Are there any traditional German desserts that are low in sugar or do not contain sugar at all?

Volker Eichener

Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

Dessert and no sugar is a contradiction in terms. Desserts are defined by being sweet. The sweetness may come from sugar, from honey (which is, in fact, sugar), from fruits (which have not enough sugar, so sugar is added) or from artificial sweeteners (I don’t think you mean this).

Take Rote Grütze. It is cooked of red berries, juice, starch (as a thickening agent) and sugar. And since it is not sweet enough it is served with vanilla custard or sweetened cream.

Or Bratapfel. It is a baked apple which is sweetened with a stuffing of marzipan. And served, guess how, with vanilla custard or ice cream.

I do not know what your question aims at.

Are you looking for a healthy dessert with low sugar? Then eat just berries - strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, red or black currant. They are low in sugar. You may add unsweetened yoghurt, Quark (cream cheese) or cream.

Quark with puréed strawberries and strawberry chunks

Blueberry yoghurt

Or eat desserts with artificial sweeteners. Although they are even worse in causing diabetes than sugar.

What is the reason behind Germans' love for currywurst?

 

Volker Eichener

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Following

Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

 How would you describe its taste? Is it comparable to American hot dogs or sausages with mustard and ketchup?

First, it is most often eaten as a quick and inexpensive snack, not as a full meal. You usually get it from a street stand. Insofar, there is a parallel with hot dogs.

The taste is different, however.

The sausage is a bratwurst, not a frankfurter. It is seared or grilled, so it has a neat crust. The sauce is based on ketchup, but it is more flavourful, because it has curry powder in it or at least curry powder sprinkled on top. The better versions of Currywurst are served with warm sauce. Sometimes, you can get Currywurst which is spiced up with hot chili.

Typical way to eat Currywurst

One of the most popular Currywurst stands in Berlin

Currywurst with french fries and mayonnaise

American hot dogs (usually Danish style) are also known in Germany, but not as popular as Currywurst. Hot dogs are messy to eat and they are considered rather bland in comparison to Currywurst which is a warming comfort food.

Is it possible to visit all of Germany's castles?

 

Volker Eichener

Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

Theoretically, yes. But you must start early in your lifetime.

If you do not have to work and if you do not have other obligations and if you have ample funds you might be able to visit 2 castles per day. If you do this on 200 days per year - excluding some time for resting on weekends, for illness and for vacation - you might visit 400 castles per year.

If you maintain your speed you will have visited all 25,000 castles in Germany after 63 years. This means, you should not be older than 20 when you start with your task. And you should be the heir of a billionaire. And you should not have any other interest.

Good luck!

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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.