Löwensenf (“lion’s mustard”) from Düsseldorf, which is a really spicy mustard, much spicier than Dijon mustard.
Also, the Germans eat horseradish. Traditionally, horseradish was eaten with salmon, obviously in times when the fish was not fresh. Later, horseradish was watered down with cream and today we do not eat horseradish any more together with high-quality salmon.
There are few dishes which were prepared with good amounts of pepper, e.g. Pfefferpotthast, a Westphalian beef stew. However, the amounts of pepper which were listed in historic recipes disappeared with time. Same with Sauerbraten, another dish from medieval times which was rather spicy.
German cuisine became rather bland, partly because hot spices did not grow in Germany but had to be imported, so they were very expensive.
However, after WW II, exotic spices became available again and some Germans learned to like spicy food, first from the Balkan, later also from China, Turkey, U.S. or Mexico. After the war, the Currywurst was invented, a bratwurst in a ketchup-like sauce with curry powder. Some like to spice it up, even with pure capsaicin.
However, most Germans still have a problem with spicy food. The first chilis (“peperoni”) were served in Balkan restaurants, but quickly, mild peperoni replaced the hot ones. A couple of years ago, the first habanero chiles occured in Germany. Today, you can buy habaneros which aren’t hot anymore. Very strange.
