German Food and Drink
What is the first thing that pops into your head when you think about German food? Lots of sausage, beer and bread? Well yes, Germans love their cold meats, refreshing beers and freshly baked breads but there is actually a lot more to German cuisine than “sausage”. Did you know, for example, that in the afternoon most German people have coffee and cake?
They also enjoy a continental breakfast, which includes crusty rolls with either cheese, cold meat, jam or a chocolate spread. Cereal or Muesli with milk or yoghurt is another popular breakfast choice. Coffee, tea or juice is a welcome beverage in the mornings.
Lunches and dinners vary in Germany as every county has its own specialities. Let’s have a closer look:
Baden-Württemberg
- Maultaschen ⇨ pasta filled with various ingredients, for example meat, spinach or onions
- Spätzle ⇨ soft, thick noodles, served with gravy as a side dish
- Käsespätzle ⇨ same as above but served with cheese and onions as a main dish (see picture right)
- Zwiebelkuchen ⇨ a warm onion cake, served in the autumn months
- Suser ⇨ a type of wine from the Lake Constance region, that’s mostly served together with “Zwiebelkuchen”
- Black Forest Gateau ⇨ famous cake that’s made of cream, chocolate and cherries
Bavaria
- Weisswurst ⇨ a white sausage served with sweet mustard, pretzels and beer, often served for breakfast
- Leberkäse ⇨ (literal translation “livercheese”) sliced up sausage usually eaten in a bread roll with mustard
- Kartoffelsalat ⇨ potato salad
- Lebkuchen ⇨ gingerbread
- Radler ⇨ shandy
Berlin
- Currywurst ⇨ hot pork sausage served with ketchup and curry powder (see picture right)
- Pfannkuchen/Berliner ⇨ jam filled doughnuts
- Kartoffelpuffer ⇨ a mix of grated potatoes, eggs and spices; fried in a pan and served with apple sauce
Hamburg
- Frikadelle ⇨ pork/beef “meatball”
- Rote Grütze ⇨ a jelly dessert made from berries served with custard
Hesse
- Frankfurter Würstchen ⇨ smoked pork sausage
- Apfelwein ⇨ apple flavoured cider
Lower Saxony
- Kassler ⇨ salted pork dish served with potato salad
Saxony
- Stollen ⇨ Christmas cake (see picture right)
Thuringia
- Thüringer Sausage ⇨ the most famous and possibly tastiest German sausage
- Thüringer Klöse ⇨ dumplings made of potatoes, often served with Sauerkraut
Westphalia
- Pumpernickel ⇨ dark rye bread
- Herrencreme ⇨ vanilla flavoured cream and rum
If you ever go to Germany, try and order the regional specialty. You won’t regret it.
GUTEN APPETIT 😀