I'm dying to know who the first person was that decided to press the ice cream through a noodle maker was and why they did it.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you have tried every Eisbecher there is ;-) I am a big ice-cream fan, too (American and German ice-cream, I don't care which one). My favorite Karlsruhe ice-cream parlor is actually right around the corner from where you're sitting in the first photo! :-)
ReplyDeletetaking my Au Pair boys to get ice cream is my favorite outing for sure. My favorite is the Nutella Eis :)
ReplyDeleteStop! The compliment belongs to the italian ice makers, who come to germany every sping from their italian valley bring the ise to germans. If you would do a little investigation, you could learn that most of the ice cafes are run by italians all coming from one single valley in italy.
ReplyDeleteYum! My favourite treat when visiting my grandparents when I was younger was always to go out for spaghetti-Eis.... so fun!
ReplyDeleteLet's not get overworked ;) I said it is gelato-like, which does attribute it to italians, and did not rave about the flavor as much as the creations like spaghetti eis. I actually prefer the flavors of the American ice cream, but strove here to explain a typical German ice cream outing, since Germany is a focal point of my blog.
ReplyDeleteThings that Germans do very well-
ReplyDeleteIce cream
Fries with mayo
You made me hungry now :(
Yum, ice cream! From the photos I think you're actually at my favourite Karlsruhe Eiscafe.
ReplyDeleteI so used to hate on the fries and mayo and now I'm an addict.
ReplyDeleteWe usually stick with trying all the colors of the rainbow, one .80 cent cone at a time - but I feel like we should really get on these fancier treats. Bavarian Sojourn wrote a very convincing piece about what I formerly thought was disgusting, Spaghetti eis.
ReplyDeleteThat price is for the scoops, not for the fancy concoctions :)
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