Appetite for Sylt? You must try these 7 culinary highlights

Sylt is an Eldorado for gourmets. From oyster to sugar - on Sylt not only fish lovers get their money's worth. In the cooking pots of the Frisian island are, in addition to tasty classics, always new surprises. Our 7 delicious tips are guaranteed to whet your appetite on Sylt.

1. Fish roll

Fish rolls are not only available on Sylt. But many are convinced, nowhere they taste better than on the northernmost island of Germany. If each tourist during its stay on Sylt would supply itself also only with two fish rolls, then per year on the average about 2 million fish rolls wandered over Sylts fresh counters into the mouths of the visitors. There must be a special reason for the great popularity. Fish is not only healthy, but on Sylt it is also mostly fresh from the ship. In addition, a wide selection ensures delicious variety: mackerel, herring, eel, striped salmon or shrimp and a roll become a culinary treat without much frills. Popular places for fish roll fans are, for example, Fisch Matthiesen in Hörnum, Fisch Blum in Tinnum or the Hafenkiosk 24 in Rantum. An absolute must for every fish lover, however, is a fish roll from the island legend GOSCH. The company was founded on Sylt in 1967. Meanwhile it stands nationwide for finest fish kitchen. From List to Westerland, you can fish for your personal favorite fish roll in 11 branches on Sylt alone. Those who travel with the FRS Sylt ferry "RömöExpress" or "SyltExpress" can already get in the perfect mood for the "Sylt experience" during the crossing with a delicious GOSCH fish roll and other culinary delights. Ahoy Sylt!

2. Oysters "Sylter Royal"

Oysters are more than just a fancy snack on Sylt. The tradition of oyster farming in the region around what is now Sylt dates back to the 11th century. Even in the Stone Age, oysters were among the most important sources of food there. No wonder, because the maritime preciousness has it all: It is rich in iron, iodine, calcium, magnesium and B vitamins. This, together with its high protein and low fat content, makes it a real "super food" from today's perspective. However, their great popularity in the past led to overfishing of the European oyster. As a result, oyster fishing on Sylt was stopped at the end of the 20th century. Attempts to cultivate the shellfish on site failed again and again. It was not until 1986 that Dittmeyer's Oyster Company in List succeeded with commercial cultivation. With a new oyster species, the Pacific rock oyster, a legally protected brand product was created under the name "Sylter Royal". The Sylt delicacy tastes nutty and tangy and is also a royal treat due to its high meat content. Whether pure, with lemon, butter, truffle, bacon, au gratin, smoked, baked, as an appetizer or main course - once cracked, it proves how much creative variety it contains. No wonder it is part of the fixed repertoire of Michelin-starred restaurants on Sylt. It can also be found on the menu in restaurants without Michelin awards. For example, it cannot be missed in the cult restaurant Sansibar in Rantum. However, the Sylter Royal plays the unrestricted leading role on the menus of the Lister Austernperle and, of course, in Dittmeyer's Bistro in List, where you can also attend oyster seminars.

Sansibar

3. Dike lamb

Sylt not only has first-class fish to offer. The Sylt salt marsh lamb is definitely one of the die-hard classics. Known as " dike lamb", it is characterized by a natural, discreetly salty taste. Following its already slightly salty mother's milk, the lamb feeds exclusively on grass and herbs from the Sylt marshes. The meat is therefore lean, but still juicy and can be found on many menus of the island restaurants.
There are hardly any limits to the culinary variety: Who likes it hearty, is happy about braised knuckle with rosemary potatoes or shoulder roast with red cabbage. But also dike lamb bolognese or dike lamb meatballs make the mouths of friends of regional cuisine water. No matter in which variation: Dike lamb dishes belong to the original, typical Sylt cuisine - as it is in demand today more than ever. More and more chefs are once again focusing more on local products and taking new inspiration from traditional recipes. Try the dike lamb creations at Richter's in Rantum or, if it may be more noble, at the star restaurant Bodendorfs's in Tinnum. However, if you prefer to prepare the Sylt dike lamb yourself, you will find it at the weekly market in Westerland, for example.

