Ethnic Cuisine: Germany
Geography
Germany is a nation that until a few years ago was divided in two parts, West and East Germany. Reunited since 1990, it is now, with its capital-designate, Berlin, one of the largest, most populated and productive European countries, covering about 137,828 square miles with an estimated population of 81,912,000 people.
Germany is a federation of sixteen smaller states: Baden-Wuertenberg (with Stuttgart as the capital); Bayern/Bavaria (with the city of Muenchen/Munich); Brandenburg (with Potsdam); Bremen (with Bremen); Hamburg (with Hamburg); Hessen (with Wiesbaden); Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (with Schwerin); Niedersachsen/Lower Saxonia (with Hannover); Nordrhein-Westphalen (with Duesseldorf); Rheinland-Pfalz (with Mainz); Saarland (with Saarbruecken); Sachsen (with Dresden); Sachsen-Anhalt (with Magdeburg); Schleswig-Holstein (with Kiel); Thueringen (with Erfurt); and Berlin (with the internationally known city of Berlin, which is both capital of the state and capital designate of the country). Germany is located in the heart of Europe and borders Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Germany is not only BMW, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Braun kitchen appliances, and Kaiser cake pans. It is a land of northern flat and green lowlands, northeastern wide lakes and woodlands, northwestern and eastern rich coal fields, western long and winding rivers flanked by steep sided valleys lined with vineyards, and a southern region famous for its castles, and for events like "Oktoberfest" (Festival of October).
Germany is, more importantly, Germans, with their "Gemuetlichkeit" (friendly joviality), their hearty cuisine that has adapted to healthy trends and tastes of recent immigrants, their dairy products and sausage industry, and their cheering spirit, which in time has given impetus to an industry of beers, wines, and distilled spirits, like Hacker-Pschorr and Lowenbrau beers, Asbach Uralt brandies, Joseph Freiderich's wines, and Fuerst Metternich Sekt.
Regional Cuisines
Typical German cuisine varies according to each German state's culinary tradition, to its regional agriculture, and to the new tastes of new Germans who have settled in the reunited Germany. Nordrhein Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland and Baden-Wuertenburg's traditional specialties, for example, include ingredients typified in the agriculture around the Black Forest and the Rhein river, and by a wine tradition influenced by the proximity to Belgium, France and Switzerland. They include dishes like the "Badener Schneckensuepple" (a snail chowder flavored with herbs), "Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte" (Black Forest cake), and "Rheinischer Sauerbraten" (beef roast stewed with wine).
Bayern/Bavaria and Hessen's cuisine, with their abundance of beer, meats, and dairy products, feature specialties like "Spannferkel" (spit roasted baby pig), "Handkaes" (a smelly type of cheese mixture made with sour cream) and "Schwaebische Kasespaetzle" (small drop-shaped flour dumplings topped with cheese and butter).
Thueringen, Bremen, and the Saxonian states (Niedersachsen/Lower Saxonia-Sachsen-Sachsen Anhalt), include "Dresdner Stollen" (a holiday fruit cake shaped like a wrapped infant and covered with confectioner's sugar), "Blechkuchen" (a simple flat layer of cake dough covered with seasonal fruit), and "Welfenspeise" (vanilla flavored dessert made with wine).
Schleswig Holstein, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg and Berlin, with their access to the North and Baltic Seas, their availability of spices, and their exchange of culinary know-how with Scandinavian and Eastern countries, include "Rote Gruetze" (fruit soup), "Sauerfleisch" (meat in aspic made with fish gelatin), "Bulletten" (meat balls), "Helgolander Krabbensalat" (Helgoland shrimp salad), and "Soeier" (pickled eggs).
Principal crops grown now throughout the German states and used in its regional way of cooking include hops (Germany is the second largest producer in the world), sugar beets, barley, wheat, potatoes, oats, and rye. Cabbage and carrots are the most important vegetable crops, and apples, pears, currants, strawberries, and raspberries are the most important fruit crops.
A typical German meal today may include from two to seven courses. It is commonly made up by an appetizer (Vorspeise), a soup (Suppe), a main course (Hauptspeise) with one or two either raw or cooked side dishes (Beilagen). After-meal treats are called "Nachspeise." With a fine meal, Germans drink either beer, wine or "Sekt" (champagnoise type sparkling wine). With their meals, young and old Germans also like to drink soft drinks that have interesting names like "Radler" (literally translated, "bike rider" -- a light beer mixed with lemonade or apple juice) or "Limo" (sweetened sparkling water combined with lemonade).
