Pass by the kitchen at Swizzle Inn this week and you might be overwhelmed by the waft of smells — anything from breaded pork schnitzel to spiced apple strudel.That’s because kitchen staff are getting ready to serve up some of Germany’s most beloved dishes and beers in honour of Oktoberfest.Swizzle Inn guest chef Edi Guntl has created an authentic menu and said the celebrations will be bigger than ever. “If you go into our kitchen right now it’s difficult to figure out what exactly is cooking because we have everything from mushroom sauce to roasted pork and goulash soup all going [on the stove] at the same time.“It’s very crazy for a person to go in there and not get hungry,” Mr Guntl said.The 16-day festival regularly sees close to six million people from around the world descend on the beer tents of Munich. Only beers that are brewed within the borders of the city are permitted to be sold.From now until next Sunday, authentic Paulaner beer will be on offer at both the Bailey’s Bay and South Shore Swizzle Inn locations. There will be a beer tent at the Bailey’s Bay restaurant, complete with German made benches and tables, decorations, music, costumes — and, of course, draft beer and schnapps.Residents can sample the chef’s goulash, made with red and yellow peppers, potatoes and a creamy broth that includes red wine and tomatoes. Or they can enjoy an appetiser of potato soup, with bacon, sour cream and carrots. “It’s a hearty Bavarian potato soup and quite chunky,” Mr Guntl said of the second option.When it comes to the main entrée, there are a host of options to choose from, including a slow-roasted veal shank, with red dumplings and gravy or a roasted pork dish, seasoned with salt, pepper, caraway seeds and garlic.The master Bavarian chef said Germans tended not to heavily season their foods and relied on the flavour of the meat to shine though.“Because veal is very strong and has a special flavour, it’s better just to keep it simple with salt and pepper. The German cooking isn’t into heavy spices or seasonings, we don’t put a lot of crazy stuff in [the dishes] because it’s very simple food.”A classic dish on offer will be the breaded pork schnitzel, made Vienna style. The meat is cut and pounded into thin slices, then coated in flour, eggs and breadcrumbs. It is pan-fried in butter and served with potato salad and a slice of lemon.“It’s very well known pretty much around the world and very flavourful and tasty with the potato salad,” Mr Guntl said. “It’s a light dish, more so than the pork roast or veal shank.”For dessert, he recommends the home-made apple strudel, spiced with cinnamon, all spice, rum raisins and sugar and topped with a vanilla sauce. He said the flavours together reminded him of the warmth of the Christmas holiday.If that’s not to your liking you can try the German Black Forest cake — named after the speciality liquor of that region. It is comprised of several layers of chocolate cake, heavy whipped cream and cherries.Mr Guntl first dreamed of becoming a chef as a teenager when he saw a television commercial with chefs behind a buffet table. “That inspired me to do something for people and I thought ‘it must be nice to have lots of people taste your food and go home happy’. It’s instant gratification.“I also love food and love a nice get-together where we can have normal non-complicated meals and have a good time,” he said.At age 15, Mr Guntl got a job cooking at the Holiday Inn in Munich; years later he became a cook for 1,500 soldiers in the German military. He has been cooking in Bermuda since 1986, when he came to the Island as head chef at the Whaler Inn.One day a few years ago he met Swizzle Inn owner Jay Correia and served him a traditional German beer — the idea for the Oktoberfest celebrations stemmed from that encounter.Swizzle Inn typically celebrate the holiday for a few days, but have extended the festivities this year. Mr Guntl said things in the kitchen were hectic, but fun: “My wife won’t see me for two weeks, but it will be fun and it’s a nice experience.”According to the chef, this is a great opportunity for grown ups to kick back and relax. “Now that children are back to school I think parents need a break and it’s a perfect time right before Christmas.“This is the best way to let loose for a couple of days and not see everything as being so uptight.”To make a booking for the beer tent, call 293-1854 or e-mail info@swizzleinn.com.