Kale is a part of fall like pumpkin is a part of Halloween. Of course, the Northern Lights have been showing us for years with their kale trips what honor one can give to healthy vegetables in combination with fun adventures. But Düsseldorf also swears by the tradition of cabbage from the cruciferous family. Here are some tips from the editors:
Kale buffet in Café Süd
A kale buffet is something completely different. In Café Süd, the vegetables are offered in various preparation forms (fine, coarse or plain) from October 31st to November 2nd from 6 p.m. (All Saints’ Day is open from 12 p.m.) and served together with Mettwurst, bacon and smoked pork cutlet. Here, vegetable lovers can eat as they please and enjoy the cabbage season. “Our kale comes directly from Flehe and is extremely popular,” says owner Lutz Winter.
This is where the idea for the buffet came from. “The guests rave about the different dishes at the buffet and can hardly get enough. There are cabbage drives in northern Germany. We wanted to do that too, but it turned out to be too time-consuming, so we thought: Let’s just skip the trip,” he says. You pay once at the buffet and then feast to your heart’s content.
“We also offer, among other things, the real Kasseler saddle, not what you normally get in the supermarket,” emphasizes Winter. In addition to the classic home-style version with potatoes, lard and bacon, there is also cabbage pure and coarse or in pureed form. “We’re not reinventing anything, but obviously we seem to be doing a pretty good job of it,” he says. Address: Am Südfriedhof 20, 40221 Düsseldorf
Kale with knuckle in the White-Blue House
During the kale season, the restaurant with the Bavarian touch specializes in various kale dishes. The “bourgeois” kale is served with either potatoes, Rhenish meatloaf, Rostbratwurst, Rauchmettwurst, giant Krakauer, cooked corrugated meat, Tyrolean bacon, pork schnitzel, roast pork, pork knuckle, knuckle of pork, Kassel neck or half a Bavarian grilled duck.
What led the restaurant to put together such a gigantic array of kale dishes? “We’ve had the card for at least ten years. We simply love our kale – and the guests love it too,” says owner Petra Lohmann. The traditional version of the vegetable is traditionally prepared with bacon, duck or goose fat and potatoes. “And of course there are a few more secrets that I won’t reveal,” says Petra Lohmann with a wink.
And reveals: “We started with various kale dishes in the 80s. We always had chefs who were not so young and had a wealth of experience. Our kale is not bitter, but rather mild. We are offering it until March.” And the meat variations with which the vegetables are served also have a traditional origin. Lohmann: “My father was a master butcher. A lot of things get stuck there.” Address: Nordstrasse 115, 40477 Düsseldorf
Very traditional in the Germania house
Haus Germania in Gerresheim has also rung in the kale season. The rustic restaurant not only welcomes fans of local kale specialties, but also specializes in delicious mussel dishes. “At Germania, the kale is traditionally served with Mettwurst, Kasseler or both. Our guests like the quality of the dish, which can be seen in the fact that we serve around 60 to 70 plates of kale per week,” says owner Dirk Schütte happily.
At Haus Germania, which has existed in Gerresheim since 1895, kale is traditionally prepared with clarified butter, mustard and potatoes. The vegetables themselves come from the kale stronghold of Oldenburg. Schütte: “The kale season lasts until February for us. I think the popularity of the dish has to do with the fact that on the one hand it is incredibly tasty and on the other hand it is extremely healthy due to the many vitamins it contains. But feel free to try it yourself.” Address: Von-Gahlen-Straße 1A, 40625 Düsseldorf
