A Taste of Germany: Oktober Fest

Oktober fest originated in 1810 as a wedding celebration of Prince Ludwig and Princess Theresa of Saxony. The celebration was held in fields that were in front of the city gates, which were later known as "Theresa's fields". It was an exciting night filled with dancing, music, horse races, and beer. This celebration became so popular in Munich that it was held in late September and ending around the first week of October. Today, Oktober fest has grown to over a million people all over the world and has spread to many other countries like Canada and America. There are many new and entertaining things to do like go on a carnival ride, taste all the different kinds of German foods, watch performers, dress in traditional costumes, drink lots of beer, etc. People can also go into tents, where different beers and wines are served. Traditional Oktober fest food is various kinds of sausages, roasted chickens, potato dumplings, red cabbage, dampfnudel (a steamed cake served with sweet vanilla sauce), and beer. If that isn't enough to fill you up, there are many snack foods such as soft pretzels, cotton candy, potato salads, sugar-glazed almonds, steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick) to enjoy. Here is an easy recipe to make a favorite meat roll called rouladen that eaten as an Oktoberfest snack:

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds flank steak

German stone ground mustard, to taste

1/2 pound thick sliced bacon

2 large onions, sliced

1 (16 ounce) jar dill pickle slices

2 tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups water
1 cube beef bouillon

Cut the flank steak into thin filets; about 1/4 inch thick and 3 inches wide. Generously spread one side of each filet with mustard to taste. Place bacon, onions and pickle slices on each filet and form into a roll. Use string or toothpicks to hold the roll together. Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt butter. Place the rolls in the butter and saute until browned. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of water and add the bouillon cube; stirring to dissolve the bouillon cube. Simmer the rolls for about an hour. Enjoy!

sources: http://www.vistawide.com/german/oktoberfest/oktoberfest.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/German-Rouladen/Detail.aspx