Tuesday, September 23, 2014

September Fairgrounds - Pützchens Markt 2014


The so-called „Pützchens Markt“ is a huge fair, held yearly in the city of Bonn, Germany. It always runs for five days beginning on the Friday before the 2nd weekend in September. It is one of Germany´s biggest fairs in terms of turnover. Approximately 550 businesses, exhibitors and vendors present their goods and activities on the 80.000 square meters fair-ground. The nearly one million visitors each year attest to what has become a favorite late summer tradition.

There are always hundreds of stalls where you can play carnival games, enjoy varieties of drinks and food including some German classics such as Bratwurst, but also the usual fairground sweets. You will even find a Bavarian beer hall to help you get in the mood for the „Oktoberfest“.




The fair has a long and fascinating past. Its roots go back to the worship of Saint Adelaide. Around the turn of the first millennium she provided food to the poor and her gift of working miracles soon became known. When in a period of great drought Abbess Adelaide thrust her crosier into the ground, water began to well up. The village "Pützchen" was named after this well and up to this day, believers hope to be healed by the well´s water. Pützchen is said to have become a place of pilgrimage around the middle of the 14th century. Soon traders started to set up tents and stalls to sell their goods here. Gradually, a fair developed which continued to expand and to diversify greatly with time. Soon traders, travelling people, wandering minstrels, entertainers, tamers and circus performers started offering their skills, trades and wares here and Pützchens Markt was born. Today, you could say that the fair draws on centuries of history, it has been attracting visitors for more than 640 years now, as the first recorded date for this fair can be set around 1367.




There is a tons of fun to be had with the many rides to choose from. There is the huge ferris wheel which could already be seen from afar while the fair was still under construction. This „Big Wheel“ with its open and rotating gondolas is the tallest of its kind worldwide and has been the landmark of „Pützchens Markt“ for many years now.




There is also a traditional merry-go-round




…and some fierce „jungle fun".




Time for a break to enjoy some German sausage treats…




…or some burnt-sugar almonds (my personal recipe for this traditional fairground treat will follow below).




…or some sweet pancakes with various topping including, of course, that well-known chocolate-hazelnut spread from Italy.




While riding the merry-go-round, you could take a good look at, and certainly smell, the „Reibekuchenhütte“ where the staff was busy continuously frying those traditional potato pancakes that people love to eat with apple compote.




More fun rides and absolutely incredible blue skies...




…colorful balloons (guess which one the girls wanted to take home)...




…the weather held up beautifully….




…which in turn attracted even more visitors to the fair.




A rollercoaster with an observation deck.




Time for another break and maybe some colorful lemonade with ornages, limes, cherries and other fruits




Oh those spinning rides…




…guess someone got hungry and took a bite out of this surfboard.




Our girls certainly enjoyed themselves…




...and loved this huge slide…




…and could not get enough of these rides.




My absolute favorite - sweet, delicious, colorful, decorated gingerbread hearts.




And I got this personalized Kitchen Lioness Gingerbread Heart from my Schatzi – love it!!!


Traditionally the fair is opened by the mayor, broaching the first keg of beer on Friday. The end of the fair is marked by grand fireworks around ten o´clock on Tuesday night. Admission to the fair is always free, however you will pay for all rides etc. on an individual basis.

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Fairground Burnt Sugar Almonds

Ingredients for the Almonds
  • 1 fresh vanilla bean or 3 tsps. pure (homemade) vanilla sugar
  • 200 grams white sugar 
  • a good pinch of fine sea salt
  • 125 ml water
  • 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
  • 200 grams natural almonds

Special Equipment needed
  • a heavy-duty/cast-iron pot NOT a non-stick pan.
  • a sturdy wooden spoon
  • a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Preparation of the Almonds
  1. To make the vanilla sugar, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add it to the sugar. Mix well. (Instead of discarding the scraped vanilla bean, you can always place it in sugar jar with tight-fitting lid to flavor your sugar.) OR: Use 3 tsps. store-bought, qood-quality, pure vanilla sugar
  2. Add the sugar, salt, water and cinnamon into the heavy saucepan and set it over medium heat. Stir to mix, then bring it to a boil before adding the almonds.
  3. Add the almonds to the pan. With the wooden spoon, stir over high heat, to boil the water away.
  4. The sugar will dry out after a few minutes and the almonds will take on a grey-brown tinge. Keep stirring, so that the almonds do not burn on the bottom of the pan.
  5. Reduce the heat to medium, to keep the sugar from browning too fast and burning. At this stage, the sugar heats up and starts to melt again. It is already brown from the cinnamon, so it is hard to see the color change. Just keep stirring, so that the almonds become evenly browned and about half of the sugar is melted and gives the almonds a shiny coat. They will stick together but you will separate them later. When they are shiny, but not burnt, remove the pan from heat.
  6. Place the almonds on the prepared parchment lined baking sheet and using two spoons, separate the almonds if they stick together tooo much. Either let them cool completely or serve them while stillwarm. NOTE: the Fairground Burnt Sugar Almonds will keep best if kept in a tin or glass jar in a dry, cool place.





