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Alsace - The Conflicted Continental Divide - Too French to be German - Too German to be French?
In my mind’s eye, Alsace is a picture perfect land filled with fairytale towns of candy coloured houses festooned with geranium filled balconies. Add to that the fact that it is famous as a wine producing region and I am keen to visit and see if my mental image resembles reality. Join me on a virtual journey through Alsace’s history, language, cuisine and wine. Discover what makes this region such a fascinating destination and reach your own verdict on whether it is truly French or German at heart.
Alsace - Too French to be German or Too German to be French?
My week long road trip gave me a chance to delve a little deeper into Alsace’s history, culture and traditions and reach my own verdict on whether it is truly French or German at heart. There was plenty of time for some fun along the way too. so if you too are curious to get to know Alsace a little better, then I invite you to join me on my journey. Perhaps the itinerary will inspire you to make your own journey here? If so, then I hope that you find this post useful in planning your own itinerary.
If you want to skip the background and dive straight into the 7 day road trip itinerary, the link below will take you straight there.
Alsace is an idiosyncratic and therefore somewhat confusing destination for a traveller. A conflicted corridor between France and Germany, Alsace has been caught in a tug-of-war between both great nations several times in its long history. Both Germany and France have had a profound impact on the history, culture and language of the Alsace region. Taking a little time out to explore this perplexing region rewards you with the first hand experience required to draw your own conclusions on whether Alsace is at heart truly French – or German.
Alsace - A Turbulent History
Let’s start with a little history – always a good place for any traveller seeking to understand a new destination. Until 1648, Alsace belonged to Germany. In anybody’s history book, that means Alsace has undeniably very deep roots in Germany? You only have to look at some of the town names here – like Kayserberg, Hunawhir and Bergheim – to confirm that.
Vineyards clothe the whole of the region and were the origins of its wealth as early as the year 1000. Sheltered by the Vosges mountains and favoured by warm, dry Summers, the climatic conditions in Alsace made it ideal for cultivating grapes. The mosaic of different soil types that lie beneath the hills and valleys of Alsace allow 7 different varieties of grape to thrive here. By the Middle Ages, Alsace wines were among the most prestigious in Europe – and all that revenue flowed to Germany.
The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) paved the way for French control of the region and by 1697, the Treaty of Ryswick established the Rhine as the political border of France, making Alsace officially French. However, although the French were politically in control of the region, the rights and customs of the Alsatians were largely preserved and the German language remained in use in local administration and in schools. Alsace was allowed significant freedoms, allowing it to operate almost as a country within a country. There was no customs border with Germany, which meant that although Alsace was in theory officially part of France, in practice, Germany kept its feet firmly in the door.
Then, the Franco German flip flop began in earnest. Germany’s victory in the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 saw Alsace annexed to the new German Empire, requiring its younger men to face compulsory service in the German Army. By the 20th century, there was little opposition to the German authorities who had presided over a general improvement in the region’s economic situation. Younger inhabitants at that time – many of whom had never had any contact with France – undoubtedly regarded themselves as German.
During World War I, recovery of the lost Alsace provinces became a top French war goal. During this period, speaking the German language was made compulsory and even saying “bonjour” was enough to incur a fine. Alsace remained under German control until 1918 when, after Germany’s defeat in the First World War, the region was ceded to France under the Treaty of Versailles. The French enforced deportation of all Germans who had settled in the area after 1870. Many place names in Alsace were gallicised during this time – for example, Strassburg was renamed Strasbourg.
Roll forward to 1940 and Germany again occupied the Alsace region. The Alsatians were made German citizens by decree from the Nazi government. Beginning in October 1942, young Alsatian men were conscripted into the German military becoming known as the malgré nous (we who are forced against our will).
After the German defeat at the end of World War II in March 1945, Alsace was returned to France and remains officially French to this day.
Albert Schweitzer – born in Kayserberg and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 – was a German citizen until 1919 and a French citizen thereafter. His life as a doctor spanned both World Wars and took him to Africa as a medical missionary giving him a unique perspective on peace summed up in his prize winning lecture. He hits the nail on the head when he says:
“Historical reality is trampled underfoot if, when two peoples have rival historical claims to the same country, the claims of only one are recognized. The titles which two nations hold to disputed parts of Europe never have more than a relative value since the peoples of both are, in effect, immigrants.”
