What are some uniquely German dishes that don't get talked about a lot?

 

Volker Eichener

I start with fish, since most (American) tourists eat German meat dishes.

Forelle Müllerin - trout with almond butter.

Scholle Finkenwerder Art - plaice Finkenwerder style - with bacon bits

Büsumer Krabbenbrot - Büsum-style shrimp sandwich: German black bread (Pumpernickel) with shrimps and fried or scrambled egg

Heringsmarinaden - marinated herring. Herring is abundant in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. We eat salted herring (Matjes), raw herring and fried herring, plain, with rolls or as salads. Just a few examples:

Matjesbrötchen - salted herring roll

Brathering - fried herring, marinated

Rollmops - marinated raw herring, rolled up

Heringssalat - herring salad (often with red beet)

Seezungenröllchen - Dover sole rolls

I stop here. Now, vegetable dishes (or dishes where vegetables play the dominant role).

Semmelknödel mit Pilzen - bread dumplings with mushrooms

Leipziger Allerlei - peas, carrots, asparagus, morel, cauliflower and crayfish

Grünkohl - cale, extremely popular when in season (in wintertime), usually served with bacon, smoked sausage and cured pork

Kohlrouladen - cabbage rolls, stuffed with minced meat

Now, the meat dishes.

Königsberger Klopse - meatballs, Königsberg style with anchovys and capers, in a creamy sauce. One of the most popular German dishes.

Rouladen - beef roulade

Hühnerfrikasse - chicken stew

Kaninchen - rabbit

Rehrücken - venison (rack of roe deer)

Himmel und Erde - Sky and Earth, blood pudding with mashed potatoes and caramelized apple

Mett - raw pork

Now, the one-pot-dishes, stews or rather: thick soups. Made from potatoes, peas, lentils, barley or just vegetables.

Graupensuppe - barley soup

Linsensuppe - lentil soup

Finally, a few desserts.

Kalte Hundeschnauze - cold dog’s snout. A classic for children birthday parties.

Bienenstich - bee’s sting

Frankfurter Kranz - Frankfurt wreath (?)

Maulwurfkuchen - mole pie with banana

Flockensahnetorte - whipped cream pie with lingonberries

I could continue forever…

EDIT:

Thank you all for your comments. Some mentioned that similar dishes occur in cuisines of other countries, like Scandinavia, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Poland, even Ukraine, or France. This is right.

Many recipes are several hundreds of years old and were not invented by a certain chef, but gradually evolved from the products and ingredients which were available in a certain region. Some of these dishes developed before nation states came into existence in the middle of the 19th century. Also, people used to travel, especially between neighbouring countries. So, it is natural that neighbouring countries with a similar climate have the same dishes. Please refrain from claiming that a certain dish is the “national” dish of a certain nation. This would be an ahistoric, nationalist view.

I just listed dishes which are popular in Germany, being aware that they are popular in other countries, too.

Is currywurst considered a traditional German dish or an Americanized version of it?

Volker Eichener

Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

Studied Political Science & Sociology at Ruhr University Bochum. Graduated 1999.

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Interesting story. The Currywurst was invented by Hertha Heuwer who operated a bratwurst and fast food stand in Berlin-Charlottenburg in September 1949. Hertha’s husband worked with American officers and noticed that they put huge amounts of ketchup on their steaks and told his wife.

Once, on a rainy day, when she had no custumors, Hertha cut a bratwurst in slices and played around with sauces and spices, however without much success. But the butcher Frank Friedrich who delivered bratwursts without casings to Hertha helped her to improve the sauce which finally was made up from tomato paste, bell pepper, paprika powder, spices and especially curry powder. Hence, the wurst was named Currywurst.

In the post-war era, this “exotic” version of traditional bratwurst was a huge success. Hertha’s recipe was immediately imitated by other operators of bratwurst stands and quickly Currywurst was sold all over Germany.

There are variations how to make the sauce. The simplest version is to take just commercial ketchup and curry powder. More elaborate versions use onions, fresh tomatoes and fruit to make the sauce.

The typical Berlin-style Currywurst uses a bratwurst without casing. After the war, casings were in short supply, and Frank Friedrich’s partner had developed a procedure to make sausages without casings. In other parts of Germany, however, ordinary bratwursts with casings are used for Currywurst.

The recipe is simple: Just take a bratwurst, sear or grill it, cut it into pieces and put the sauce on it. Sprinkle with curry powder. Recently, some wurst stand operators have started to add ultra-hot chili sauces. One operator in my hometown boasts that he makes “the world’s hottest Currywurst” because, for his number ten, he uses pure capsaicin. But this is a different story.

So, Currywurst is a kind of fusion. The sausage is traditional German. The curry powder came from England, with roots in Indian masala. The tomato-based sauce was inspired by American ketchup.

What is the typical German breakfast? What do Germans usually have for breakfast or brunch on weekends or holidays?

Volker Eichener

Very typical is:

• One or two rolls (alternatively slices of bread) with butter and jam or honey or nougat cream (Nutella), also cold cuts and cheese.
• A bowl of müsli or oats.
• Yogurt.
• A boiled egg.
• Fruits.

Coffee or tea, maybe a glass of orange juice.

Most people would not eat everything, but this would also be a typical breakfast in a 3 star hotel.

A more opulent weekend breakfast, a breakfast together with friends would include scrambled or plated eggs, bacon or ham or smoked salmon.

A brunch in a restaurant includes both typical breakfast items and regular dishes like soups, salads, meat and fish with vegetables and carbohydrates.

Do Germans really eat duck at Christmas?

 

Volker Eichener

Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

Studied Political Science & Sociology at Ruhr University Bochum. Graduated 1999

First, Christmas is three evenings for Germans: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Second Christmas Day. So, we have three special dinners.

