The history of Spiessbraten

Enjoying a tasty tradition of more than a hundred fifty years, the history of “original Idar-Obersteiner Spiessbraten”.

For many people Idar-Oberstein is well-known because of precious stones and jewelry that are offered in many shops. They invite you going for a stroll and find something of your taste and purse. There is another attraction completely different to the one mentioned before. It is a special way of roasting meat over an open fire place being done for more than a hundred years. But both are narrowly connected. And the interesting story sticking behind it goes as follows:

When in the 18th century the agate deposits were running out and no longer could provide the local industry and also the quality of the stones decreased, there was a big emigration wave starting. Grinders together with distressed farmers from the mountain range Hunsrück made their way to South America to find a new way of living. Many of them worked as itinerant musicians and soon discovered that there were agate stones of an excellent quality to be found all around, in river beds as well as in the mountains of the Sierra, especially in Brazil. They picked up the stones and sent them across the sea to their old home. It must have been in those days that our emigrants experienced for the first time the way South American Gouchos roasted meat over an open fire. They copied the way of preparing and roasting the meat and soon it became known in Idar-Oberstein.

In the beginning the “Spießbraten” was only for the grinders and their families in Idar-Oberstein, but because of its popularity it spread over the southwestern area of Germany and beyond. Behind almost every house in Idar-Oberstein you nowadays find a place where this special meat is roasted over a fire of dry beech on a grill or on skewers. Beef and pork is taken, but don’t quarrel what’s better. Try it out! It’s the typical scent often wafting through the streets and you soon you can’t and don’t want to escape. So if you get the splendid idea to copy the tasty tradition we kindly present you the recipe. Too much work? – In that case a wonderful solution could be to visit our restaurant ZUM ALTEN GOTEN and be our guests as often as possible.