“There is simply no need for linguistic imports,” says a leaflet for innkeepers in Bavaria. They should be encouraged to use traditional terms.
Munich – What ends up on your plate when you order a portion of “Oarschmoiz” in a pub? Dialect maintainer Helmuth Hopper from the Bavarian Language and Dialects Association knows the answer. “Oarschmoiz” is a Bavarian expression for scrambled eggs. The term is still listed on some menus in the Free State.
Dialect in Bavaria: Support association wants to encourage innkeepers to use “traditional names”.
Back in 2017, the support association published a leaflet for Bavarian innkeepers to actively promote dialect on their menus. “Our aim was not to lecture the innkeepers, but rather to give them help. The background was, of course, to counteract the 'decay of menus',” explains board member Siegfried Bradl to our editorial team.
“What we want to achieve is the use of traditional local names. There is simply no need for linguistic imports,” writes the support association in its leaflet. The authors urge caution when using laudatory adjectives. “The words 'tasty' or 'crispy' are absolutely impossible.”
Of course, the Bavarian menu could do with one or two modernization measures. “But do you have to use the English word 'dressing'?” The term “marinade”, which is derived from French, is much easier on Bavaria's lips. “Correct” and “incorrect” terms are placed side by side in the leaflet. For example, “Blaukraut” (correct) and “Red cabbage” (incorrect), “Schwammerl” (correct) and “Mushrooms” (incorrect), as well as “Wammerl” (correct) and “Schwammerl” (incorrect).
For our editorial team, support association member Helmuth Hopper has put together a list of other terms that can still be found on menus in the Free State today. Including a translation into High German. You can find a selection below in the article.
In Bavarian taverns: Terms that are still on some menus
Poor knights = stale white bread or rolls, soaked in egg milk and baked with clarified butter
Bäuscherl = sour Lüngerl with heart, kidneys, spleen and tongue, sour cream sauce
Bansn = Dampfnudel = yeast dumplings
Brein = porridge = millet porridge, which was served for breakfast
Drahdewixpfeiferl = finger noodle made from potato dough, baked with clarified butter (finger shape)
Erdäpfestamp = coarse mashed potatoes
Friahsuppn = coffee/milk soup
Gschwoine = wool sausages
Gsteckelte Mille (Rial) = curdled, sour milk
Brain sausage = yellow sausage
“Kiachl”, “Dauch” and “Voressen”: What do the Bavarian culinary terms mean?
Hosnöhrl = lard yeast pastries
Kartoffesschmarrn = potato dough baked with clarified butter – often referred to as “Zwurlda” or “Kragnwürger”.
Kiachl = Extracted = yeast pastries
Knöcherlsuiz = brawn made from pig or calf feet
Loab = loaf of bread in a round shape
Loabal = small, rounded loaf of bread (roll)
Oarschmoiz = scrambled eggs
Pyre = casserole with rolls, apples and milk, similar to “Poor Knights”
Black sausage = bacon sausage
Tauch/Dauch = broth made from preserved pears, cherries or plums
Pre-food = ragout made from cheap offal (tripe, tripe, sweetbreads, lungs)
“I would be happy if I wasn't right with this assessment,” reported Helmuth Hopper in a recent exchange with our editorial team. “Despite all attempts to restore the dialect to its original meaning, I am very pessimistic about its future.”
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