What's the first food that comes to mind when you think of Germany? Bratwurst? Schnitzel?

Perhaps. But in Michigan's Germanesque town of Frankenmuth, chicken is the world-famous fare of choice, with more than 700 tons of mouth-watering fried chickens served each year.

So how did Frankenmuth become Michigan's favorite purveyor of poultry?

"If you go way, way back, the chicken dinner started with a Mrs. Kern, who owned the Commercial House Hotel," said Herb Zeilinger of the Frankenmuth Convention & Visitors Bureau. According to Zeilinger, Kern first served the dinners to a wedding party who had requested the all-you-can-eat course for their guests. It quickly became a popular offering at the hotel.

"Later on, Grandma and Grandpa Zehnder took over the recipe and started Zehnder's Restaurant," said Zeilinger. "They had eight children, and two of them really became active in the family business."

The two Zehnders who made the Frankenmuth chicken craze what it is today are Edwin, who took over Zehnder's Restaurant along with the original recipe, and William (nicknamed "Tiny"), who moved across the street with a slightly altered recipe and founded the Bavarian Inn.

"The two brothers ended up serving the family-style chicken dinners in friendly competition against each other," said Zeilinger. Both locations anchor the business district of Frankenmuth, and while the Bavarian Inn offers a distinctly German flavor, Zehnder's brings the best of early Americana to life.

"Frankenmuth is so well-known for its family-style chicken dinners," said 2002 NTA Chairman Kathy LeTarte, CTP, of Michigan-based New Horizons Tour & Travel. "My family and I will go every year in October and November just to do outlet shopping and family-style chicken dinners at one of the Frankenmuth restaurants. It's that good."