German cuisine

German Cuisine varies greatly from region to region. The southern regions of Bavaria and Swabia share many dishes among them and with their neighbours to the south, Switzerland and Austria. In the West, French influences are more pronounced, while the eastern parts of the country have much in common with Eastern European cuisine and the cuisine of northern Germany bears significant similarity to the cuisines of Scandinavian countries.

Eating Habits

Breakfast (Frühstück) commonly consists of bread, toast, and/or bread rolls (Brötchen, Semmeln, Broodje, Schrippen, Wecken or Rundstücke) with jam, marmalade or honey, eggs, and strong coffee or tea (cocoa for children). Deli meats, such as ham, salted meats and salami, are also commonly eaten on bread in the morning, as are various cheeses. A variety of meat-based spreads such as Leberwurst (literally liver-sausage) can be found during breakfast as well. Muesli and cereals such as cornflakes are also popular.

Traditionally, the main meal of the day is lunch (Mittagessen), eaten around noon. Dinner (Abendessen or Abendbrot) is a smaller meal, sometimes only consisting of a couple of sandwiches.

Meat

Pork, beef and poultry are the main varieties of meat consumed in Germany, with pork being the most popular by a substantial margin. Among poultry, chicken is most common, although duck, goose, and turkey are also well established. Game meats, especially boar, rabbit, and venison are also widely available around the year. Lamb and goat are also available, but for the most part are not very popular. Horse meat is regarded as a speciality in some regions but consumption is sometimes frowned upon.

Meat is usually pot-roasted; pan-fried dishes also exist, but these are usually imports from France. Throughout Germany, meat is very often eaten in sausage form. There are more than 1500 different types of sausage in Germany.

Fish

Trout is the most common freshwater fish on German menus, although pike, carp, and European perch are also frequently served. Seafood was traditionally restricted to the northern coastal areas — except for the once-ubiquitous pickled herring. Nowadays many seafish like fresh herring (also as rollmops), sardine, tuna, mackerel, and salmon have become well established throughout the country. Prior to the industrial revolution and the ensuing pollution of the rivers, however, salmon was so common in the rivers Rhine, Elbe, and Oder that servants complained about being served salmon too often. Freshwater fish are often served grilled.

Other seafood is not often served, but mussels and North Sea shrimp — which unfortunately are very expensive nowadays compared to imported shrimp — can be found sometimes.

Vegetables

Vegetables are often eaten in stews or vegetable soups, but can also be served as a side dish. Carrots, turnips, spinach, peas, beans, and many types of cabbage are very common. Fried onions are a common addition to many meat dishes throughout the country, although they are almost unknown in Bavarian cuisine. Potatoes, while a major part of the diet, are usually not counted among vegetables by Germans. Asparagus, especially white asparagus, is particularly enjoyed in Germany as a side dish or as a main meal. Sometimes restaurants will even devote an entire menu to nothing but asparagus. However, consumption of fresh asparagus is traditionally limited to the time before St. John's Day (June 24th).

Side Dishes

Noodles are usually thicker than Italian pasta and often contain egg yolk. Especially in the southern part of the country, the predominant variety of noodles is Spätzle which contain a very large amount of yolk. In recent years, however, Italian-style pasta has very nearly supplanted the traditional varieties, and even Spätzle are often made with durum wheat and no egg yolk. Besides noodles, potatoes and dumplings (Klöße or Knödel) are very common, especially in the south. Potatoes entered German cuisine in the late 18th century and were almost ubiquitous in the 19th and 20th centuries, but their popularity is currently waning somewhat in favour of noodles and rice. Potatoes are most often served boiled in salt water, but mashed and fried potatoes also are traditional, and French fries have now become very common.

