Discussion
What do you think of German food? What thoughts does it conjure for you?
Whether you've tried it in Germany, in a German restaurant elsewhere in the world, or have never tried it at all (I'm very interested in entirely unfounded preconceptions too!) it would be great to hear your views.
Whether you've tried it in Germany, in a German restaurant elsewhere in the world, or have never tried it at all (I'm very interested in entirely unfounded preconceptions too!) it would be great to hear your views.
V8mate said:
Have you tried any German food or visited Germany? Or are you in the pre-conception camp?
I've been to Germany twice. On one occasion we were staying in a Novotel that did bog-standard international hotel cuisine, and on the other we had sausages and sauerkraut in Munich. I've also had plenty of sausages and sauerkraut off the stand on the German market on Southbank at Christmas.So yes, I've been to Germany, but I've never experienced anything I'd think of as German food other than sausages and cabbage.
Most of what I start off thinking of as German is, I think, actually Austrian? Things like Strudels and Stollen.
Jaegerschnitzel. My all time favourite dish.
Also bratwurst, currywurst, about a million other types of wurst (sausage), a huge range of different types of bread, cold meats, frikadelle (kinda like burgers), stollen, soups, spatzle (egg noodles), white asparagus, lots of stews etc. Also a lot of influence from Poland, Hungary, Holland, Scandinavia etc.
We moved to Germany when I was about 6 years old and lived there until I was 17 (although for the last 5 years I attended boarding school in Scotland, travelling back to Gemany in the holidays).
Also bratwurst, currywurst, about a million other types of wurst (sausage), a huge range of different types of bread, cold meats, frikadelle (kinda like burgers), stollen, soups, spatzle (egg noodles), white asparagus, lots of stews etc. Also a lot of influence from Poland, Hungary, Holland, Scandinavia etc.
We moved to Germany when I was about 6 years old and lived there until I was 17 (although for the last 5 years I attended boarding school in Scotland, travelling back to Gemany in the holidays).
I think most people would think of German food as dull and stodgy, however I think the root of this lies in the way that German language describes food, and how people therefore think about it, rather than the cuisine per se.
Take the humble potato. Whereas French uses umpteen different names to describe the various treatments for it - Duchesse, Dauphinoise, Anna, a la boulangere, vapeur, saute, etc, German more-or-less uses only one: kartoffeln.
Even the word itself sounds heavy, the sounds being produced in the middle/back of the mouth, rather than at the front. Ask for something with whipped cream in German - mit Schlag - and it sounds as though you're asking for a topping of phlegm.
The one redeeming feature of German cuisine for me is the cakes. Even though I'm not much of a cake eater, even I can force down a slice of a delicious German baked cheesecake, or anything with sour cherries on it - ohne Schlag, bitte.
Take the humble potato. Whereas French uses umpteen different names to describe the various treatments for it - Duchesse, Dauphinoise, Anna, a la boulangere, vapeur, saute, etc, German more-or-less uses only one: kartoffeln.
Even the word itself sounds heavy, the sounds being produced in the middle/back of the mouth, rather than at the front. Ask for something with whipped cream in German - mit Schlag - and it sounds as though you're asking for a topping of phlegm.
The one redeeming feature of German cuisine for me is the cakes. Even though I'm not much of a cake eater, even I can force down a slice of a delicious German baked cheesecake, or anything with sour cherries on it - ohne Schlag, bitte.
It's the wurst. 
I'm a fan of german food, it's very underrated on a global scale, probably more so than British. Ironic that the best German restaurants I've ever been to are in the USA, but still, it's good hearty fare. Some of the best breads I've ever had, cracking hams, and German mustard is amongst my favourites.
I'm a fan of german food, it's very underrated on a global scale, probably more so than British. Ironic that the best German restaurants I've ever been to are in the USA, but still, it's good hearty fare. Some of the best breads I've ever had, cracking hams, and German mustard is amongst my favourites.
Kermit power said:
Hackney said:
It's a German word, they speak German in Austria.
Wienner Schnitzel, now you're talking.
Indeed so, but it's still Austrian in origin. For it to be called Wiener Schnitzel, it specifically has to be made with veal rather than pork.Wienner Schnitzel, now you're talking.
Kermit power said:
Indeed so, but it's still Austrian in origin. For it to be called Wiener Schnitzel, it specifically has to be made with veal rather than pork.
The 'Weiner' only means Viennese. It can still be pork or veal. The Austrians do require it to be made clear though, by adding "von Schwein" if it's pork.Cafe und kuchen. Omnomnom.
Meat, potatoes and sauerkraut. Wesiiswurst und mustard. Knoedel. All pleasantly peasant-y, but hardly the final world in cuisine IMO. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but as alluded to above, restaurant menus are all rather one-dimensional.
The German take on "ethnic" foods, e.g. Italian, Chinese and Indian, is noticeably different to how they are in the UK.
Meat, potatoes and sauerkraut. Wesiiswurst und mustard. Knoedel. All pleasantly peasant-y, but hardly the final world in cuisine IMO. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but as alluded to above, restaurant menus are all rather one-dimensional.
The German take on "ethnic" foods, e.g. Italian, Chinese and Indian, is noticeably different to how they are in the UK.
To quote Clarkson.... "sausages that get up and walk home when you push them to the side of the plate"
Seriously though.. having stayed in RIU hotels at destinations popular with Germans, I do have to ask what possesses one to have lashing of cold meat and sauerkraut and heavy dark rye bread for breakfast, thus ignoring all the warm, tasty food on offer... then have more of the same for dinner???
Seriously though.. having stayed in RIU hotels at destinations popular with Germans, I do have to ask what possesses one to have lashing of cold meat and sauerkraut and heavy dark rye bread for breakfast, thus ignoring all the warm, tasty food on offer... then have more of the same for dinner???
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