Christmas markets - foods

"Lebkuchen", if you want them, are not 100% exclusive to Nuremberg. "Printen", a close cousin to Lebkuchen, can be found in Aachen, for example. I haven't catalogued my Lebkuchen finds, but you will probably run into them on your own at another market somewhere... If you want them (with the honey?) and aren't going to be in Nuremberg, then where do you plan to be?

The same question applies to your curiosity about vegan food. Christmas markets are not restaurants, so when you say, "I mean a meal," understand that meals of any sort really aren't part of the Christmas market package, and you'll need to seek out some proper vegan food establishments. At the markets, food is done fast-food style, and the food aromas are largely those of sausages.

Gingerbread is very popular in the Alsace area in France, also. I would watch some videos if various markets. I’ve been watching a bunch related to our trip to Cologne and Strasbourg this December. I’ve seen potato soup and grilled mushrooms being served. Fried potato cakes. Lots of pretzels! Not sure if it’s vegan though.

Lebkuchen is sold everywhere! In every city, in every grocery store.

There are vegan options at the markets - vegan crepes, roast chestnuts, grilled mushrooms, baked potatoes and I bet there will be more this year as being vegan and vegetarian are very popular. That said, if you want a meal, go to a restaurant, as they all have vegan options. You don't need to cook in your room.

Check the Colmar Gourmet Market. About 10 restaurants sell a subset of their menus.

There are many non-meat dishes at most markets, but I can't vouch for the fats.

Or just google a restaurant in the area and get take-out.

Depending on where you are, you can probably find something. Lots of potato options (Bratkartoffeln, Pommes, Ofenkartoffel), though you will want to watch the sauces. Soups, though of course you will want to ask as many are flavored with bacon, so check. The same applies to the Champignons. Grünkohl, or green cabbage, is often found at markets. And increasingly, there are stands with vegan specialties.

You should be okay. If not, you can probably duck into a food joint along the way easily enough.

and you may be able to find a stand with vegan non-sausages too. Just look carefully.

Plenty of Lebkuchen and Printen around, although with store-bought and factory check the label for fats etc; especially the chocolate coated ones.

Some Lebkuchen recipes have eggs (Ei/Eier) in them. You will find candied nuts, roasted Chesnuts/Esskastanien etc. As mentioned, fats. Butterschmalz und Schweineschmalz (Clarified butter and lard) are pretty common.

Just searching around, I found this: https://www.veganguide-nuernberg.de/artikel/3/vegan_auf_dem_n%C3%BCrnberger_christkindlesmarkt/
Don't miss the Nürnberg Vegan Map link either. You will need to switch to Vegan or Vegan Friendly, click on the icon name/local will open another page: https://www.veganguide-nuernberg.de/karte/

Some of the best honey I have ever had comes from high up in Alpen pastures. I buy some from the local mountain Imker every year in my Alpen travels.

When visiting the Christmas markets we loved the German potato pancakes with applesauce.

Oh wow! One of the benefits of being on the west coast is that when you get up in the morning there are all sorts of answers waiting for you. Thank you all!

Let me address/clarify a few things.......

For Russ, who is always such a wonderful source of information on Germany.... Where is not yet decided, nor is which year, although it certainly won't be this one. I figured I'd start with the gingerbread question and that might inform things.

We are rather picky eaters, and thus always get a rental with a kitchen. We also always have a list of grocery options, and find exploring local stores and outdoor markets to be quite interesting, as well as tasty. So having some soup (hey, it'll be cold, hot soup is good) waiting for us can be a good thing. And oh yes, we are indeed intimately familiar with Happy Cow, as well as having several searches we do regularly, such as falafel.

We have found the potatoes in Germanic areas to be wonderful, sigh, missing them. Ditto decent breads. Oh, hot potato soup, German breads and a salad, heavenly.

For mchpp, thanks for those links. I will spend some time with Google translate exploring them later.

Ms. Jo, it's nice to know that options for us are increasing. We had a wonderful time when we went to Berlin, so many choices.

I assume that beverages such as gluhwein and kinderpunsch are both vegan?

geovagriffith, potato pancakes with applesauce sounds nice.

Again, thanks to all.

Gluhwein should be fine. After a VERY thorough sampling over the years, we've only encountered versions of different spices or fruit. However, do steer clear of Eierpunsch when you see it on the menu. While delicious, that one is egg-based.

Also, you drew a distinction in your original post between "a meal" and grazing through the Christmas market. My unsolicited advice is give yourself over a market one evening for your meal. Part of the joy of Christmas markets is that they fire up all of the senses, including smell and taste. Even with your more limited options, I bet you can fill your bellies one night with enough food that are you as satiated as a full meal. But doing so at a Christmas market, instead of a restaurant or apartment table, is a wonderful experience to try at least once.

Good luck!!

Actually, in the case of Glühwein you might want to check because some vintners use gelatin and that would make the wine non-vegan. So it would depend on how strict you are on stuff like that.