Regional cuisine in Dithmarschen:

Shrimps, fish and other specialities

It’s not merely the individual dishes that make the Dithmarschen cuisine so special. Our region is blessed with numerous producers who offer their specialities as conventional produce or in best organic quality. In Dithmarschen, you’ll find fishermen who offer fresh shrimps and fish straight from the daily catch, traditional country butchers who process best quality meat and farmers who sell their produce in their own farm shops.

Shrimps and other delights from the North Sea

Culinary delights from the sea

Culinary delights from the sea: Shrimps and other delights from the North Sea

Along the coast, no menu is complete without delicacies from the sea. Fresh from the day’s catch, they virtually land onto your plate directly from the trawler. Dithmarschen chefs conjure up a wide variety of dishes prepared with Büsum shrimps and all kinds of fish. Traditionally prepared or served fancy – every fish is displayed in the right light. Rustic delicacies such as Dithmarschen plaice or shrimp sandwiches with fried egg will pamper your taste buds just as much as exclusive creations of cod, trout and other seafood highlights.
Of course, you don’t always have to go to a fish restaurant to get something tasty. A delicious shrimp roll while taking a stroll along the harbour will taste just as delicious. Those who wish to conjure up their own fish dish can visit any one of the numerous fishmongers or one of the weekly markets in Dithmarschen and look for the best catch. Locals and visitors buying Büsum shrimps directly from a trawler is also a common sight in Dithmarschen. Link to video with recipe for shrimp rolls

Regional specialities: Dithmarschen cabbage, goose, salt marsh lamb

Of course, Dithmarschen’s regional cuisine has a lot more to offer. Being Europe’s largest area devoted solely to growing cabbage, it’s no wonder that the people of Dithmarschen have perfected their recipes for cabbage dishes over the years. The cabbage season begins in autumn and true classics such as stuffed cabbage or cabbage pudding are the talk of the town. The start of the cabbage harvest, marked by the cutting of the first specimens, and the start of the cabbage season mark a special day of festivity: every year in September, Dithmarschen celebrates its cabbage harvest with the “Dithmarscher Kohltage” (Dithmarschen Cabbage Festival)!

At the Kohlosseum in Wesselburen, a farm shop-cum-museum that incorporates the German word for cabbage and coliseum in its name, visitors have the opportunity of discovering how the region’s patented sauerkraut is made. A special fermentation process and white cabbage in best organic quality make this sauerkraut particularly delicious which is also why it is a popular souvenir from this region.
Have you ever tried a Dithmarschen goose from Gudendorf? Rural free-range husbandry and a diet of grasses, herbs and grain make the meat particularly delicious – not only during the Christmas season!

Foodies are in for a treat in late May and early June. That’s when the mutton season is underway in Dithmarschen. Our salt marsh lamb is known as a true delicacy far beyond Dithmarschen’s borders.
In Dithmarschen, we even brew our own beer at the Karl Hintz GmbH & Co.KG brewery in Marne, the only private brewery on Germany’s western coast.