Frankfurt celebrates the green sauce: a celebration of the seven herbs!

Frankfurt celebrates the green sauce: a celebration of the seven herbs!

In Frankfurt am Main, the green sauce is much more than just a dish - it is a question of identity and passion that is discussed among the locals like at a soccer World Cup. This was popular last weekend Green Sauce Festival took place, and this year it attracted 650 guests who were looking forward to tasting the different versions of this Hessian delicacy. A total of 4,500 pots were filled at the festival in the Main metropolis.

Traditionally, green sauce is made from a secret blend of seven herbs – borage, chervil, cress, parsley, pimpinelle, sorrel and chives. This recipe has its roots as early as 1860 and may have French origins, brought to Hesse by Huguenots. However, the recipes have changed over the years. After the Second World War, the cold sauce was preferably served based on sour cream or sour cream. The Green Sauce Festival GmbH has been organizing the annual competition since 2008, in which 49 innkeepers compete for the title of the best green sauce.

A celebration of diversity

This year there was a special applause for thatCafé Basaglia, which presented the green sauce based on a recipe from his 92-year-old great-grandmother. During the festival, participants vary the original recipe with ingredients such as lemon balm, tarragon or even ricotta. Opinions are divided on the addition of mayonnaise, with traditionalists vehemently rejecting this approach.

The demand for the culinary delights remains high and places for participants in the competition are selling out quickly. The gastronomy in Frankfurt is truly impressive, from cider bars to delicatessens to starred restaurants - there are no limits to creativity. Cider, another Hessian cultural asset, was traditionally enjoyed in ribs and complements the green sauce in a delicious way, although Frankfurters also like to order a “sauerspritze” with it.

A future in danger

Unfortunately, the economic situation at the festival also brings with it a shadow: the organizers have announced that the event cannot be continued in its current form due to increased costs. A meeting with the city of Frankfurt is intended to develop a rescue plan so that the cultural tradition of green sauce is not lost. The record winner of the competition is Willi Kehr, who received the coveted award no less than three times.

Not only does the green sauce have a permanent place in the region's cookbooks, but there is also a monument made up of seven greenhouses that symbolize the herbs. With its registration as a protected geographical indication in the EU since 2016, the Green Sauce is class for Frankfurt and has won a place in the hearts of Frankfurters.

The question remains what will happen next with the green sauce. The passionate debates about the perfect recipe will certainly not die down. But one thing is certain: the love for green sauce and the community it creates will not be broken by any circumstance.