Oktoberfest's #1 Meal

With over 800,000 rotisserie chickens sold each year at Oktoberfest, the "Hendl" is the most frequently enjoyed culinary delight at the Wiesn. Here are some interesting facts and history of this fest favorite!

Oktoberfest Hendl

Perhaps you learned in German 101 that the word for chicken was "Huhn." In Bavaria it's called a "Hendl." You could also refer to it as Broiler, Hänchen, Hiandl, Hähnle, Hennele, Gockerl, Geggele, Gickerl, Güller, or Poulet. Any way you ask for it, you receive a half of a rotisserie chicken - skin on and well salted to encourage the quaffing of more beer! It comes with no side dishes, and you'll see that most Bavarians will tear into to it with their bare hands. At the end of the eating frenzy, you'll be hard pressed to find anything other than a few bones left on the plate. The locals gobble it all up - the meat, the skin, the fat, and the cartilage.

When you're sitting in the tent, it's interesting to know the logistics of what is happening behind the scenes. The tables seat 10, and if only 1 or 2 people order the chicken, the server will give you a very displeased look. Why? Because he or she has to go stand in the chicken line with other servers to retrieve just 1 or 2 chickens. This takes them out of the flow for quite some time and your table mates will likely notice that their beer supply has dried up for awhile. The server can easily carry 10 chickens at one time, so giving him or her a substantial order like this will make everyone much happier!

The first chicken sales happened at the Wiesn in 1885. Joseph Ammer is credited with the first - and the world's largest - chicken roastery. He was the largest chicken salesman at the Viktualienmarkt back then, so it was only logical that he received the first licenses to sell chicken at the Wiesn. Even Ludwig II, the recluse King famous for Neuschwanstein castle, ate Ammer's roasted chicken. Ludwig only came to the Wiesn on 3 occasions - he hated crowds - but he always ate Ammer's Hendl!

Ammer later made Wiesn history when he introduced an electric-driven rotisserie system that roasted the chickens in front of the hot charcoal. This resulted in even more consistent results and boosted his production significantly. This traditional small tent can still be found on the Wiesn and is now in the fifth generation. They have have 900 seats inside their tent and serve the local favorite beer, Augustiner. You can find out more about this tent at www.ammer-wiesn.de

If you only pay one visit the tent, the Hendl is a must - don't miss out!