German Chancellor Angela Merkel is getting a taste of local cuisine when she dines with U.S. President Barack Obama at a formal reception at the White House.

In addition to regionally-sourced ingredients like Maryland crabs, the menu for the state dinner Tuesday evening includes a couldn't-be-more local salad, grown in First Lady Michelle Obama's garden right on White House grounds.

But the chancellor is also getting treated to a take on a taste from her home with an apple strudel for dessert.

The dinner is part of the Chancellor's pomp-filled state visit to the U.S. Guests are dining under the stars in the Rose Garden, just outside the Oval Office. In preparation for the event, the White House carpeted the lawn in white and grey stripes, and white and silver linens adorn the tables.

This is the Obama's fourth state dinner, but the first held outdoors. It is also the first for a European guest-of-honor.