4. Wine

What can't be missing from a special meal? A good wine. Since 2013, this has also been harvested, processed and partly stored on Sylt. Climate change is only partly responsible for this. The specially bred grape variety "Solaris" defies the changeable and often harsh weather of the island. Near the famous village church in Keitum, a group of cooperatively organized autodidacts and the Palatine winery Ress each cultivate an area of vines. However, one looks in vain for a vineyard on the island. The robust grapes grow here in vine meadows. The result: two tangy country wines with different notes. While the cooperative's "Sölviin" is somewhat fresher with aromas of pear, gooseberry or quince, the "Söl'ing" from the Palatine winery Ress has notes of peach, pineapple and mango. The wine is offered in selected restaurants on Sylt. Anyone who wants to buy a bottle for home should get a move on. Currently, only just over 1,000 bottles per year are sold in Sylt's grocery stores, at selected wine retailers and in the online store. By the way, the grapevine is not the only Mediterranean plant that has now established itself on the northernmost tip of Germany. You can even make use of original Sylt lemons to refine a noble oyster feast. 

5. Tea

Do you associate tea culture with England or Asia? Then you will be surprised to learn that the official tea world champions also live on Sylt. With a proud 300 liters per head, the Frisians as a whole make it to the top of the world tea drinkers. The Sylt tea culture itself goes back to the 18th century and is part of the island's established customs. When it's "Teetied" (Frisian for tea time) on Sylt, guests are welcome at the table. People sit down together, they talk, they drink tea. Even if you have not yet been able to appreciate the hot infusion drink, the special coziness of the Sylt tea houses will certainly inspire you. In summer, the outdoor seating enchants with a cozy garden ambience. The personal favorite tea variety finds itself there then as by itself. Popular tea houses on Sylt include the Kleine Teestube or the Kontorhaus, both in Keitum. In the Sylter Tee Company in Westerland or in the Sylter Teehaus Teekula in Tinnum you can stock up for tea enjoyment at home. Try a "Sylter Sturmtief" or an original "Schietwetter Tee". No wonder that the names of many Sylt tea creations refer to the weather there. Whether they like it or not, weather-related for residents as well as visitors of the island sometimes means: wait and drink tea.

Kontorhaus Sylt

6. Rose sugar

You can smell Sylt. Anyone who has been to Sylt even once in the summertime associates a very specific smell with the island. The heavenly scent of the Sylt dog rose "Rosa Rugosa". By the thousands, the bright pink blossoms of the extremely prickly hedges open from May onwards. They grow along the dune slopes or line numerous Sylt gardens as a natural border. From there they exude their lovely and at the same time spicy aroma, which promises summer, beach and pure nature. The "rough rose", as the Latin name translates, defies wind and weather and thrives even in the sandiest soils - as if made for Sylt. Arriving on the island only about 100 years ago, the Sylt hedge rose has always inspired culinary inventiveness. Sylt's star chefs, such as Johannes King (Söl'ring Hof), swear upon the Ruga Rosa and have developed numerous products and recipes around the rose. For the Sylt rose sugar, the leaves are harvested by hand, gently dried, finely grinded and mixed with fine-grained sugar. It not only lends the incomparable Sylt aroma to pastries, desserts and - in the form of syrup - cocktails, but also provides a particularly attractive visual note. The rose is also used in rose gin, rose cake and rose sparkling wine. You can buy Sylt rose sugar and other rose products in selected stores on the island.

7. Frisian cake

No culinary trip is complete without a sweet sin. To round off a trip to Sylt adequately, the unrestricted enjoyment of an original Sylt Friesian cake is recommended. While the Frisians are generally said to be rather sober and modest, the Sylt coffee tables can be a bit more generous: The Sylt Friesian cake consists of a fine puff pastry base, a thick layer of delicious plum jam and an even thicker layer of whipped cream. What the Kirschtorte is to the Black Forest, the Friesian cake is to Sylt. It tastes good in every season and best in one of the many cozy cafés on Sylt. Usually the owners serve here personally and also the Friesian cake comes from their own oven. Many people praise the Friesian cake at Café Lund in Hörnum or at Kupferkanne in Kampen. Some calorie-counting apps might sound the alarm at the sight of it, but you should enjoy this piece of Sylt culture - all in the name of healthy mindfulness - without remorse.

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Schedule

Schedule

Our FRS Sylt ferries "RömöExpress" and "SyltExpress" shuttle up to 32 times daily between Havneby on Römö and List on Sylt. In summer, the last ferry departs for Römö at 9 pm. This way you can enjoy Sylt particularly long.

https://www.frs-syltfaehre.de/en/schedule/schedule-2021
Both of FRS Syltfähre's ferries driving

Fleet

Our ferries "RömöExpress" and "SyltExpress" run up to 32 times a day between Römö and Sylt. On board, you can expect a restaurant with delicious dishes as well as a selection of GOSCH products, shopping opportunities and open decks with beach chairs, lots of fresh air and a North Sea feeling.

Fleet