The Sauerbraten Pilgrimage

Rheinischer Sauerbraten is the Rhineland's answer to the question of what to do with a tough cut of beef and a lot of patience. A joint is marinated for three to seven days in a vinegar-and-spice bath - wine vinegar, juniper berries, cloves, bay, peppercorns, onion - until the acid tenderises it and the spices work their way in. Then it's browned and braised slowly until it falls apart, the marinade reduced into a dark, tangy, faintly sweet sauce (traditionally thickened with raisins or gingerbread, depending on whose grandmother you ask). Served with Kartoffelklösse (potato dumplings) and Apfelmus (apple sauce), it's the greatest pot roast in Germany.

The pilgrimage has a built-in rivalry: Dusseldorf and Cologne sit 40 kilometres apart on the Rhine and disagree about everything, especially beer. Cologne drinks Kölsch (light, served in tiny glasses); Dusseldorf drinks Altbier (darker, copper-coloured, served in its own small glass). Eat sauerbraten in an Altbier brewery in the Altstadt, order another round of Alt, and quietly take Dusseldorf's side. It's the right call.