Rostock is Germany’s largest Baltic Sea port city — a Hanseatic trading city with a history of maritime connection to Scandinavia, the Baltic states, and Poland that is reflected in its food culture.
Baltic Herring
The Baltic herring (Hering) is the foundation of the regional food culture — smaller and fattier than North Sea herring, brined, smoked, marinated, or fried in dozens of preparations. Rostock’s fish market (Alter Markt) has vendors selling fresh Baltic herring and prepared herring in multiple styles. Matjes (young herring in salt and mild vinegar) is eaten with cream and onions or as Matjesbrötchen (open sandwich) at harbour stands throughout the Baltic coast.
Smoked Fish Shops
Räucherfischläden (smoked fish shops) dot the coastline from Lübeck to Rügen. These small shops sell smoked eel, smoked salmon, smoked trout, and smoked herring directly from local smokehouses, often eaten on-site with dark bread. Several genuine smokehouses operate between Rostock and the island of Rügen — recognisable by the chimney smoke and the smell of alder or beechwood.
Mecklenburg Cuisine
Mecklenburg (the inland agricultural region behind the coast) contributes hearty agricultural food to the regional mix: Mecklenburger Rippenbraten (pork rib roast stuffed with dried plum and onion), Rote Grütze (a red berry pudding served warm or cold with cream), and Spickgans (smoked goose, a Mecklenburg speciality for autumn). These are genuinely regional dishes with a distinct character from the better-known cuisines of Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg.
The Island of Rügen
Rügen is Germany’s largest island (accessible by road bridge from Stralsund, 3 hours from Berlin by train). The white chalk cliffs of Jasmund National Park and the old-fashioned seaside resorts (Binz, Sellin) with their white-painted resort architecture (Bäderarchitektur) make it one of Germany’s most distinctive landscapes. The fish restaurants in the harbours of Sellin and Binz serve the freshest Baltic fish available.
