Sausagefest

By Raul Dias 

Flavours of the World at Oktoberfest
Over the last couple of years, one sees an interesting food trend emerging out of the mighty tents at Oktoberfest. One that embraces world cuisine with all its might, making the following dishes bona fide Oktoberfest staples and not just exotic flavours of the season:

* Doner Kebab-What the world knows and loves as shawarma, the Germans call doner kebab. This new, Middle East-originated, Oktoberfest favourite contains rotisserie-style grilled strips of meat called gyros ensconced in a warm pita bread along with lettuce, onions and tomatoes, all slathered in a garlic-y mayonnaise-like sauce called thum.

* Paella-What’s not to love about this fragrant, saffron-perfumed rice preparation studded with bits of seafood, chicken and vegetables like peas and sweet bell peppers? And concurring with this estimation of the Spanish dish are the hordes of people that line the many stalls at Oktoberfest waiting for a bite of the festival’s favourite comfort food.

* Burritos-Though not traditionally Mexican, this Tex-Mex dish—which is the sum of its tomato rice, salsa, refried beans, guacamole, cheese, sour cream, hot sauce and roast meat parts, all wrapped in a flour tortilla—is perfect for soaking up all that post-revellery alcohol! 

(An edited version of this article first appeared in the September 2018 issue of Jetwings International in-flight magazine of Jet Airways http://www.jetairways.com/EN/IN/jetexperience/magazines.aspx)