Drinks

Beer is very common throughout all parts of Germany, with many local and regional breweries producing a wide variety of beers. In most of the country Pils is predominant today, whereas people in the South (especially in Bavaria) seem to prefer Lager or wheat beer. A number of regions have a special kind of local beer, for example the dark Altbier around the lower Rhine, the Kölsch of the Cologne area, which is light but like Altbier uses a more traditional brewing process than Pils, and the very weak Berliner Weiße, often mixed with fruit syrups, in Berlin. Beer may also be mixed with other beverages; pils and lemonade, known as Alsterwasser or Radler, is a popular example. Krefelder is a Beer mixed with Cola.

Wine is also popular throughout the country. German wine comes predominantly from the areas along the upper and middle Rhine and its tributaries; the northern half of the country is too cold and flat to grow grape vines. Riesling and Silvaner are among the best-known varieties. Traditionally, white wine was more popular than red or rosé (except in some regions), and sweet wine more popular than dry, but both these tastes seem to be changing.

Coffee is also very common, not only for breakfast, but also accompanying a piece of cake in the afternoon. Tea is more common in the Northwest. East Frisians traditionally have their tea with cream and rock candy ("Kluntje").

Apfelsaftschorle, apple juice mixed with sparkling mineral water, is a common beverage.

Spezi is a soft drink made with cola and lemonade. In Southern Germany and Austria, Spezi a generic term for a mixture of cola and Fanta (or a similar orange soft drink). In some regions (Emsland) spezi is a mixture of cola and schnapps.

Germans are unique among their neighbours in preferring strongly carbonated bottled waters to non-carbonated ones.

Spices and condiments

Mustard is a very common accompaniment to sausages and is usually very hot. In the southern parts of the country, a sweet variety of mustard is made which is almost exclusively served with Bavarian specialities such as Weißwurst and Leberkäse. Horseradish is also commonly used as a condiment.

Garlic was long frowned upon as "making one stink" and thus has never played a large role in traditional German cuisine, but it has seen a rise in popularity in recent decades due to the influence of French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, and Turkish cuisine.

Generally, with the exception of mustard for sausages, German dishes are rarely hot and spicy — the most popular herbs are traditionally parsley, cardamom, thyme, laurel, and chives, the most popular spices are black pepper (used in small amounts), juniper berries and caraway. Other herbs and spices like basil, sage, oregano, and hot chilli peppers have become more popular in recent times.

Desserts

A wide variety of cakes and tarts are prepared throughout the country, most commonly made with fresh fruit. Apples, plums, strawberries, and cherries are used regularly on cakes. Cheesecake is also very popular and almost always made with quark (food). German doughnuts are usually balls of dough with jam or other fillings inside, and are known as Berliner, Pfannkuchen or Krapfen depending on the region.

A popular dessert in northern Germany is "Rote Grütze", red fruit jelly, which is cooked from black and red currants, raspberries and sometimes with strawberries or cherries. It is traditionally served with cream, but also common with vanilla sauce, milk or whipped cream. "Rhabarbergrütze" (rhubarb jelly) and "Grüne Grütze" (gooseberry fruit jelly) are variations of the "Rote Grütze".

Ice cream and sorbets are also very popular. Italian-run ice cream parlours were the first large wave of foreign-run eateries in Germany, becoming widespread in the 1920s.

Bread

With regard to bread, German cuisine is more akin to Eastern than to Western Europe. The country boasts at least 300 different types of bread, ranging from white wheat bread to grey bread (Graubrot) and "black" (actually dark brown) rye bread (Schwarzbrot). Most types of bread contain both wheat and rye flour (hence Mischbrot, mixed bread), and often wholemeal and seeds (such as linseed, sunflower seed, or pumpkin seeds) as well. Pumpernickel, a Westphalian black bread, is not baked but steamed, and has a unique sweetish taste.

Bread is a big part of the German diet, and usually eaten for breakfast and as sandwiches in the evening, not as a side dish for the main meal. The importance of bread (Brot) in German cuisine is also illustrated by words such as Abendbrot (supper, literally Evening Bread) and Brotzeit (snack, literally Bread Time). In fact, one of the major complaints of German expatriates in many parts of the world is their inability to find acceptable local breads.

