On Got It?

Before you got it, you have to get it … and in Cincinnati, it’s Goetta (get-uh). Goetta? Yep … Goetta, which is actually another original Cincinnati dish.

Goetta is a local breakfast sausage whose roots go back to Cincinnati’s German heritage. Many of the local German immigrants were peasants, so to make to get more out of their beef and pork; they added oats and spices as salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme into a sausage mixture. Today, Glier’s Meats is the largest manufacture of Goetta, producing over 1 million pounds annually of this local culinary treat.

I’m not a life-long local, so I didn’t grow up with Goetta – nor has it been part of our household. Therefore, this past weekend we attended our first GoettaFest, a 3-day festival held along the Kentucky side of the river that features all-things Goetta.

Sponsored by Glier’s Meats, each food vendor must offer three Goetta dishes, two non-Goetta dishes, and one dessert – and there’s the additional challenge of no duplicates among vendors. In the end, GoettaFest offerings include Goetta Wraps, Goetta Gyros, Goetta Kabobs, Goetta Fish Tacos, Goetta Gumbo, Goetta Goobers, Goetta Brownies, Goetta Shepherd’s Pie, Goetta Pizza, Goetta Coney, Goetta Steak and Eggs Sandwich, Goetta Hoagie, Goetta Egg Roll, Goetta Hash, Goetta Nachos, Goetta Rueben, Fried Goetta Balls, Goetta Mac’n Cheese, Goetta Fried Rice, Goetta Corn Dogs, Goetta Sushi, and more!

Along with past-post features Skyline Chili and Graeter’s Ice Cream, you can add Goetta to local Cincinnati culinary treats. Because Cincinnatians want to take care of their own who have moved away and spread the word to others who want to know, these local products and others are part of packages that can be purchased through Cincinnati Favorites.

Consider Cincinnati Favorites as a possible gift for that hard-to-buy-for person. After all, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is a Cincinnatian, and that’s the recent birthday present he sent President Obama.

Now that you’ve got it, learn more about Goetta below.

Enjoy this short news report about Goetta.

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Enjoy this report about GoettaFest.