Travelling to a different country and experiencing a different culture offers a prime opportunity to try flavours and sample dishes that aren’t available back home. Germany provides interesting cuisine that’s full of flavour.
Known for being rich, hearty, and delicious, Germany’s love of food is easy to appreciate when travelling to its many cities, towns, and villages. There are a number of dishes that can kick-start your culinary education on your upcoming trip to Germany or gap year abroad. Here are 10 of the must-tries.
Spätzle
Germans aren’t known for their love of pasta but this speciality is well loved by locals and visitors alike. Spätzle is an egg noodle/pasta hybrid.
The pasta is made from a simple dough of eggs, flour, salt and sparkling water. Some cooks replace this sparkling water with beer for an extra kick.
Spätzle is typically a vegetarian dish, but is also paired with roast pork and sprinkled with crispy onions for a meatier alternative.
Currywurst
You may have tasted currywurst at a Christmas market, but nothing prepares you for the original. Germany’s favourite fast food item consists of a steamed then fried pork sausage. The sausage is then cut into bite-sized pieces, and seasoned with spicy curry ketchup. Yum!
Bratkartoffeln
Bratkartoffeln is a side dish that many visitors look to recreate once they get back home. The dish was created as a way to use leftover potatoes, which are fried until golden brown and then sprinkled with onions and bacon.
Schnitzel
This dish is where German, Austrian and Italian cuisine merge. The result? A thin slice of tender pork covered in breadcrumbs.
You’ll find this staple in many traditional German restaurants. You can also sample the chicken and turkey versions of this famous dish.
There are many variations of schnitzel. Dishes are available with a range of sauces, including Jägerschnitzel (served in a mushroom sauce), Zigeunerschnitzel (with bell pepper sauce) and Rahmschnitzel (which is accompanied by a creamy sauce).
Rouladen
Rouladen is a German meat dish that has had a 21st century makeover of late. Traditionally the recipe calls for a bacon, mustard, onion and pickle mix to be wrapped in thin slices of steak or veal. The succulent rolls are then browned in butter, before being simmering in a beefy broth.
These days vegetarian rouladen is widely available. If you’re looking for the original, look out for ‘rinderrouladen’ on the menu.
Maultaschen
Maultaschen or Swabian ravioli are deliciously stuffed, dumpling style parcels. The filling is usually a mixture of minced meat, smoked meat, spinach, onions, and breadcrumbs seasoned with several aromatic herbs and spices. In addition, other equally tasty fillings are also available.
Maultaschen has been eaten in Germany for many years. The recipe is said to be created by a hungry monk as Stuttgart Tourist Board explains:
“Legend has it that a resourceful monk at the Maulbronn monastery did not want to refrain from enjoying meat during the fasting period. Therefore he simply mixed the meat with a spinach and vegetable mixture and wrapped it in noodle dough for the purpose of hiding it from God: This is how the nickname ‘Herrgottsbescheißerle’ (God cheater) was born.”
Fischbrötchen
Fischbrötchen is certain to be the best fish sandwich you’ve ever tasted. The dish originates from northern Germany and uses the freshest fish to deliver a simple yet flavoursome snack.
The fish used in fischbrötchen is usually pickled herring, but you’ll find fischbrötchen with salmon, shrimp, crab and fried fish too. The sandwich is finished with fresh or dried onions, pickles, and a dollop of remoulade sauce.
Flammkuchen
When thinking of pizza, Germany doesn’t spring to mind. But flammkuchen or German pizza is putting the country on the map.
Smoky, crispy, and salty: this rectangular, super thin pizza is definitely worth a try. Instead of the tomato base found traditionally on Italian pizzas, flammkuchen dough is covered in crème fraiche before being topped with bacon and caramelised onions.
You’ll find flammkuchen with a variety of toppings, including a sweet version made with apples, cinnamon and liqueur.
Rote Grütze
Why not follow your hearty main with a delicious dessert? Pudding doesn’t get much sweeter than rote grütze.
Popular in northern Germany and Scandinavia, rote grütze is a combination of red fruits (namely blackcurrants, redcurrants, raspberries, strawberries and cherries) which are cooked in their own juices to create a compote. This red fruit pudding is served with ice cream, cream or vanilla sauce.
Bienenstich
Bienenstich or bee sting cake is a delicious soft yeast dough filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with honey and almond. Crunchy, soft, and sweet, bienenstich is an authentic German pudding that’s difficult to make but worth all the effort.
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