Schleswig-Holstein has over 120 varieties of cheese made from cow's, sheep's and goat's milk. Produced to new as well as traditional recipes, most of them are made by hand in artisan dairies. The Schleswig-Holstein Cheese Route runs right through the region for more than 500 kilometres, linking all the producers and events involved with this gourmet dairy produce. It also takes in several places of interest and of course the wonderful Schleswig-Holstein scenery.

The recipe for Thuringian bratwurst , as enjoyed by Goethe, is 600 years old. But aside from the pork, marjoram, caraway and garlic, the full recipe remains a closely guarded secret among the 3,000 or so Thuringian butchers. All we do know is that the sausages have to be cooked over hot charcoal and weigh around 150g. Thuringia's ultimate fast food simply has to be accompanied by authentic Thuringian mustard. At Germany's first bratwurst museum, in Arnstadt, you can see the earliest known documentation of bratwurst , which dates from 1404.

Tales of emperors, an almighty blaze and even the devil surround this baked treat. One thing's for certain. Printen is a gingerbread that can be hard or soft depending on how much honey is in the recipe. Whatever the texture, it always tastes heavenly, especially when topped with nuts, almonds or cherries. Printen came into being when Napoleon cut mainland Europe off from imported sugar supplies. The bakers sweetened the dough with sugar beet syrup, giving Aachen Printen its distinctive flavour.

Berliners have many regular habits – but nothing beats the doner kebab. The very best vegetarian doners are served at Mustafas Gemüse Kebap kiosk. Or if you don't fancy a kebab, Curry 36 serves currywurst nearby – so nearby in fact that the queues for the two takeaways sometimes get tangled up.

Founded in 1924, Abtshof specialist distillery in Magdeburg is a long-established company. Today, it is best known for its Absinth 66 – a drink that enjoyed cult status on the French arts scene in the 1920s.

Düsseldorf is home to a great many traditional and inviting bars and restaurants, gourmet establishments and other foodie havens. Some of these are indisputably among the best in Germany. The overwhelming pull of the city's famous altbier lures visitors to the old quarter, where more than 260 bars and restaurants provide plenty of opportunity for sampling Düsseldorf's top-fermented beer.

Asparagus growing has a long tradition in Lower Saxony . The marked trail known as the Lower Saxony Asparagus Route links major asparagus-growing areas such as Burgdorf, Nienburg, Braunschweig and Gifhorn. The asparagus museum in Nienburg is dedicated to this seasonal vegetable, which is served from the end of April to the end of June, usually with potatoes, ham and hollandaise sauce.

A cake that looks like a tree. Original Salzwedel baumkuchen (tree cake) is undoubtedly the Altmark region's most famous speciality. This delicacy has been baked for over 200 years. The cake is not cut into wedges like a torte, but served in small crescent-shaped slices. That way you can clearly see the 'tree rings' inside.