Characteristic products
Unsurprisingly, pork is a central culinary element in Germany. Wurst, or sausage, is THE country's specialty, and comes in all shapes and sizes, from the famous Bavarian Weißwurst ("white sausage") to the grilled Bratwurst from Franconia and Thuringia, not forgetting the emblematic Frankfurter Würstchen or Frankfurter sausage. Despite its name, Bierwurst - a thick smoked sausage - contains no beer. Blutwurst is the equivalent of black pudding, and Leberwurst is a creamy liver sausage that can be spread on bread.
On the charcuterie side, there's also Leberkäse ("liver cheese"), a finely chopped meat loaf that contains neither liver nor cheese. Alternatively, try Presssack (head cheese) or the excellent Westphalian smoked ham(Westfälischer Schinken), not forgetting Griebenschmalz (bacon spread). Mett is raw minced pork with onions and caraway seeds, served on bread: for discerning palates.
Cheeses include Limburger, a strong-smelling cheese similar to Munster, and Tilsit, similar to Gruyère. Others includeAllgäuer Bergkäse, similar to Emmental, or Rauchkäse, a smoked cheese with a thin brown rind. Weißlacker is nicknamed "beer cheese". It has a very thin rind, a buttery texture and a powerful taste that goes well with beer and rye bread. Originally from Hesse, Handkäse is a small, yellow, dry curd cheese with an intense, piquant taste, sometimes garnished with caraway seeds.
Germans have a real passion for bread, particularly in the form of small loaves(Brötchen) generally made from wheat and/or rye flour - often wholemeal - with a multitude of seeds (sunflower, poppy, linseed, pumpkin, etc.). Pumpernickel, a very dense rye bread whose grainy texture comes from crushed rye grains, is said to have originated in Westphalia.
Classics of German cuisine
Among the many meat dishes on offer, there's the emblematic Rhineland dish of Sauerbraten, beef simmered in a sweet-and-sour sauce. But we'll also devour Eisbein/Schweinshaxe (pork shank), Schäufele (pork shoulder braised with beer), Bouletten (minced beef balls), Rinderrouladen (rolls of beef slices garnished with bacon and baby vegetables), Kasseler Rippen (smoked pork ribs) and Kohlrouladen (cabbage rolls stuffed with meat). Sausages are often poached or grilled and stuffed into a bun with lots of mustard. Invented in Berlin in 1949, Currywurst is a grilled sausage topped with a ketchup and curry sauce, which is eaten all over the country. Himmel und Erde - literally "heaven and earth" - is a Westphalian dish of mashed potatoes and applesauce, topped with slices of black pudding.
Weihnachtsgans, or roast goose, is a Christmas classic, served with cabbage, potatoes and Teltower Rübchen, caramelized turnips. Suckling pig(Spanferkel) is also popular for special occasions. Krustenbraten is a pork roast with a crispy skin. Of Austrian origin, Schnitzel - better known in France as escalope viennoise - is eaten all over the country. Goulash from Hungary (a meat stew with paprika) has made its way to Germany.
The Rhine and its many tributaries have long shaped a taste for fish in the region: eel, perch, pike, bream, carp, tench and more. Although far from the sea, the Ruhr has always been a hub of communication, and cities like Cologne have been receiving seafood, such as herring, since the Middle Ages. Very popular, herring is eaten in the form of Matjes (young herring in brine), Bismarckhering (slices of cold herring, marinated in vinegar and onions) and Rollmops (rolls of marinated herring with gherkins and small onions), often stuffed into a roll(Fischbrötchen).
Sauerkraut is a common side dish, often garnished with bacon and sausages, as in Alsace. Potatoes, meanwhile, are served as Bratkartoffel (fried potatoes with bacon) or Reibekuchen, rösti-type potato pancakes of Rhenish origin. Dibbelabbes or Döbbekuchen is a kind of gratin of grated potatoes with onions, egg and sausages, of Rhenish origin. Another popular dish is Knödel. They can be made with bread(Semmelknödel), bread and bacon(Grammelknödel), potatoes(Kartoffelknödel) or steamed buns(Böhmische Knödel). Finally, Pitter und Jupp is a pot of kale, leek and smoked sausage. Spätzle are homemade noodles eaten from Alsace to Austria.
Soups are very popular, such as Brotsuppe (fragrant bread soup with beer, onion and cream), Hochzeitssuppe or "bride and groom soup" (poultry soup with chicken dumplings and small vegetables), Pfannkuchensuppe (broth with strips of herb-salted pancakes) or Kraütlsuppe, a fine herb soup with croutons. Not forgetting Leberknödelsuppe (liver dumpling soup) or Griessnockerlsuppe (semolina dumpling soup). Originally from Cologne, Kölner Erbsensuppe is a thick split pea soup.
Salads include Kartoffel-Gurkensalat with potato and cucumber, or Wurstsalat with sausage strips, gherkin, radish and pickled onion. Zwiebelkuchen is a tart with onion, bacon and cream.
