Germany Holidays: Black Forest gourmet heaven

Baiersbronn may be small but it has international gourmet dimensions and even offers gourmet hikes in the Black Forest.

Three stars shining brightly: Baiersbronn's gourmet chefs ©Baiersbronn

Bread, cheese, ham and beer: typical Black Forest plate ©Baiersbronn

Picture perfect Black Forest scenery in Baiersbronn ©Baiersbronn

A mecca for gourmets, a Michelin star heaven – Baiersbronn in the Black Forest has been called all of this. The municipality of 15,000 on the river Murg is made up of nine small villages and sports no fewer than seven Michelin stars, divided up between three of Germany’s best chefs. This means that nowhere else in the country is the density of Michelin-starred restaurants as high as here.

The first chef to scoop three of the coveted stars was Harald Wohlfahrt, arguably Germany’s most consistent high-performer in the league of Michelin gentlemen. He works his magic at the luxury spa hotel Traube Tonbach. As one of the smallest of the nine Baiersbronn villages, Tonbach is almost entirely dominated by the hotel which started out as a simple inn in the 18^th century, has since been run by the same family and developed into a first-class spa hotel, Black Forest style. The Traube’s head chef, Wohlfahrt has held the three Michelin star accolade since 1993 and trained many a German chef, amongst them Jörg Sackmann, who is another of the “Baiersbronn three”. His Schlossberg restaurant has been awarded one Michelin star, while Claus-Peter Lumpp from the Hotel Bareiss in Mitteltal earned his third in 2007.

Nowhere else in the country is the density of Michelin stars as high as here

However, first-class cooking and delicious food is not confined to big purses here. What makes Baiersbronn the perfect destination for every foodie is the abundance of high-quality produce available. Be it the famous Black Forest ham, locally-produced honey, mushrooms from the forest – the region is proud to use its own ingredients.

Apart from the hard-to-avoid Black Forest Gateaux, there’s also much to savour for chocolate lovers: In 1999, a local baker and patissier opened the Black Forest’s first “chocolate manufactory” (Schwarzwälder Schokoladenmanufaktur) in Baiersbronn. Visitors can watch the masters create all kinds of chocolate temptations, using only natural products. For tasty presents, the Specklädle shop stocks Black Forest specialities such as ham, schnapps, honey or blueberry wine.

Baiersbronn is taking all round care of its visitors, since all the calories piled on can easily be walked off again with the region being also a hiker’s paradise. There are about 350 miles of sign-posted trails, featuring splendid views across the valleys and – good news for all foodies again – a choice of Wanderhütten, wooden lodges serving traditional dishes and local beers.

Walking and eating are the main ingredients of the gourmet hikes that are regularly organised in Baiersbronn: A local chef takes visitors on a walk through the Black Forest, picking and choosing many of the ingredients that are then used to prepare different courses of a menu at different stops in the forest. Guten Appetit!