Learning the Lingo - The Alsatian Language
It is a strange experience indeed to sit in a vine draped café ordering a café au lait from the French speaking waitress and listening to German being spoken all around you. Or is it German? Alsatian is a language all of its own and is still widely spoken (by just under half the population of Alsace) today. Alsatian is actually the second most-spoken regional language in France and is officially recognised by the French government.
Alsatian plays with German and French words and sometimes even mixes them up completely. Here are a few examples:
Welcome | Willkumme |
How are you? | ça geht’s? |
Hallo | Güete Tag/Buschur |
Bon appétit/Have a nice meal | e Güeter! |
How are you? | Wie géht’s? |
Cheers! | G’sundheit! |
Usage of Alsatian is declining and it is now more commonly spoken in the north that the south, by older rather than younger people and in the countryside rather than the city. Although, German is no longer the written language of Alsatians and everyone knows French, you will still hear Alsatian spoken all around you.
Having spent a week travelling through Alsace, there is no doubt in my mind – Alsatian sounds way more like German than French and helps to confirm in my mind that in practice, Alsace is more German than French.
Foodie Firsts - Alsatian Cuisine
One of the best parts of any visit to a new region is discovering its cuisine and Alsace offered me plenty of opportunities for “Foodie Firsts”. Alsatian cuisine is notoriously heavy featuring meat potatoes and spaetzle (a German pasta/noodle) often also served with copious amounts of cheese and cream.
Here are some of the Alsatian classics we sampled during our stay:
Tarte Flambée
FlammeKueche, also called Tarte Flambée is ubiquitous in Alsace. It is a thin layer of dough covered with sour cream (crème fraiche), cheese, sliced onions, and bacon lardons. It is rather like a pizza, but much thinner.
Made for sharing (in my view!) it is a crispy, tasty savoury treat that will likely leave you way too full for dessert. If sampling it fails to leave you waving the white surrender flag, then you can sample the sweet version with toppings like banana, chocolate spread or apple purée.
Choucroute Garnie
Choucroute Garnie is often considered to be the national dish of Alsace. The foundation of the dish is fermented cabbage – sauerkraut (or choucroute in French) This gives the dish its unmistakable tang which to me resembled kimchi. Next comes the sliced onions which for the best choucroute garnie will be softened in a generous helping of goose or duck fat adding another layer of rich flavour with which to tickle your tastebuds.
Once the onions have softened, you can add a glass or two of dry white Alsatian wine, and perhaps a little chicken stock. If that doesn’t produce enough depth of flavour, the next step is to add a bouquet garnie of garlic, juniper berries, cloves, a bay leaf or two, and possibly some caraway seeds. OK – this is now beginning to sound a lot like the best of French cookery to me?!
So now, it is time for the garnie and that is no small affair! Choucroute garnie is often advertised as being served with 3, 4 or 5 garnishes. We are definitely not talking a leaf or two of parsley here. Think instead of an embarrassment of charcuterie: sausage (knacks); smoked pork; salt pork; ham; back bacon – whatever the chef chooses to add in fact.
Just in case all that isn’t enough to fill your stomach and provide you with at least a day’s worth of internal central heating, choucroute garnie is usually also served with potatoes glistening with butter on the side. A hearty meal like this feels more appropriate for the depths of a German winter than a French cordon bleu restaurant?
Baeckeoffe
Choucroute Garnie is not the only hearty dish that deserves the label of classic Alsatian cuisine – bring on the Baeckoffe! The first step in preparing a Baeckoffe is to marinate a mixture of meats (mutton, pork and/or beef), onions and potatoes overnight to produce a depth of flavour. The next day, they are layered into a casserole dish with leeks, thyme, parsley, garlic and carrots for flavour and colour.
The pretty casserole dishes are widely available all over the Alsace. Built to withstand high temperatures and long slow cooking, they make a lovely and practical Alsatian souvenir.