Desserts and drinks
Germans have a love affair with pastry. The Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (black forest), with its layers of cocoa sponge cake, whipped cream and cherries in syrup, is a must. There's alsoApfelstrudel, or apple strudel, and Topfenstrudel (cottage cheese strudel). Baumkuchen, or "tree cake", is a tube of pastry baked on a cylinder over embers. And let's not forget a multitude of fruit tarts(Obsttorte) such as Zwetschgendatschi with quetsches or the ever-popular Rhabarberkuchen with rhubarb.
Bienenstich ("honeycomb") is a brioche cake with flaked almonds and a vanilla-honey cream filling. Typically Bavarian, Prinzregententorte is a multi-layer cake alternating chocolate buttercream and apricot jam, topped with chocolate icing. Frankfurter Kranz is a crown cake topped with rum buttercream, red fruit jam and caramelized almond slivers. The airy Flockensahnetorte features layers of choux pastry and whipped cream topped with cranberry purée. More classic, Käsekuchen is the German equivalent of cheesecake, always baked, usually on a pastry base. The Slavic-inspired Mohnkuchen is a tart filled with poppy-seed pastry.
There are many Danish-inspired Viennese pastries(Kopenhagener), such as the Franzbrötchen, vaguely similar to a cinnamon-scented croissant. Further south, you'll find theAllerseelenzopf, a brioche braided with raisins and pearl sugar, prepared for All Saints' Day, or the Germknödel, a steamed brioche filled with powidl (spiced plum jam), sprinkled with sugar and poppy powder and topped with custard. Dampfnudel are small brioches - sometimes filled - steamed in a milk-water-butter mixture. Gugelhupf is the local equivalent of Alsatian kouglof. Stollen is a dense brioche from Saxony, very popular at Christmas, filled with pieces of marzipan and candied fruit, and covered with a thick layer of powdered sugar.
Doughnuts are also very popular, such as the classic Berliner Pfannkuchen, round doughnuts usually filled with jam, chocolate or custard. Also worth mentioning are Apfelkücherl, tasty apple fritters, and Kaiserschmarrn, a soft raisin pancake that's torn into pieces. The whole thing is sprinkled with powdered sugar and flaked almonds, then served with applesauce.
Germany's Christmas markets - some of the finest in Europe - feature 1001 cookies, such as Nürnberger Lebkuchen, gingerbread cookies that can be molded into a heart shape or coated with chocolate or sugar icing. Other examples include Schachbrettkekse (cocoa-vanilla checkerboard) or Braune Kuchen (gingerbread cookies without icing).
Rote Grütze is a red fruit compote topped with vanilla custard. Bavarian cream, or Bayerische Creme, is said to have originated in Bavaria, but the current recipe was developed in France. Finally, Germans are passionate about confectionery and are even the3rd biggest consumers of chocolate in the world, with almost 8 kg per capita per year. The Lübecker Marzipan, for example, are small, high-quality marzipan bites, usually coated in chocolate, which have been awarded a PGI (protected geographical indication).
Germans are famous for their love of coffee, which is often enjoyed with a dash of cream(Sahne), whipped or otherwise. There are also delicious hot chocolates, generous in size and often topped with whipped cream. Tea is very popular in the north-west of the country, where it is commonly served with milk and candy sugar(Kluntje). Sparkling drinks and sparkling water are also very popular. These includeApfelschorle, a mixture of apple juice and sparkling water, and Spezi, a soda combining cola and orange juice.
Beer, schnapps & wine
At 100 liters per capita per year, Germans are the 4ᵉ biggest consumers of beer in the world, and the country is the 5ᵉ biggest global producer. A multitude of varieties can be found across the country, although lager pilsner is predominant, while wheat-based white beer(Weißbier) is consumed particularly in Bavaria. Bock is a powerful beer that comes in many forms, such as doppelbock, which ranges from golden to dark brown, with notes of toast, and is between 7 and 12°.Altbier, a dark beer, comes from Düsseldorf and the Lower Rhine, while Kölsch, a blond, comes from Cologne. In summer, order a Radler (sometimes called " Alsterwasser " in the north), a refreshing mix of lager and lemonade, similar to our panaché.
But Germany is also the 9ᵉ biggest wine producer in the world. The wines of the Rhine Valley and Franconia are the most renowned. Sylvaner, müller-thurgau and riesling are the most important white grape varieties, while domina and pinot noir account for the majority of red wines. White wines account for around 80% of all wines produced in the country. At Christmas markets, Glühwein (mulled wine with spices and orange peel) is a must.
Lovers of strong spirits should pack a bottle of Schnapps. In German, this vague term describes various types of strong spirits around 40°. The more precise Obstwasser or Obstler refers to fruit brandies (pear, apple, plum, quince, etc.), such as the popular cherry-based kirschwasser or kirsch. Steinhäger is a variety of gin, produced in Steinhagen, north-east of Dortmund.