Bread rolls

Bread rolls, known in Germany as Brötchen, Semmel, Schrippe, broodje,Rundstück or Weckle/Weckli depending on the region, are common in German cuisine. They are typically cut in half, and spread with butter, margarine or mayonnaise. Cheese, meat, fish or preserves is then placed between the two halves, or on each half separately, known as an open sandwich.

Specialities by region

Baden

Snail soup
Brägele, sliced potatoes pan-fried in lard
Knöpfle, similar to Spätzle, but thicker rather than long
Schupfnudeln, pasta made from potatoes and flour, often served with Sauerkraut
Flädlesuppe, broth with thin strips of German-style pancakes
Bibbeleskäs, cottage cheese

Bavaria (Bayern)

Weißwürste ('white sausages') — a speciality from Munich (München), traditionally eaten for second breakfast. Always accompanied by sweet mustard, pretzels, and wheat beer, even on working days, although companies usually set a limit on the amount of beer that may be drunk during work hours.
Weizenbier (wheat beer)
Knödel (dumplings made from potatoes or white bread)
Schweinebraten (pot-roasted pork)
Leberkäse (a type of meat pie)

Bremen and Lower Saxony

Kohl und Pinkel (kale, very slowly cooked, with bits of rather salty sausage; a typical winter dish)
Heidschnucke (a type of goat)
crabs
Knipp

Franconia (Franken)

Bratwurst: Beef, pork or veal sausages, served fried or grilled with sauerkraut or potato salad and mustard, or simply in a bread roll (Bratwurstsemmel). They vary greatly in size and seasoning from region to region. The best-known sausages are from Nuremberg (Nürnberg).
Klöße: Large dumplings made from bread dough or mashed potatoes. The best friend of pot-roasted meats or mushroom ragout.
Schäuferla: Pot-roasted pig shoulder with a crunchy crust, seasoned with salt, pepper and caraway. Served in a dark sauce, made from the roast stock, meat broth, dark beer, onions and carrots. Accompanied by dumplings and sauerkraut or red cabbage.
Hochzeitssuppe ("wedding soup"): A spicy meat broth with bread dunplings, liver dumplings and finely sliced pancakes.
Lebkuchen (gingerbread): The most famous German gingerbread is, again, from Nuremberg.

Frankfurt am Main and Hessen

Green Sauce (Made from minced and an abundant amount of seven fresh herbs namely borage, sorrel, cress, chervil, chives, parsley, and burnet. Served with boiled potatoes and bardboiled eggs)
Frankfurter sausage, a smoked sausage made from pure pork, which is eaten hot and usually accompanied by bread and mustard. Not to be confused with the American hot dog "Frankfurter".
Apfelwein (dialect: Äbbelwoi), wine made of apples, somewhat comparable to Cider and French Cidre though much stronger and tastier. Best enjoyed in traditional "Äbbelwoi-Lokalen". Served in a special mug (the "Bembel"), drunk with a special glass ("the Gerippte").
Sauer Gespritzer, apfelwein mixed with sparkling water. Very refreshing, usually served during summer.
Handkäs mit Musik, a strong cheese made from curdled milk served in a dressing (the "music") from vegetable oil, vinegar, caraway, salt and pepper and sliced onions. Usually served with rye bread and butter.

Hamburg

Labskaus (made from corned beef, herring, mashed potatoes and beetroot and served with a fried egg and a gherkin)
Birnen, Bohnen und Speck (literally "pears, beans and bacon". These ingredients are cooked together into a stew)
Aalsuppe (literally "eel soup") a sweet and sour soup from meat broth, dried fruits, vegetables and herbs, but normally without eel.
Jükääg is a speciality popularized by the plattdüütsch speaking minorities of Northern Germany it is a form of Cabbage Roll.

