Day 10 - Rhine Falls; Black Forest, Germany

The Rhine Falls are the largest plain waterfalls in Europe.

The falls are located on the Upper Rhine between the municipalities of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen, near the town of Schaffhausen in northern Switzerland. They are 150m wide and 23m high. In the winter months the average water flow is 250 cubic meters per second, while in the summer, the average water flow is 700 cubic meters per second.

The falls cannot be climbed by fish, except by eels that are able to worm their way up over the rocks.

The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg, with an elevation of 1,493m. The region is almost rectangular with a length of 200km and breadth of 60km. The name Black Forest goes back to the Romans who referred to the thickly forested mountains there as Silva Nigra, i.e. Black Forest, because the dense growth of the conifers in the forest.

The German dessert Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte literally "Black Forest cherry torte".

The typical Black Forest cake consists of several layers of chocolate cake, with whipped cream and cherries between each layer. Then the cake is decorated with additional whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate shavings. In some European traditions sour cherries are used both between the layers and for decorating the top. Traditionally, Kirschwasser (a clear liquor distilled from tart cherries) is added to the cake, although other liquors are also used.

German statutory interpretation states Kirschwasser as a mandatory ingredient, otherwise the cake is legally not allowed to be marketed as Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte.

The cake is not named directly after the Black Forest mountain range but rather from the specialty liquor of that region, the Schwarzwalder Kirsch. This ingredient, with its distinctive cherry pit flavor and alcoholic content, gives the cake a special kick. Cherries, cream, and Kirschwasser were first combined in the form of a dessert in which cooked cherries were served with cream and Kirschwasser, while a cake combining cherries, biscuit and cream probably originated in Germany.

Schwarwalder Kirschtorte was first mentioned in writing in 1934. At the time it was particularly associated with Berlin but was also available from high-class confectioners in other German, Austrian, and Swiss cities. In 1949 it took 13th place in a list of best-known German cakes, and since that time Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte has become world renowned.