Vinyards in the Mosel Valley
Last weekend, Thomas and I joined the A-club for camping in Trier. Though in Germany, Trier has a long Roman history. It was originally called Augusta Treverorum, and founded by Emperor Augustus in 16 BC, even earlier than ancient Rome. While we were in Trier, we had an interesting experience at Zum Domstein, where we enjoyed an authentic Roman dinner.
Tourists at Porta Nigra
Dinners were the largest meal of the day for Romans. We enjoyed a multi-course meal based off of Apicius, a collection of ancient Roman recipes. Romans did not have all the same ingredients we have today, such as tomatoes, potatoes, and sugar. For sweetener, they used honey instead. Wealthy Romans would often lounge on sofas as they dined, but we sat at regular tables, surrounded by local Roman artifacts. However, the waiters did wear togas.
For my meal, I had:
- Apertif: Mulsum – White wine mixed with anise and honey, served in a clay cup
- Soup: Tisana – hearty barley soup with a little lemon juice and dill
- Bread: Mustea – Bread made with wine, cheese, anise, and a bay leaf (best bread I’ve ever tasted)
- Appetizer: Lucanicae/Fabaciae – Sausage links mixed with pine nuts, served with green beans in fish sauce
- Appetizer: Cardui – Cooked artichokes in vinegar sauce
- Main Dish: Chicken in Allec sauce – Allec sauce is the sediment left at the bottom of the barrel that other fish sauces were made in. Luckily, I didn’t know what it was when I ate it. Thomas had lamb with herbs, wine, onions, and dates, but I couldn’t tell a difference between our sauces.
- Dessert: Patina de Piris – Pear souffle with peppercorns
If you head to Trier, I really recommend the restaurant. It was a delicious and very unique meal. For the foodies out there, I’ve linked to some of the corresponding recipes that I’ve found online.
St. Peter's Cathedral
Also on our trip, we wandered around the Mosel Valley where we visited a castle, saw many great views, and visited a wine shop where we tasted eiswein, a sweet wine made from grapes frozen on the vine. Though the wine was very good, it was pretty pricey, so we just bought a bottle of Reisling instead.
Knocker on the Cathedral Door
In Trier, we visited the Roman sights: Imperial Baths, Porta Nigra city gate, Cathedral of St. Peter, and also the Karl Marx house. It’s a great town to visit for a weekend – very walkable, and plenty to see. And, I’ve heard they have a fantastic Christmas market. If you’d like to see more photos from our trip, I’ve posted them on Flickr:
- Camping in Mosel Valley and Trier (22 photos)
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Trier is lovely, though it looks much nicer in your photos than when we went — it was pretty cold in March 2008! Also, I think St. Peter’s (or was it St. Catherine’s?) was undergoing renovations at the time and no one could go in. But I agree, a very walkable place!
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so fun. we are headed to the mosel valley this weekend so glad to have your tips and look forward to more when you come over tomorrow!
That meal sounds great.
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The Niagara region in Ontario (where im from) also has icewine. I found it very sweet and almost syrupy :) but good.
you are right about pricey though!
looks like a good city to visit :)
I want the aperitif! And Hans and I booked a hotel in Cologne for a weekend in December. They have like 7 Christmas markets!
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Oh, wow! That sounds delicious!
The Mulsum sounds delicious!! Mmmmmmmm!! (Love the pic of the knocker, by the way.)
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