Frankfurt am Main Local Customs

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In September 2011 the Occupy Wall Street movement began in New York, protesting inequality, the power of banks and “the greed and corruption of the 1%” – meaning the richest one percent of the population. The movement quickly spread to other cities throughout the world, including Frankfurt as Germany’s principal financial center.

After a false start in September, protesters in Frankfurt set up camp in October 2011 under the big Euro sign in the park in front of the EuroTower, which is the provisional headquarters of the European Central Bank.

The sign under the big Euro reads: "Let us talk about the future! Now!"

Second photo: Tents in the banking district. The banner in the foreground says: “You occupy money. We occupy the world.” The building in the background on the left is the Frankfurt Opera.

Third photo: Notice board entitled “Breaking Banks”, with an Italian Peace flag at the top.

Fourth photo: This sign reads: “Dear Occupy-Critics, do not expect finished solutions. Come and help us find some!” Discussions about how to end inequality and solve the world financial crisis are conducted daily and anyone is welcome to join in, including bankers who work in the nearby skyscrapers.

Fifth photo: This sign is in French: “For a better world.”

For more photos of “Occupy Frankfurt” see my tip Frankfurt Skyline Countdown, # 12 on my Land Hessen page.

A very diverse, cosmopolitan city. Many, many cigarette smokers. Most restaurants don't expect you for dinner before 8 p.m. at the earliest. Virtually everyone speaks English as their second language. Most smaller restaurants do not take credit cards, so bring enough Euros.

I briefly checked if VT has any tip on this delicious local sweets and as there is none (Don, why didn’t you already wrote about them?), I thought, I could mention them.
Bethmännchen (literally translated into little Bethmann, albeit more of these) is a very much delicious pastry which we eat for Christmas. It consists of marzipan, almonds, sugar, flour, egg and rosewater, all formed to small balls, which are decorated with almond halves, glazed with egg yolk and then baked.
The name derives from an old family, local to Frankfurt. Their pastry chef Jean Jacques Gautenier has developed the recipe in 1838, at least is what legend says. Originally they are said to have four almonds, one for each of the Bethmann sons Moritz, Alexander, Karl and Heinrich and that after Heinrich’s death in 1845, one almond was left aside. However, this is what legends say, and they might be even older, as the father Simon Moritz von Bethmann died already in 1826.

Well, legend or not – they are very much delicious and a perfect gift to bring back home, in case you are at Frankfurt during Christmas times :-)

I should mention that I took the photo and then they vanished to please my tastes and stomach, and only then I transferred the photos to my computer.... When I realised that I was a bit out of focus... it was too late. Sorry !

Ebbelwoi is the local drink - apple wine, cider. You'll either like it or hate it - be warned , it is not sweet at all. It takes a while to get used to it, the first sip tastes terrible, but after the second glass you'll love it forever...

Ebbelwoi is ordered and served in a Bembel (a grey pottery jar with blue pattern). They come in different sizes: 2, 4, 6, 8... The number indicates how many glasses of Ebbelwoi the jar contains. The typical Ebbelwoi glasses have a chequered pattern and hold 0.25 litres. For a party of 4 adults (the stuff has more alcohol than beer, thus is not for children) I'd order a 6er Bembel and a bottle of sparkling water.

It is common and totally acceptable to pour a splash of sparkling water into the apple wine to make the drink more refreshing. This is called "Sauergespritzter" ("splashed sour") and especially great on hot days. Some people prefer it as "Süßgespritzter" ("splashed sweet"), i.e. a splash of sweet lemonade added.

I was in Frankfurt one year as they started putting up the shacks on the Römerberg, for the Christmas Market. At the time, I didn't know about these markets... I'd seen them in picture books from Alsace but didn't know it was a German tradition.

It was surprising to see this frantic building activity start suddenly... after all, the place was dead quiet the day before. Now I'd spent a couple of hours in a warm restaurant and the Römerberg was unrecognisable when I came out! Pine branches everywhere, music, bells, and most of all, a wonderful aroma floating in the cold air.
This was November 24, it was dark at 3 p.m. -- I wondered if I'd had too much wine or if they'd moved the Square during lunch... I had to find my way back to Sachsenhausen hahaha...
One man in a sort of Santa Claus house called me and gave me two sausages! Too bad I wasn't hungry anymore... Then he gave me a little paper cup of something to drink, maybe it was Glühwein? But I think I'd have recognised it... I knew a Swedish guy who made spice wine for Christmas and I had tasted his production (yum!), it's got to be similar. I rather think it was Apfelwein, which I'd had the two previous nights, mostly for the fun company found at the bar near the hostel...
Is it possible that Apfelwein is offered at Christmas Markets? My host had the largest mustache I'd ever seen and a booming voice. I don't know how I managed to tell him that it was my birthday but I guess I did... He didn't want me to pay a thing, just wanted me to taste and show thumbs up for his products. So I tasted and smiled widely, like a sandwich-advert man. Sachsenhausen could wait...

After that trip, I heard about Christmas Markets on VT, more and more. I used to think they were real old-fashioned... but I was wrong, it seems that drinking Glühwein in the cold of the night is cool and fun. This year, I'll try to make it back to Frankfurt and go visit my friend Christine (tini58de) in Karlsruhe. They have a tradition of organising a VT meeting during Christmas Market and I'd like to be part of it now. My fingers are still crossed, not absolutely sure I can go yet...

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Frankfurt may not have the advantage of a long history of artistic and architectural creativity, but it has long been a wealthy city, and the rich like to build beautiful buildings. In recent years, the city has not kept up with places like Moscow, Miami, London or Dubai in encouraging cutting-edge design, but it has made a notable effort to preserve traditional styles and its architectural history. In particular, Römerberg and the surrounding area showcase the sort of traditional Gothic homes associated with Germany, which the areas near the Hauptwache contain a richer display of neo-Classical and neo-Renaissance structures. Willy Brandy Platz is where visitors can find greater examples of modern architecture, although the emphasis at this stage appears to have been on functionality rather than beauty.

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One interesting aspect of life in Frankfurt (at least for me) was the relative abundance of quick, cheap and greasy fare in the old centre of the city. In general, I always expect that areas like these will be full of more expensive restaurants catering to businesspeople and tourists. Not so: in Frankfurt, evidently, businesspeople and ordinary citizens alike are quite happy to sit at outdoor markets and chomp on greasy sausages and pork cutlets. These stalls also sell various local products, although I’m pretty sure that the produce sold in mid-January was imported.

Äppelwoi, Äppler, Appelwein, Ebbelwoi, Ebbelwei, Schoppe, Stöffche are all names that can be used in Frankfurt to indicate the most typical local drink: apple wine.
I am not an expert of cider, but I enjoyed several glasses of Apfelwein before and during a dinner at a typical “Apfelweinlokale” and I found that its fresh, slightly acidic taste goes together well with most foods.
I learned that this Apfelwein is made only from apples, of the varieties "Schafsnase", "Trierer Weinapfel", "Rheinischer Bohnapfel", "Kaiser Wilhelm", "Bittenfelder", "Brettacher" and "Roter Boskoop", without any addition of other fruit. Its contents of alcohol is around 5 or 6 %.
The jug you see in the picture is a miniature copy of a Bembel, the typical jugs used to serve Apfelwein. It is made of clay, cooked at 1200°C, and glazed with salt. It is traditionally decorated with a blue design on a grey background.