Regional Products

Game Specialties - Incomparable Delights for the Palate

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with its lush forests and extensive fields, provides the natural habitat for wild animals and thus enables a species-rich population.

More and more gourmets are enthusiastic about the tender meat (venison) of local game species such as red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, wild boar and occasionally mouflon. Of course, such a precious commodity must first mature. Accordingly, hunting and closed seasons for each game species are set by law.

Roe deer, wild boar, stag and co. are often prepared in the traditional way as hearty roasts or spicy ragouts. Increasingly, modern restaurants are also taking a liking to the tasty game meat. In this way, creative chefs are able to create a wide variety of dishes. Most game species are even ideal for Mediterranean, Asian or exotic dishes. Since game meat contains only little fat and cholesterol, you can feast carefree. In addition, venison is rich in protein and minerals such as potassium, iron and zinc and contains valuable vitamins.

Game weeks

This culinary delight can be experienced in autumn in numerous restaurants in the country. In addition, many events take place, such as spectacular drag hunts on horseback or eventful festivals on the subject of game with falconry demonstrations and hunting horn blowers, which should also not be missed, for example as part of the Usedom Game Weeks.

Meat delicacies from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

The rough-wooled Pomeranian Landschaf is a rare native sheep breed that has found a home again in some places in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, for example on the Rügen eco-farm "Ranch am Torfmoor".Breeder Nils-Torsten Volk not only keeps sheep here, but also other native breeds such as the Rügener Weiderind, the Rügener Sattelschwein or Pomeranian ducks and Pomeranian geese are nurtured and cared for.The farm store sells products from the farm's own slaughtering and processing, and live cooking evenings can be booked for a very special experience.

Just a stone's throw from the harbor in Schaprode on Rügen lies the island of Öhe - for 700 years the small island has been owned by the Schilling family, who live here alone with their cattle and sheep. Instead of palm trees, lush herbs and the spicy grasses of the typical salt marshes grow there. The high-quality meat and sausage specialties from the Öhe cattle and sheep are available in the farm store of Schillings Gasthof.

The Darß estate in Born, on the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula, also practices organic farming with cattle, lambs, water buffalo and Boer goats. The animals stand year-round on the salt marshes between the Baltic Sea and the Bodden.The rustic manor kitchen of the adventure farm welcomes you to a small or large break and offers many hearty dishes from the farm's own organic and wild products.

Fresh fish is healthy and delicious! With a variety of important nutrients, it belongs on the menu at least twice a week for a balanced diet. The best fish comes from the local waters in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and tastes simply excellent: pike-perch, pike and perch come from inland waters and are considered to be particularly low in fat. Herring, mackerel, cod and Baltic houting, on the other hand, are Baltic fish and are particularly rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Fresh fish is served in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in first-class fish restaurants and cozy fishing taverns. For the small hunger in between one enjoys a tasty fish roll from a sales booth at the harbor or a piece of smoked fish directly from the oven. In some fishing villages the fishermen sell their catch directly from the cutter. And if you want to, you can of course go fishing yourself - with the Baltic Sea and over 2,000 lakes, the state offers the best conditions for this.

Fisherman Celebrations

The fact that the fish is caught directly from the local waters and served fresh, depending on the season, is revealed above all by its taste - find out at which time of year which type of fish is caught. Events such as the Usedom Herring Days in March and April and the Hornfish Weeks in May celebrate the seasons on the islands of Usedom and Rügen. Colorful fishing festivals in the summer months offer a diverse program for all fish lovers.

No matter how you spend a vacation day at the Baltic Sea, sooner or later everyone longs for a cool refreshment. What could be more natural than to try one of the local beers. City and globetrotters will be pleased to know that coffee, cakes and regional delicacies are now served behind the neat gables of the proud town houses between the Baltic Sea and the Lake District. In the past, beer was also brewed behind almost every door. In the Middle Ages, Wismar alone shipped up to six million liters per year.

It goes without saying that beer is brewed according to the German Purity Law - with hops, malt, yeast and water. But beer is more than just a popular thirst quencher in this country. Many restaurateurs in the country also use beer as an ingredient in their tasty dishes. Whether stewed in beer broth or refined with dark beer, the dishes are given their very own aromatic note.

Famous Beer Brands

• Brewing tradition of the Darguner monks
  Probably the largest brewery in the state is located in Dargun. The monastery in Dargun was founded in the 11th century and has held unrestricted brewing rights ever since. Today, the Dargun brewery produces a variety of different beers.
• Störtebeker brewing specialties
  As early as the Hanseatic era, Stralsund beer provided refreshment beyond the state's borders. Even today, the traditional Störtebeker brewery still delights with excellent brewing specialties.
• Marlow beer - the brewery with taste
  The special feature of Marlow beer is its naturalness. The beer of the brewery from the bird park region Recknitztal is neither filtered nor pasteurized. Therefore, all the valuable ingredients are preserved and the taste is not altered or alienated. 8,000-year-old fresh well water extracted from a depth of 120 meters is used for production.

Guided Tours and Tastings

Störtebeker Braumanufaktur can look back on centuries of brewing tradition. Already in the Middle Ages, especially during the heyday of the Hanseatic League, the excellent beers of the Stralsund brewery were a valued and sought-after commodity far beyond the borders of the country - and even today, the brewing specialties are on everyone's lips.

The brewing experience of the Rostock brewery dates back to 1878, when the building contractor Georg Mahn and the merchant Friedrich Ohlerich founded the "Mahn & Ohlerich Bierbrauerei OHG". Here, too, you can take a tour of the brewery and taste products.

The Marlow Brewery also offers a free weekly guided tour for visitors. In the Genuss-Manufaktur, you can experience all the work steps up close.

It is not only beer, wine and sparkling wine that provide conviviality in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. High-percentage spirits, made from the state's ripe fruits and whole grains, are also very popular.

The Baltic Sea climate prevailing in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, characterized by the alternation of relatively cool nights and warm days, provides optimal conditions for the ripening of the fruit. The special aroma of the noble fruits, which is created by the strong temperature changes in combination with long ripening times, comes to the fore during distillation. Many small independent distilleries in the country enable the exquisite enjoyment of the distillates.

One of the Oldest Fruit-growing Regions as a Basis

Situated in the middle of the picturesque Mecklenburg Elbe Valley Nature Park between extensive apple orchards is the Schwechow estate. Originally, the estate was a knight's manor. The village of Schwechow was first mentioned in a document in 1229. The noblest and most aromatic fruits are distilled into exclusive fruit brandies and spirits. Tastings and guided tours of the distillery are offered.

World-award Winning Gin with Coastal Aroma

At the Männerhobby distillery in the tranquil village of Klein Kussewitz in the Rostock district, unusual and high-quality spirits are produced from regional ingredients and in elaborate manual work. These have already won prizes worldwide, such as the World Gin Award 2019, awarded in London. The flavors of the coastal fir trees of the Rostock Heath as well as sea buckthorn from local bushes are responsible for the unique taste.

In a course on gin production, visitors can not only look over the shoulders of the master distillers, but even become active themselves and distill their own gin. A great experience - not only for men!