typical german food

Sausages

When we think typical german foodinevitably we come to mind sausages. Indeed, its gastronomy has more than fifteen hundred different types of them. But German cuisine is much more than this product.

Thus, the southern territories such as Bavaria o swabian share recipes with their neighbors Switzerland y Austria. Similarly, in the west there are influences from the famous French cuisine and in the north there are coincidences with the Dutch and Scandinavian cuisine, especially when it comes to fish. However, Teutonic cuisine has some common characteristics. We are going to show them to you and then talk about typical German food.

Characteristics of German cuisine

Sauerkraut

Sauerkraut, one of the most typical side dishes of German cuisine

As we were saying, German cuisine is much more than sausages and beer. The latter is, perhaps, the typical drink of the country par excellence, but there are also good wines. In fact, the country has sixteen wine regions that roughly coincide with the plains of the great rivers such as the Rhine, the Elbe or the Moselle.

The grape varieties that grow the most are Riesling and Silvaner. To give you an idea of ​​the importance of wine in German culture, we will tell you that there are places called weinstube. They would be equivalent to our wineries and even, in the months of grape harvesting, the winefests. They are parties that celebrate it and during which they drink, logically, wine and eat onion cakes called Onioncake.

On the other hand, in general terms, German gastronomy is characterized by offering concentrated and strong flavors. Another of its outstanding elements is something as basic as bread. exist about three hundred different types of bread in the country. It is no coincidence, therefore, that it has two museums dedicated to this food.

Regarding the diet and customs of the Germans, the main meals are breakfast and lunch. Instead, dinner is lighter. The first consists of coffee or tea, eggs, rolls and pastries, cold meats and cheeses. Regarding this food, it is characteristic of Bavaria and, by extension, of much of Germany bauernfrühstück o farmer's breakfast, which consists of potatoes cooked with butter, caramelized onions, bacon, eggs and black pepper.

The central meal of the day usually has a main course, usually meat with a side dish. This can be pasta, vegetables or vegetables. Then he has dessert. However, in the southern regions, perhaps due to the influence of the Mediterranean countries, there is a custom of appetizer. they call it bread time o imbis and usually consists of beer and bread with sausages, smoked meats or cheese.

Regarding dinner, it is done around seven in the evening and it is similar to our afternoon snack. It barely consists of a couple of sandwiches. However, this has changed a lot in recent times. Now, the Germans also eat dinner in a more complete and nutritious way.

Finally, we will tell you about the places where you can try typical German food. Logically, you have restaurants and breweries in every city in the country. But, as a curiosity, we will tell you that there are messes. They resemble Spanish canteens and you can find them in universities. They are places that offer self-service food, but quite cheap. Despite this, it eats quite well. In fact, the German magazine only choose each year the best mansa in the country. But, once we have explained all this to you, we are going to introduce you to the dishes that make up typical German food.

the pretzel

Bretzel

Various types of bretzel, the most common bread in typical German food

We begin with this bread, which is perhaps the most representative of the more than three hundred in Germany. It is a kind of large and thin loop that is native to the area of Bavaria. There are two recipes to make it: one is bread-type and softer, while the other is cookie-style and more consistent.

However, you can ask in Germany, as we said, many other types of bread. Among others, you have whole, wheat and rye (the latter is known as pumpernickel), onion and with pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

The sausages

Sausages

wieners

We have already told you in passing about a product as German as sausages. But we have to delve into what they mean in the gastronomy of that country. We have also mentioned to you that there are more than my five hundred types of them. Broadly speaking, they consist of different minced meats and other condiments.

Likewise, they are prepared, above all, in two ways: grilled or rostbratwurst and scalded or Brühwurst. By region, the thuringian sausage, whose recipe is secret, although it is known that it contains pork and spices such as caraway and marjoram.

Germans eat sausages in many ways. They make it like we do, in hotdogs, but they prefer other ways. Thus, for example, accompanied by a potato salad called kartoffelsalad or with The popular sauerkraut. The latter is also used to accompany many other dishes. It consists of a salad of cabbage filaments that have undergone lactic acid fermentation. As a result, it has a strong acid taste.

