This is the time of year when Oktoberfest is celebrated in Germany. In particular, Munich, the capital of Bavaria, is renowned for its huge beer festival, with thousands of people from Germany and around the world flocking to the giant beer tents set up by breweries in the Theresienwiese to quaff great steins of beer, eat wurst (German sausages), pretzels and more, and listen to the "oompah" bands.

The area is jam-packed with humanity from morning till night; the atmosphere is extremely lively, and, by each day's end is not, of course, short of the enebriated.

The story goes that Oktoberfest began when Crown Prince Ludwig (later King Ludwig I) married Princess Thérèse of Saxony-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to celebrate the happy royal event at festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates. This proved to be such fun that the party lasted for 16 days. The fields were subsequently named Theresienwiese (Theresa's Fields) in honour of the Crown Princess. Horse races attended by the German royal family marked the close of the event, which was treated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria. The decision to repeat the horse races in the following year gave rise to the tradition of Oktoberfest, but are no longer part of today's celebration. In 1896, small beer stands were replaced in 1896 by tents from the breweries, and later a livestock show and carnival with carousels were added.

Whether by accident or intention, the 1810 wedding festival came at a time when the stockpiles of Spring beers had to be depleted to make room for autumn's production. March (or März) is the last month in which Spring beers were made due to the unpleasant taste Spring beers acquired in the warmer months.

Since alcohol is a natural preservative, these beers were intentionally made with a higher alcohol content, and are known as Oktoberfest or Märzen beers as they contain almost no hops and have a sweet, malty taste.

Today, many Germans and those of German descent celebrate Oktoberfest wherever they are in the world. Here are some classic German recipes for you to have your own celebration – but remember, the rule is: Don't drink and drive.

Guten appetit! (Good appetite).

BAUERNFRUHSTUCK

(Farmer's Breakfast)

6 rashers bacon

1 tbsp. butter

1 onion, chopped

4 potatoes, cooked and finely diced

6 eggs

½ tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup milk

FRY bacon until crisp. Remove, drain on paper towel, chop and set aside. Clear bacon fat from frying pan, wipe pan with paper towel, add butter and sauté onion until soft. Add potatoes, browning lightly. In a bowl, beat eggs lightly, add salt, pepper, milk, and finally the chopped bacon. Pour egg mixture over the onions and potatoes and stir occasionally until cooked.

GULASCHSUPPE

(Goulash Soup)

2 lbs. best quality beef, cut into small cubes

3 tbsp. oil or butter

4 medium onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp. Hungarian paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. carraway seeds

3 tbsp. tomato paste

1 bay leaf

3 cups water

2 cups beef broth

½ cup red wine

4 medium potatoes, cubed

BROWN the meat in oil or butter. Add onions and garlic, fry until onions are translucent. Add paprika, bay leaf, carraway seeds, water, and broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes. Add potatoes and simmer for an additional 45 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and red wine, salt and pepper.

BIERSUPPE

Beer Soup

Heaping 1 ½ tbsp. flour

3½ tbsp. butter

1 quart beer

1 small piece stick cinnamon

sugar to taste

2 egg yolks

1½ cups + ½ tbsp. milk

White French bread, toasted

OPEN beer and leave to go flat (at least two hours). Brown flour in the butter, add beer. Add cinnamon and sugar, bring to a boil. In a bowl, whisk together egg yolk and milk and stir into the hot (but no longer boiling) beer. Strain, and serve with toasted slices of bread.

KNOCKWURST WITH SAUERKRAUT

? cup chopped onion

2 slices cooked bacon, cut up

1 cup beer

1 cup water

2 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tbsp. coarse-grain brown mustard

2 tbsp. molasses

2 teaspoons caraway seed

½ tsp. ground allspice

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 large turnip, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1lb. fully cooked Knockwurst, bias-sliced into 2- to 2½ inch pieces

2 medium cooking apples, cored and cut into 8 wedges each

1 16-oz. can sauerkraut, drained and rinsed

IN a Dutch oven or large pot cook onion and bacon until onion is tender but not brown; drain fat. Stir in beer. In a 2-cup glass measure combine the water, cornstarch, brown mustard, molasses, caraway seed, allspice, and pepper. Stir into bacon mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add turnip, cover and cook 15 minutes. Stir in the Knockwurst, apple wedges, and sauerkraut. Cook, covered, additional 15-20 minutes, or until apples are tender.