Throughout the day, Germans love to drink drip coffee brewed in large automatic coffee makers with either paper or metallic filters, and then serve majestic "Torte" or "Kuchen" (cake). No good German "Hausfrau" would want to be so rude to not serve coffee and cake to her welcomed guests! German coffee is usually lighter in caffeine content compared to Austrian and Italian coffees. When it is very light it is also called "Bluemchenkaffee" (small flower coffee). The tradition of this last term originates from wartime, when real coffee was substituted with the roasted roots of chicory, which has a small blue flower.
German Recipes
Wurstsalat (Sausage salad)
serves 4
Everybody in Germany likes to prepare Wurstsalat once in a while. It is very easy to make and is one of those German specialties that best reflects the German food industry. It is either made with fine grain sausages like Knackwurst or Frankfurter. German summer afternoons spent at home working in the garden often end with a meal of wurstsalat. Wurstsalat is also an everpresent item in almost all the menus of German inns and restaurants.
4 precooked cold knackwurst, peeled, and sliced thin (about 3/4 of a pound)
1 small onion (about 2 oz.), trimmed, peeled, sliced thin
salt (to taste )
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
3 Tablespoons wine vinegar
4 Tablespoon vegetable oil
In a salad bowl combine sliced knackwurst and sliced onion. In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Pour dressing over knackwurst, toss and serve with a good rye bread.
Klaus's Heringsalat (Klaus's herring salad)
serves 4
Heringsalat in Germany is very much a matter of personal taste. Basic ingredients are apples, herrings, and raw onions. Some Germans like to mix horseradish into their herring salad, others add chopped capers. Some include chopped pickled cucumbers and others add mayonnaise instead of Quark (a sour cream type cottage cheese). This recipe is the adaptation of a German family recipe that was brought to North America from Darmstadt.
Contents of one 8 oz. jar of pickled herring, drained, diced in bite size pieces (keep herring juice for dressing!)
1 medium size Golden Delicious apple (no more than 8 oz.), cored, peeled, diced
1 small onion (about 2 oz.) trimmed, peeled, chopped finely
1 sweet sour pickled cucumber, chopped finely
1 hard boiled egg, shelled, chopped
2 either red or yellow Yukon Gold type potatoes (about 1/2 pound), steamed with their jackets on, peeled, sliced
1 small leafless red beet (about 1/2 pound), steamed, trimmed, peeled, OR the contents of one 8 oz can of beets,
drained and diced
1 Tablespoon mustard
1-2 Tablespoons Quark
1 Tablespoon fresh dill (about 1 young stem) minced
salt (about 1/4 teaspoon, or to taste)
freshly ground white pepper (about 1/8 teaspoon, or to taste)
In a medium size bowl combine herring pieces, apple, onion, pickled cucumber, hard boiled egg, red beet and potatoes. In a separate bowl blend mustard, quark, salt, pepper, 2-3 Tablespoons herring juice and fresh dill to make a dressing. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Serve with rye bread.
Schweinsmedallions mit Sommermajoran (Boneless pork cutlets with fresh marjoram)
serves 4
This easy-to-make recipe is an adaptation of a Rhine country dish, updated for a reduced cholesterol diet. It is a beautifully color-contrasting meal if you serve it together with red stewed cabbage.
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin cutlets (cut no thicker than 1/3 of an inch)
1/4 cup golden raisins, soaked in white wine
1 large Golden Delicious apple, cored, peeled, quartered, sliced
1 large onion, trimmed, peeled, sliced
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup mustard
leaves of 10 full grown stems of fresh marjoram (about 1 oz. or 1 cup of loosely packed leaves), rinsed, chopped
salt (to taste)
freshly ground white pepper (to taste)
On a cutting board, season cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper to taste (both optional). Evenly spread the mustard on only one side of the meat. In a large, covered non-stick pan, over medium heat, heat the oil and saute onions until lightly golden and limp (about 5-10 minutes). Drain raisins (keep juice). To the translucent onions, add apple slices and raisins. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add cutlets, placing them first on the side without the mustard and making space for them by pushing the onions aside. Brown cutlets for about 5-10 minutes on each side. Drizzle the cutlets with raisin wine juice and sprinkle them with the marjoram. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pan, and cook the cutlets until they are done. No pink should be visible when you serve the meat. The internal temperature should be at 160-165 degrees F.