22 comments:

  1. What a fun fair! We have the ferris wheel here too and I see every evening when I drive home, I passed it and it's beautiful sight! Love your burn sugar almonds, looks so delicious!

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    1. Jeannie, it is but once a year - thank goodness or we would spent way too much of our free time there. The almonds are not too sweet, with hints of real vanilla and cinnamon, simply utterly addictive - impossible to just eat one.
      Thank you for dropping by!

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  2. What a gorgeous day for the fair! I'd park myself next to the vendor selling these candied almonds :)

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    1. Liz, thank you - we all love Burnt Sugar Almonds so I recreated them at home - they came out tasting and looking as addictive as the ones from the fair - trust my taste testers on this one!

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  3. Looks like a fun place to be on such a beautiful day. Now, that slide, that looks fun! And those sugared almonds look delish, Andrea!

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    1. Cathleen, thank you - the fairgrounds are fun to visit every September - it has become quite the tradition around here. And the Burnt Sugar Almonds are a must treat to buy while there - I made the ones in the pictures just yesterday and sent them off with the kids to share with their friends.

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  4. What a fun post, Andrea doll! I love the pics of your sweethearts with big smiles. I must say your fair is way more interesting than ours. The food is way better, too. Ours are reputed to offer such (insert your own adjective here) treats as deep-fried sticks of butter (I swear).
    Schatzi! I learned a new word and those yummy almonds are quite the treat. I might even have time to make them tonight.
    Danke! xo

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    1. Colette, glad that this post which I just felt like doing on a sunny afternoon came together the way it did. I love making the Burnt Sugar Almonds - if you get a chance to make them, DO be careful as the boiling sugar gets unbelievably hot - kids and pets away from the kitchen, gloves on your hands or potholders within reach...and you will be all set!

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  5. Andrea, das sind einmalig schoene Fotos! Die lachenden Gesichter mit den fliegenden Haaren, das Lebkuchenherz, soooo lieb :-) Sicherlich ein gelungener Tag bei dem Himmel :-) Und ich kannte den Puetzchens Markt und seine lange Geschichte nicht. Vielen Dank! Einen lieben Gruss!

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    1. Liebe Wally, die Geschichte von Pützchen´s Markt finde ich einfach nur charmant. Das Wetter war toll, die Kinder glücklich und ich habe so ein schönes Lebkuchenherz bekommen - was will man mehr?! Da wären vielleicht noch die gebrannten Mandeln...
      Liebe Grüße und herzlichen Dank für deinen Kommentar,
      Andrea

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  6. How fun Andrea, I know your girls loved every minute. And I would love a bag of these delicious looking nuts. I've had them at fairs but never made my own. They would make any day a special occasion!

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    1. Chris, thanks so much - these almonds are always avilable at the fairs but we do not really seem to make them at home that often, so I thought I better post a lovely recipe to change that fact - you will get addicted to these almonds, promise. Thank you for the lovely comment!

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  7. we got swept into the mood of visiting a fun,fabulous fair after looking at all these beautiful pics and delicacies you have shot.....and your personalized Gingerbread heart looks so cute...full of sweetness and delicious just like the recipes you share with all of us,thanks :-)

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    1. Kumar, what an utterly sweet comment - you certainly made my Thursday, dear friend! Thank you kindly! Glad you enjoyed my little tour of this traditional fall fair and some of the different kinds of food that you can enjoy there!

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  8. What a great post - you have transported me to the Show!

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    1. Gaye, thank you very much - it was a fun post to put together and we enjoyed our day at the fair.

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  9. I love how COLORFUL everything is. Thanks for the trip to this special fair.
    (And that picture of the merry go round? Wow!)

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    1. Adriana, so nice to "see" you again...thank you for your kind comment!

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  10. Viel Spaß, Andrea! How colorful and I bet it was a lot of fun for you and your family! Liebe Grüße, David

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    1. David, it was a lot of fun indeed - thank you!
      Liebe Grüße,
      Andrea

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  11. wow, such a fun place to visit!!!
    Nuff said about the Burnt Sugar Almonds, damn delicious!!!

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    1. Dede, these Burnt Sugar Almonds are a favorite treat at all kinds of fairgrounds and, of course, the local Christams markets - love them! Thank you for your kind comment!

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