The name Baeckoffe dates back to the days when the dish was typically cooked in the baker’s oven on a Sunday after the day’s bread and been baked. Housewives would quickly be able to tell which Baeckoffe was theirs when they came to collect it after the church service by the pattern on the dish. It paints a lovely mental image doesn’t it?
Bretzels
Bretzels( pretzels in English) are a traditional Alsatian snack. Best served freshly baked, the dense dough is usually covered with a generous amount of salt. To turn the snack into more of a meal, you can also top them with melted cheese, smoked salmon or ham. It is hard to imagine the famous Christmas Markets in this are a without their tempting stacks of bretzels.
Kougelhopf
If you are more inclined to have a sweet tooth, then be sure to seek out one of the other Alsatian classics – Kougelhopf. The distinctive shape is quintessentially Alsatian. Inside, you will find a dough like texture often including dried fruit. If is often paired with regional wines and in my view, that is a great way to sample it. Without something to help it down, it can be rather stodgy for my taste otherwise.
Munster Cheese
Last, but definitely not least is Alsace’s Munster cheese. Soft in texture and fairly mild, it has slightly nutty, buttery flavour which sharpens as it ages. If you can get it back home safely, it makes another lovely Alsatian souvenir. It is often served with caraway or cumin seeds which complement the flavour well. It is also easy to melt which makes it a versatile ingredient for many recipes.
Fascinating Facts - The Origin of the Word Gourmet
Did you know that gourmet is actually a job and one that survived in Alsace until the 1930s? Each city in a wine region like Alsace had a man appointed to rate and price wines and act as the wholesaler middleman between the wine producers and the wine drinking public. Knowing that wine is best appreciated alongside good quality food, he eventually became know as the “gourmet” – i.e. the man with the finest food and wine in town.
Alsatian Cuisine - More German than French
I spent a week touring through Alsace enjoying the cuisine and I am in no doubt that it is decidedly more German than French. I was lucky enough to dine in a couple of top notch French restaurants during my stay, but overall, I found the cuisine to be dominated by the typical German fare of meat, sausage and potatoes. Tarte flambée can he found everywhere, but you have a hard time finding a French style salade.
Alsatian Wine
The best known wines of Alsace are the whites – Riesling, Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc. Pinot Gris is also famous in Alsace though and has an intriguing pinkish gray colour (hence the name). If produces a distinctive aromatic white wine which in Alsace is rich and smooth with a fruity taste resembling ripe pears, white peaches, apples, melons and pineapples. The same grapes elsewhere (eg Italy) produce a drier crisper Pinot Grigio.
Alsace also delivers the grand cru wines that are the finest examples of this region’s wine prowess.
Alsace isn’t all about white wine either: Pinot Noir (red) is also produced here as is Pinot Noir Rosé. Sparkling white crémant is also delicious as an aperitif, especially when paired with a fruit liqueur like cassis – a kir crémant.
Late harvest (vendage tardive) such as Gewürztraminer are a special treat of a dessert wine.
The typically narrow, thin bottle shapes and much of the wine terminology are inherited from Alsace’s German past, though wines made today are distinctly more French in style. The distinctive tall, green stemmed glasses tell you that Alsace offers something a little different from anything you will find in France or Germany – vive la différence!
Wine Route of Alsace
One of Alsace’s top attractions is the wine trail between Guebwiller and Strasbourg. The Wine Route of Alsace invites visitors to discover beautiful landscapes and villages while tasting some of the region’s best wines. You can walk, cycle or join a bus tour to admire the lovely scenery and explore the pretty villages sprinkled all along the trail. Every village has a choice of vintners keen to offer a warm welcome and a dégustation of the wine they so proudly produce.
Interestingly, despite the fact that Alsace is clothed in vineyards, beer is just as popular here as wine – if not more so – Gesundheit!
Alsace - Too German to be French
When I ponder on what I have learned about Alsace’s history, its language, cuisine and wine, I am left in no doubt at the end of my week long road trip that – although undeniably politically part of France, Alsace has Germany firmly at its heart.
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