Sausages, beer and cabbage are the first things that come to mind about German cuisine. The Germans are not considered gourmets, unlike, for example, their French neighbors. There is an opinion that Germans eat solely to live, and not for pleasure. Fatty fried foods, an abundance of meat, especially pork, and potatoes are the basis of the diet of the average German. Let's go through the most popular dishes in Germany and find out why they are so good, no matter what!
Or “Koningsberg-style bedbugs.” The dish is named after the city of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) - the former capital of East Prussia. These are meatballs made from chopped veal with onions, eggs and anchovies. Meat balls are stewed in a creamy sauce with the addition of lemon juice and spices, which gives the dish an unusual, piquant taste. The dish is common both in restaurants and in German home kitchens.
Maultashen are large, square-shaped dumplings the size of a palm. In the traditional version, minced meat is prepared from a mixture of sausages, onions and white bread swollen in liquid. There is a vegetarian option where cheese and spinach are mixed. Well, then there are as many options as the cook’s imagination allows - any fillings from sweet to savory. Maultaschens are usually boiled over low heat and served with broth, but as a variation you can find a version fried in butter.
A favorite dish of sailors is prepared from a mixture of salted meat and vegetables. The beef is boiled together with beets, mixed with pickled onions and passed through a meat grinder. The mass is stewed in cucumber brine and lard. Finally, crushed boiled potatoes are added and served with fried eggs and pickled cucumber. Beets give the minced meat a red color, which causes erroneous associations that the meat is raw - this is not the case.
It is impossible to imagine German cuisine without sausages, of which there are about 40 types! Sausages are the most popular street fast food in Germany. They're grilled and served like a hot dog, on a bun with sauce and toppings, or on a plate with sauerkraut and potato salad—the perfect beer snack.
Another hit street food is currywurst: pork sausage is deep-fried and mixed with a sauce of tomato paste and curry ketchup. Serve the dish in a disposable plate with French fries on the side. The Germans love this dish so much that in 2009, the Currywurst Museum opened in Berlin, which explains the origins of the dish and the intricacies of its preparation.
It seems that the magic word “kebab” is found in the cuisines of most countries around the world! Kebab came to Germany with Turkish workers, one of whom founded a business, becoming a street vendor. A hearty sandwich of meat and vegetables wrapped in pita bread, seasoned with aromatic sauce and spices, quickly won the hearts of the Germans.
Schnitzel is popular not only in Germany. The traditional German version of the dish involves using veal or turkey fried in breadcrumbs. The top of the dish is crispy, but the inside remains juicy. The Germans like to serve schnitzel with sauces: mushroom, cream, lingonberry or tomato. Washing down a schnitzel with cold beer is a sacred thing for a German.
Cheese spaetzle are noodles that are placed alternately in a heat-resistant form in layers with hard cheese (as in lasagna), and glazed onions are served on top. The dish is sent to the oven to melt the cheese and served with vegetable and potato salad. A must-have dish at German beer parties.
Meat rolls made from a mixture of bacon, pickles, onions and mustard. The resulting minced meat is wrapped in thinly sliced pieces of beef and boiled. The finished dish is briefly stewed in wine sauce and served with mashed potatoes, pickled cabbage or potato dumplings. In Germany, Rouladen is considered a holiday dish.
A traditional German dish is sour roast. A dish that takes a long time to prepare is considered weekend or holiday food. The meat (in the original recipe, horse meat, which can be replaced with beef, rabbit or pork) is marinated for several days in a cool place in a sauce made from wine vinegar diluted with water or red wine with the addition of onions, carrots and spices. Then the meat, dried with a napkin, is fried and sent to simmer along with the marinade and vegetables. To soften the taste of vinegar, it is recommended to sweeten the sauce. Serve the meat with boiled potatoes, pasta and salad.
Perhaps German cuisine cannot be called refined and sophisticated, like French cuisine, but it is certainly satisfying and varied enough that everyone can find something to their liking.