Get Me Some Goetta

NOTE: I meant to post this blog 5 days ago; however a nasty head cold has put me behind in my blogging schedule.

Well it's official: I'm deep into my first Cincinnati-based food craving.

And no, it's not chili.

It started uh, not even 24 hours ago, thanks to a lovely gathering of friends for breakfast-for-dinner and Pass the Pigs at The Bethunes last night.

The table, elongated to accompany two handfuls of hungry eaters, was ladened with french toast, bacon, sausage, berries, home made whipped cream, two types of quiche and, a Cincinnati tradition, goetta.

First off, for those of you who aren't from around here, a lesson in pronuciation:

It's not go-etta or got-ta. You say it like this: gett-ta. Also acceptable are ged-duh and get-tuh. Why the silent O? I don't know.

It's simplicity is brilliant. Goetta (surprise, surprise) is a German meal (that actual Germans in Germany don't actually eat and haven't really ever heard of; go figure) consisting of ground meat, usually pork or beef, pin-head oats and spices. It's mainly a breakfast food, shaped in a patty and fried until done (or if you're like us, it's a dinner course) and pairs incredibly well with maple syrup...like, INCREDIBLY well.

So incredibly well that Poppyseed is kicking me as I write about it.

After geeking out (as I usually do) around the internet, I learned that Covington, our new home city, is actually the world's largest manufacturer of goetta, thanks to Glier's Goetta. I have to admit, I love the copy on their website so much that I must share it with you here in order to fully and oh-so-aptly describe how mouth-wateringly delicious goetta is:

"The patties begin to sizzle. The pin oats swell and pop. The spices throughout the gloriously marinated pork and beef infuse the atomsphere. And the corners of your brain turn up to a grin. While the crumbles dance in the hot pan, the rounds color to a golden brown, and your tongue puddles with anticipation. The final patty is flipped unveiling a brilliant batch of toasted treasures. The belly roars."

The incomplex dish got it's humble beginning 68 years ago when Robert Glier returned from WWII and was like, "I've got an old brewery I can use to make something delicious." Okay, he might not have said those exact words, but in my dreamlike mind as a food entrepreneur, I'd like to imagine his venture into this comestible was as simple as the recipe itself.

Goetta is so well loved and celebrated here in Covington that there's an annual Goettafest (I'm starting to think there's a festival for everything Cincinnati food/drink based, which is totally a-okay in my books and social calendar). Goettafest is held in August (this year from the 7th-10th for any of our out-of-town friends and family who wish to visit and eat the hell out of some goetta) this year and includes a boat load of activities like corn hole (another big-time Cincinnati past time), face painting, live music, belly dancers (performed by goetta-eating belly dancers, I hope) and of course, the opportunity to eat, eat, eat!

Needless to say, I'm stoked...doubly so, for finding a new dish here that I love so much. I'll admit, after leaving Portland and it's copious offerings of charcuterie, vegan cupcakes, pork belly, cheap and delicious Mexican food, etc. I thought it'd be impossible to find ANYTHING that I love here.

Alas, I was wrong. Thank goodness for that.