Palatinate (Pfalz)

Saumagen (Pork stomach)

Rhineland (Rheinland)

Sauerbraten
Potato fritters (Reibekuchen) with black bread, apple syrup, sugar beet syrup or stewed apples
Blood sausage (Blutwurst) crude or fried
Himmel un Ääd (literally Sky and Earth) mashed potatoes with stewed apples and fried blood pudding
Halve Hahn (literally Half Rooster), actually not a rooster at all but a cheese sandwich with onions, the name is based on a wordplay (Cologne)
Rice pies, apricot pies and pear pies in Eschweiler
Mussels
Grünkohl
Eintopf

Saarland

Dibbelabbes (A potato hash prepared from raw grated potatoes, bacon and leeks, and baked in a Dibbe, or pot)
Geheirote (lit. "Married ones", Potatoes and dumplings made of flour served with a creamy bacon sauce)
Schwenker or Schwenkbraten (pork steaks, marinated in spices and onions and broiled on a grill that hangs on a chain over a wood fire)

Swabia (Schwaben)

Maultaschen (A distant relative of Italian ravioli)
Zwiebelkuchen (onion pie)
Käsespätzle (Spaetzle (a kind of noodles) and fried onions gratinated with cheese)

Thuringia (Thüringen)

Thuringian Bratwurst, red to grey in color, stuffed in a natural casing of pig intestine, unlike the white Franconian variety
dumplings made of raw potatoes
hearty meat dishes with rich sauces
Mutzbraten: pound (!) of pork, roasted on open birchwood fire, served with sauerkraut
delicious cakes

Westphalia (Westfalen)

Pickert (potato pancake)
Grünkohl und Kohlwurst (curly kale and cabbage sausage)
Westfälischer Schinken (smoked ham)
Möpkenbrot (bread, which is made of rye flour, pig-blood, milk, eggs, fat, salt and pepper)
Rumpsteak (rump steak)

Other famous dishes

Hasenpfeffer (peppered hare)
Schweinshaxe (pork hock)
Spanferkel, a grilled whole young pig
Speckpfannkuchen (large, thin pancakes with diced, fried bacon)
Sauerkraut (pickled shredded cabbage)
Spaetzle (hand-made noodles used extensively in southern Germany and Alsace)
Stollen (a bread-like cake with dried citrus peel, dried fruit, nuts, and spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, usually eaten during the Christmas season as Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen). The best-known Stollen is from Dresden and is sold at the Striezelmarkt Christmas market, which derives its name from the cake.
Marzipan f.e. Lübeck style (widely used in Christmas specialities)
Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes, often with diced bacon and/or onions)
Currywurst, warm sausage cut into slices and seasoned with ketchup and generous amounts of curry powder, usually served with French fries — a popular snack originating in early 1950s Berlin. Boiled sausage is used for this in Berlin and northern Germany, Bratwurst in the Ruhr Area and southern Germany.
Kartoffelsalat (potato salad, which comes in many varieties, for example in a cream or mayonnaise dressing or even in meat broth. Often served as a side dish to bratwurst or boiled sausages)
Pfefferpotthast (pepper-beef stew)
Rindsroulade (beef roulade, thinly pounded sirloin steak, rolled around mustard leaf and a pickle, then baked)

Foreign influences

With the rising influx of foreign workers after World War II, many foreign dishes have been adopted into German cuisine — Italian dishes like spaghetti and pizza have become a staple of German cuisine. Turkish immigrants have also had a considerable influence on German eating habits — Döner kebab, a meat sandwich invented by Berlin Turkish immigrants, is Germany's favourite fast food, selling twice as much as the major burger chains put together. Chinese and Greek food are widely available and popular. Indian, Thai and other Asian cuisines are rapidly gaining in popularity. Many of the more expensive restaurants used to serve mostly French dishes for many decades, but they are increasingly turning to a more refined form of German cuisine since the 1990s.

External links

Meanwhile many German food can be ordered online for example at German Deli, German Grocery, Germany's Best and many more...