German Oriented Foods

Most famous German foods began as regional specialties.

German cuisine centers around traditional regional foods. Meals tend to be hearty, with ample portions of meat and bread, accompanied by dumplings, cabbage and potatoes. Germans regularly enjoy beer, rich coffee and homemade cakes and strudels.

Breads and Starches

Hearty rye bread is a German favorite.

German bakeries are legendary, and their breads are generally heavier, healthy whole-grain varieties. Muesli, a whole-grain and fruit breakfast cereal, features regularly at the German breakfast table. Germans once considered spaetzle and knodel--dumplings made from flour and eggs--to be peasant food, but now they are common everywhere.

Meats

Germany produces more than 1,500 varieties of sausage.

Ham is another food important to Germans. Hams are classified as raw or boiled, with the pine-wood smoked Black Forest ham perhaps Germany's most well-known variety.

Sausage-making is a longstanding German tradition, producing more than 1,500 types of sausage nationwide. These include liver sausages, blood sausages, bratwurst and the world-famous frankfurter.

Vegetables

Sauerkraut accompanies bratwurst and potatoes.

Potato pancakes, red cabbage and pickled vegetables round out a typical German meal. Germany's most famous pickle, sauerkraut, contains shredded white cabbage that is layered with salt in large vats. Over time, the mixture ferments, producing the lactic acid that gives sauerkraut its tangy flavor.

Beverages and Sweets

Germans prefer regional beers to national brands.

Germans prefer to drink sparkling mineral water, dark-roasted coffee and local or regional beers. Germans commonly eat sweets in the afternoon with coffee, and these include butter cakes, gingerbread and doughnuts called "Berliners."

References

• Food in Germany: Food By Country
• Food from Germany: Guide to German Foods and Beverages

Resources

• German Food Guide and Directory