SAUERBRATEN

(German-style Roast Beef)

5 lbs. beef, top round roast

10 whole garlic cloves, peeled

1 qt. red wine vinegar

2 cups julienned onions

1 small bundle fresh thyme

4 bay leaves

1 tbsp. whole black peppercorns

¼ cup sugar

4 cups beef stock

1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies

1 cup sour cream

STUD roast with whole garlic cloves, season with salt and pepper. Place roast in a deep glass bowl.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk vinegar, onions, herbs, and sugar together, and whisk until sugar dissolves. Pour this marinade over the roast, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and marinate for 72 hours.

Remove roast from marinade and strain marinade. Place roast in a braising pan. Add beef stock to the strained liquid, then pour over roast and put in 350-degree F. oven. Liquid should cover half the roast. Braise roast, covered, for 2-3 hours. Turn meat several times and add additional stock if needed. Place pan with the braising liquid over a burner. Bring liquid to a simmer, and whisk in crushed gingersnaps. Simmer sauce 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in sour cream. Slice the roast and coat meat with some of the sauce. Serve the remaining sauce separately with potato pancakes or dumplings.

KARTOFFEL KLÖSSE

(Potato Dumplings)

6 medium-size potatoes, boiled whole in their skins

2 eggs, lightly beaten

? cup sifted flour

2 teaspoons salt

¼ tsp. white pepper

½ tsp. nutmeg (optional)

WHEN cool enough to handle, peel and mash or rice potatoes. Beat in all remaining ingredients. Shape into 1- or 2-inch balls. Drop into just boiling, salted water and cook for 7-10 minutes. Drain. Serve with Sauerbraten.

CARAWAY ALT KARTOFFEL SALAT

(Caraway Alt Potato Salad)

Dressing:

½ cup olive oil

? cup Alt beer*

3 oz. light cream cheese

1 tsp. caraway seeds

½ tsp. celery seeds

1 tsp. brown mustard seeds

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ tsp. hot red pepper flakes

2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley

*German-style brown ale

BLEND all ingredients in a blender, then chill in refrigerator.

Salad:

1¾ to 2 lbs. small red potatoes

1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)

½ cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

3 scallions (inc. some green leaves), minced

? cup chopped kosher dill pickles

6-8 radishes, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

BOIL potatoes in 1 quart water until tender.

In a large bowl, combine raw vegetables and mix well with dressing. Remove the potatoes from the heat, drain well in a 2-quart colander. When cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes into quarters. Toss warm potatoes with the dressed raw vegetables, let cool to room temperature.

Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

JÄGERSCHNITZEL

(Hunter's Schnitzel)

1 lb. boneless pork or veal cutlets

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup bread crumbs

Cooking oil

2 oz. bacon, diced

4 oz. onions, chopped

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp. tomato paste

½ cup water

½ cup dry wine

Dash of thyme

Pepper and salt to taste

½ tsp. Hungarian paprika

1 tbsp. parsley

2 tbsp. sour cream

1. HEAT oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Pound cutlets with a meat tenderizer to flatten. Season cutlets with salt and pepper, dip them in beaten eggs and coat evenly with bread crumbs. Place cutlets in skillet, fry until golden brown (1-2 minutes each side). Remove cutlets and drain on paper towels. Keep meat warm in oven while making the gravy.

2. SAUTE bacon and onions until golden brown. Add tomato paste and mushrooms, sauté over low heat. Add wine, water and seasonings, let simmer approx. 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Pour over schnitzels just before serving.