Heaven and Earth: a Rhenish classic pairing mashed potato (earth) with unsweetened apple puree (heaven) and blood sausage (Blutwurst) or fried liver and onions. The name refers to the combination of root vegetables from underground and fruit from the tree. A dish eaten in Cologne since at least the 18th century and still present on every traditional Brauhaus menu.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Haus Töller on Weyerstrasse in Cologne occupies one of the oldest buildings in the city; cash only, no website, evening-only Rhenish classics in a historic.
Why locals love it: No website, no tourist marketing, no menu online. Walk past twice and you've missed it.
Lommerzheim in Cologne-Deutz has served the city's most argued-over pork chop since 1959; cash only, closed Sundays, unchanged since Mick Jagger ate there.
Why locals love it: On the Deutz east bank away from the tourist centre; no concessions to comfort or modernity.
Brauhaus Putz on Engelbertstrasse in Cologne's Südstadt is a neighbourhood Brauhaus serving Kölsch, Halve Hahn and Rhenish classics in a traditional interior.
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