German Food Festival at Asia Live, Avari Towers

Beef Salami (Rindfleisch Salami) German Food Festival at Asia Live, Avari Towers

Fruit Punch, Red Cabbage Salad (Rotkohlsalat)

For everybody who is curious about what to expect and what are the must haves, let me just start by saying that there is so much variety of German dishes being offered by Asia Live right now that I was truly amazed. Of course, I could not try everything on the menu and neither it is possible for me to show you what every single cloche housed but if you are looking forward to trying authentic German food, this is your calling.

In terms of spices and seasoning, German cuisine is very different from Pakistani. From what I have gauged, German dishes have a relatively low salt content and they extensively incorporate pickles and dairy. On the contrary, German food is just as rich in fats as Pakistani cuisine so I find even a small portion to be quite filling.

Selection of Cheese (Käseauswahl)

Soups 

Autumn is already here and the nights are getting a little bit chilly but Karachi’s weather is still fluctuating so I ended up skipping soup the other day. However, you can enjoy Clear Vegetable Soup (Gemüsesuppe) or Cream of Fennel Soup (Fenchelsuppe) as an appetiser at this German Food Festival.

Salads 

Apparently, Germans love all of the protein and vegetables a lot and therefore, there is a huge setup for salads which ranges from Beef Salami (Rindfleisch Salami) to Chicken Pie (Hühnerpastete) to Cold Cut Salad (Wurstsalat) along with Red Cabbage Salad (Rotkohlsalat), Potato Salad (Kartoffelsalat), Cauliflower Salad (Blumenkohlsalat), Pasta Salad (Nudelsalat) and the list goes on with turkey, salmon and pickled variety being on the menu too.

In addition to those, there is also a selection of cheese (käseauswahl) which got my fancy and I even had the chance of trying blue cheese for the first time. It is an acquired taste but it adds a nice flavour to the salads.

German Food Festival at Asia Live, Avari Towers

Bread Assortment German Food Festival at Asia Live, Avari Towers

Main Courses 

Everybody’s favourite part, the main courses at the German Food Festival are all so mouthwatering. I was in heaven because I love excessive dairy and sauces and these are exactly what all the dishes have to offer. Like I mentioned earlier, do not expect them to be traditionally spicy but if you are looking for genuine German flavours then your taste buds would thank you.

Mutton, chicken, beef, turkey, duck, seafood, you name it, this food festival has it all. Some notable dishes on the menu include Smoked Sausage and Green Peas Rice (Räucherwurst), Reis mit grunen Erbsen), Beef Roulade with Mushrooms (Rouladen), Pickled Cabbage (Sauerkraut), Sea Scallops (Seekammuscheln), Pan Fried Duck Breast with Orange and Honey Glaze (Gebratene Entenbrust Orangen & Honigglasur), and Brussel Sprouts (Rosenkohl).

L: Breads R (Top): Breaded Stuffed Chicken Breast (Panierte gefüllte Hühnerbrust) R (Bottom): German Cake with Salmon and Chives (Kuchen mit Lachs und schnittlauch)

While some of my favourites are as follows:

Breaded Stuffed Chicken Breast (Panierte gefüllte Hühnerbrust), this deep fried chicken breast stuffed with warm creamy filling is such a treat. I like how simple German flavours tend to be as you get to appreciate each ingredient on its own within a dish.

German Cake with Salmon and Chives (Kuchen mit Lachs und schnittlauch), this looks like a cutlet and has a rich, creamy flavour (surprise surprise) which somewhat masks the completely minced salmon but is still the kind of food I enjoy.

Beef Sausage and Onion Sauce (Rindfleisch & Zwiebelsauce)

R (Top): Seafood and Cheese Ravioli (Meeresfrüchte & Käse-Ravioli) R (Bottom): Sea Scallops (Seekammuscheln)

Top Right: Pan Fried Duck Breast with Orange and Honey Glaze (Gebratene Entenbrust Orangen & Honigglasur) Top Left: Pasta, Bottom: Beef Stroganoff (Rindfleisch Stroganoff)

Beef Stroganoff (Rindfleisch Stroganoff), now we are talking. This has to be my favourite dish on the menu as it is packed with cream and mushroom flavours and is definitely something that a lot of Pakistanis would be able to appreciate too because of pepper and other seasonings.

Mr. Rainer Schmiedchen, the Consul General of Germany in Karachi

Potato Dumplings (Kartoffelkloesse)

German Desserts

Desserts 

No matter what you eat, save an extra spot in your belly for all the German desserts because you are in for a treat. I can’t really give you all the names here because the dessert section hardly had any labels but I guess by that point nobody would even care what is what because it is all so good. I tasted a lot of cakes, puddings, pies, apple crumble, pineapple desserts, German chocolate dessert, Buchteln and so on. It is tough to pick a favourite because I have a sweet tooth and I would totally go back if I can just for the desserts this time.

German Desserts

If you are a foodie who appreciates international cuisine, you should check out the German Food Festival yourself while it is in town. Now let me know which of these dishes are you eyeing?

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