Flammkuchen is a South German or French-style thinly rolled flat bread topped with creme fraiche and a variety of toppings, ranging from cheese, meat and even fish.
Originating in the wine district of Alsace, in north-eastern France, bakers would test the heat of their wood-fired bread ovens with a bit of flat dough, resulting in a crisply baked, ultra-thin base. At first glance, it may look like a pizza, but it’s anything but that.
In keeping with the European heritage of the Waibel family, who acquired Constantia Glen, the tasting room offers four flammkuchen options and we were invited to try out this flat bread with a difference. The four flavours include a classic Alpen speck with creme fraiche, leeks, red onion and chives.
The caprese buffalo mozzarella comes with slow-roasted tomatoes and a basil dressing. For the meat lovers, and this was my choice, there is the slow-roasted lamb with creme fraiche, roasted tomatoes, peppadews, feta and rocket, with chimichurri sauce.
The fish option is smoked trout with creme fraiche, red onions, dill, caper berries and salmon caviar.
Each of the options comes recommended with Constantia Glen’s bordeaux-style wines and is also great for sharing.
The paper thin base makes eating your flammkuchen with a knife and fork very tricky, so my dining partner and I both opted to use our hands instead.
I enjoyed my lamb version, which is served on a board, and loved the soft pieces of shredded meat, which worked well with the flavours of the peppadews and chimichurri sauce.
We found the caprese drenched in too much olive oil, which made the base soggy. I also didn’t enjoy the taste as much as I did the lamb.
The flammkuchen is made in a wood-fired oven, served from Constantia’s tasting room and is perfect as light snack. It is available from noon and prices range from R150 to R190.
Also read: How to make #Flammkuchen