Kartoffelsuppe and other soups

beer soup

a beer soup

Typical German food includes many varieties of soup. In general, it is strong recipes to get warm. Among them, the call Potato soup, which is made with meat broth, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and some meat component, mainly sausages.

More curious is the beer soup, which is prepared with this drink, meat broth, butter, onion, pieces of fried bread and a little chives. is also done asparagus soup o pumpkin. And, as a curiosity, we will tell you that they prepare, like us, garlic soups. But they do not use the teeth to prepare it, but the leaves. Thus, its color is green and its flavor is very different.

For its part, the soup flädle is typical of Bavaria and is made with pieces of meat cut into slices, bay leaf, pepper, chives, parsley and salt. A lighter variant is Soup of knödel, which has these balls of semolina, onion, carrot and nutmeg. More forceful is the pea soup, which is traditional in North Rhine-Westphalia, as it is usually served with sausages and bread.

Knuckle: the Eisbein

Eisbein

Eisbein: knuckle with sauerkraut

One of the meats preferred by Germans is pork. They also consume a lot of veal and poultry such as chicken, goose or goose. Also, game such as wild boar or roe deer, nor rabbit or goat are not lacking in their diet. They even eat a lot of horse meat, especially in the lower saxony.

But, going back to pork, one of his favorite parts is the knuckle, which is used to cook the dish called Eisbein. Logically, it has knuckle prepared in the oven at a low temperature to achieve the desired texture. and is accompanied by sauerkraut, boiled potatoes, mashed peas and even meatballs. However, it is also simply prepared roasted and it is not the only way of consuming pork that the Germans have.

It is precisely in the region that we have just mentioned that the Saxony cutlet or Kasseler. Like the one we eat here, it is a smoked and salted pork chop. But they usually accompany her also sauerkraut or vegetables.

Schnitzel or Viennese escalope

schnitzel

Schnitzel or Viennese escalope

Despite its name, it is a widely consumed dish in Germany and also in Italy and even Spain. because it is nothing but a breaded veal escalope. That is to say, it is the Milanese escalope that we know in our country. Furthermore, its name here is most appropriate, as the first written mention of this recipe was found in a Milanese manuscript from the XNUMXth century.

However, its preparation is special. It is not enough to bread the meat and fry it. Previously, it must be hit with a mallet to soften it. Then it is passed through wheat flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs. And, finally, it is fried in butter. The result is delicious and, as we told you, it is part of the typical German food.

herring and other fish

rollmops

herring rollmops

The Germans are not very given to large fish preparations. One of the most popular appetizers in the country, however, is the rollmop, which is a herring fillet rolled in pickle or onion and marinated in vinegar. It is also valued the trout from the area of ​​the Black Forest, which is usually prepared in papillot.

As for shellfish, they come from the North Sea. In the regions near this it is customary to take a type of small shrimp called scratch At breakfast. They are also consumed rhenish-style mussels, which have a sauce of white wine, onion, carrot, leek, lemon, parsley and black pepper.

Strudel and other pastry products

Black Forest cake

A Black Forest cake

We finish our tour of typical German food in the country's pastries. One of its most famous preparations is the strudel. Although originally from Austria, is widely consumed throughout Germany. It consists of a puff pastry pie that is filled with different creams or pastes and covered with icing sugar. The most popular is the apple one.

But it also has German cuisine with delicious cakes. One of the most famous is the black forest, which has layers of chocolate biscuit dipped in kirsch that alternate with cream and cherries. Finally, it is culminated with chocolate shavings as well.

Also delicious is cheesecake o Käsekuchen, which is prepared with ricotta or quark cheese, eggs, cream, sugar and other ingredients. Normally, it is served cold and accompanied by cranberry sauce.

In conclusion, we have shown you the main dishes that make up the typical german food. Logically, there are many others like the spatzle, which is round-shaped pasta accompanied by different products. Or the Frikadellen, which are a kind of fried meatballs that have minced meat, egg, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper and are served with tartar or white sauce. Don't you think they are delicious recipes?


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