Second, there is a great difference between Catholics and Protestants. Especially, on Christmas Eve, many Protestants are decent, eating just potato salad with Frankurter/wiener sausages, while Catholics are more savoring.

Now, what are the savoring dishes, according to statistics?

• For Christmas Day, the most traditional dish is goose. However, for many people (couples, singles), a goose is too big, so a duck is a smaller alternative which has a similar taste, look and feel.
• Alternatively, venison is quite popular as a festive dish.
• Pork roast or beef roast is also popular, although we would not consider these as special dishes.
• Especially for Christmas Eve (not so much for Christmas Day), Fondue or Raclette are quite popularer.

Now, the statistical data:

Christmas Eve:

19% sausages with potato salad

17% fondue or raclette

9% beef or pork roast

9% fish or goose or duck

4% venison

For Christmas Day:

28% goose or duck

15% beef or pork roast

7% venison

5% fondue or raclette

4% fish

What are some traditional German desserts? Are they similar to American desserts or different?

Volker Eichener

We have several types of desserts.

First, we love to eat cakes and pies, but usually not as desserts, but rather as a seperate meal in the afternoon (comparable to British Afternoon Tea, however mostly served together with coffee). Often, cakes and pies are homemade, but we also buy them at bakeries, cafés or even frozen.

Second, we have traditional desserts which are considered as simple. Most typical are simple puddings, including rice and semolina pudding.

This would be a rice pudding with cinnamon:

Even simpler a desserts based on yoghurt or curd (Quark), beaten, sweetened and flavoured with fruit.

This is what we call “Rote Grütze” (actually red grout), cooked berries, served with vanilla sauce:

Children like to eat Wackelpudding, here with woodruff flavour. American friends, does it look familiar?

Fruit salad is also a popular, simple dessert:

Sometimes, we eat desserts which are more filling, often after a smallish lunch or dinner (like a soup), e.g. pancakes, which are made with eggs in Germany, so they are richer than American breakfast pancakes.

Or, we eat just ice cream.

The third type of desserts are the more fancy ones, reserved for festive meals. Here, we eat everything you would find on international menus, like

• Bavarian cream
• Italian panna cotta
• French mousse aux chocolat
• French crème brulée
• Charlotte russe
• Salzburger Nockerln
• etc.

Is it true that Germans greet each other using only their first names...

 

Volker Eichener

Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

Studied Political Science & Sociology at Ruhr University BochumGraduated 1999

... and do not use honorifics like Mr. or Mrs.?

Volker Eichener

Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

Absolutely untrue.

Strangers usually adress each other as “Herr [last name]” (male) or “Frau [last name]” (female). Also, you mention academic titles like “Herr Professor XY” or “Frau Doktor XZ”. If you omit the honorific you are considered very rude. You also use a special grammatical form to adress each other, the “Sie” (instead of the familiar “Du”).

If you are becoming friends, you agree to change to the first name and “Du”, often in form of a brief ceremony that involves interlocking arms and having a drink together.

Exceptions apply for special communities:

• In the Social Democratic Party and in Trade Unions members use “Genosse [last name]” (= comrade) + Du or “Kollege [last name]” + Du.
• In sports, people use first names + Du.
• Students use first names + du (used to be different some 100 years ago).
• In colloquial situations (like in an informal bar, in a rock concert) people use Du.
• At workplaces, colleagues who are on the same hierarchical level often use first name + Du. For adressing higher ranking officers, formalities are even more important, however. In business environments, this is a highly sensible matter. Better start with “Herr” and “Frau” and see, how things evolve.

What are some good German wines?

By Volker Eichener

I start with the most obvious and best-known: riesling. Riesling is a grape that grows well in the rather cool German climate. It is also found in Alsace, California and South Africa. Riesling wines are usually very crisp and have delicate citrus notes, often combined with mineralic accents by the terroir. Good rieslings come from Mosel, Rhein, Ruwer, Nahe, Pfalz, also Baden (where riesling is called Klingelberger). Rieslings can be dry, sweet or very sweet, especially late harvests, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese or the rare Eiswein (wine made from frozen grapes, happens not every year). If the harvest is late, the wine may get a botrytis aroma. Some famous wineries include: Kloster Eberbach (Rheingau). Dr. Loosen (Mosel). Maximin Grünhaus (Ruwer). Robert Weil (Rheingau). Schloss Vollrads (Rheingau). Van Volxem (Mosel). Markgraf von Baden (Baden). Besides riesling, there are some other grape varieties to taste. Something very special is the wine region of Franken (Northern Bavaria). There, the sylvaner grape produces exzellent, aromatic wines with fine mineral tastes. Zehntkeller and Wirsching from Iphofen are great, also Juliusspital from Würzburg. The grape variety that is usually called pinot grigio, in German Grauburgunder, can be excellent, especially in the region Baden. Great producers are Alde Gott and Kellers Schwarzer Adler. A rare and lesser-known grape variety is Auxerrois which grows on the upper Mosel. Fruity, floral wines. Herber is an excellent winery. Germany is not so famous for red wines, but you may give these ones a try: Red wines from the Ahr, both fruity and mineralic, sometimes volcanic: Stodden, Meyer-Näkel, Adeneuer are the best wineries in the region. The premium red wine from Alde Gott, Alte Reben, from Baden is also recommendable.

What's your favorite German dessert, and do you know how to make it?

 

Volker Eichener

Here is my self-developed recipe for a Black Forest Cake, simplified:

Take glasses for portions. Crumble a bit of a brownie into each glass. Sprinkle with kirsch schnapps and press slightly. Add a layer of cherry sauce. Then whip cream with a little sugar and a generous shot of kirsch schnaps. Put the cream on top. Sprinkle with grated dark chocolate.

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