You'll also notice the smell of oil and fried food warming the chilly air. Many of the stalls sell traditional German holiday food like waffles, French crêpes (a type of pancake), bratwurst (a type of sausage), and currywurst (sausages with ketchup). One of the markets in Mainz even had vegan bratwurst, served in a bun with mustard, kind of like a hot dog. Reibekuchen (called Kartoffelpuffer in other German regions), which are essentially the same as latkes: potato pancakes served with apple sauce or sour cream, are also very popular. You'll also find Handbrot (hand bread), which is a fluffy dough filled with cheese, sometimes ham, mushrooms, and sour cream. You'll also find Maronen (roasted chestnuts) and lots of sweets: from chocolate-covered fruit, Lebkuchen (gingerbread), and hot chocolate. There are plenty of tables outside to eat, though you have to stand up since most of them don't have any chairs.
After you've had your fill of food and drink, you can check out the shops in the market. Most of them sell different handicrafts like handmade gloves and scarves, decorative candles, wood carvings, nutcrackers, snow globes, glass decorations, and Christmas tree ornaments. My favorite decorations were definitely the candles, since their designs were so detailed. Many were shaped like angels, Biblical figures, pine cones, Christmas trees, and traditional German houses and landscapes. The wood carvings are also really detailed. They're done on thin wood, and I was lucky enough to see how the machine carves out the tiny details. The market in Cologne also had special stained-glass angels.