Gedunstetes Rotkraut or Gedunsteter Rotkohl
(Stewed red cabbage)
serves 4
Cabbage (which on the German produce market is available either red or green) and Sauerkraut are absolutely star ingredients in typical German cuisine. Red cabbage has a somewhat sweeter taste than the green variety. It makes an interesting color contrast with a main course that is pale in color, such as herbed pork cutlets.
1 small whole (about 1 1/2 pound) red cabbage, trimmed, cored, rinsed and sliced
1 small onion (about 2 oz.) trimmed, peeled, sliced or chopped
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
salt (to taste)
freshly ground white pepper (to taste)
1/3 cup broth
2/3 cup white wine
In a covered medium-size non-stick stir fry pan, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onions until golden brown and translucent. Add the cabbage, season with salt and pepper to taste (both optional). Stir cabbage to coat everything with oil. Reduce the heat to medium, add broth and let simmer covered until cabbage has absorbed the liquid and has softened (about 10 minutes). Occasionally stir to prevent the cabbage from sticking or burning. Add wine, stir, cover again, and cook for an additional 10 minutes. If necessary, add more wine and stir occasionally until the cabbage has reached your desired doneness (the cabbage should have lost all its crunchiness).
Note: You may follow the same procedure with green cabbage and with sauerkraut. If you use sauerkraut, rinse it in abundant water and drain it before using it as instructed above.
Erdbeer Bowle (Strawberry wine punch)
serves 4
Bowle is a classic German party wine punch. During the month of May throughout Germany, bowle is served flavored with fresh woodruff (Waldmeister), a sweet scented herb with white flowers, which grows especially well in wooded and shady areas away from hot climates and sunshine. Later, during strawberry season, bowle is made with strawberries which grow abundantly everywhere. As German summer season progresses, bowle is prepared with other fruits like sweet imported peaches, chunks of juicy watermelon, pieces of bright orange cantaloupe, or plump raspberries.
1/2 pint fresh strawberries, stemless, rinsed, cut in half or in quarters (the cutting will not be necessary if you use wild
strawberries) 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 bottle German Riesling, well chilled
1 Tablespoon brandy (preferably Alsbach Uralt)
1/2 bottle German Sekt, well chilled
Place the strawberries in a large covered glass jar (a sun tea jar will be fine), sprinkle them with sugar and drizzle them with the brandy. Set them aside to marinate for two hours to allow the sugar to draw out the juice from the berries. Add white wine, stir, and set aside for two additional hours. When ready to serve, pour in serving punch bowl. Add Sekt and serve chilled in wide champagne type glasses, making sure to distribute strawberries with the wine.
Staples
Pork meat (Schweinefleisch) and Sausage (Wurst)
Pork meat is the most popular source of meat in German cuisine. Cured pork meats and sausages from Germany are renowned all over the world. They come packed in cans, glass jars, or vacuum packed. There are about 1,500 kinds of sausages on the German sausage market. Germans also like to prepare dishes with veal (Kalb), beef (Rind), chicken (Huhn) and venison (Wild).
Herring (Hering)
Herring are, especially in the northern part of Germany, a staple favorite. The small silvery fish are fished in the North and Baltic Seas; they are eaten raw, pickled, smoked and canned.
German cottage cheese (Quark)
Quark is an all-round favorite ingredient in German cuisine. It ccounts for half of the total cheese consumption in Germany. It is very similar to cream cheese but has a mild yogurt flavor, is softer and creamier.
Wines, sparkling wines, brandies (Wein, Sekt, Weinbrand)
Wines, champagnoise-type sparkling wines, (called "Sekt" in erman), and brandies are usually first quality in Germany where stringent production, labeling, and denomination laws regulate the making and distribution of these alcoholic beverages. Riesling, for example, is a legal denomination of a fairly light and fruity wine made from the white Riesling grape variety, the name "Sekt" always indicates a sparkling wine; and "Weinbrand" is the legal German term for brandy distilled from grape products. German wineries are usually grouped in member cooperatives that represent growers who are periodically checked for product quality. With the wine cooperatives system, German wineries can combine traditional wine making skills with the latest technologies in wine making and wine marketing. Famous
German wines are produced throughout the wine growing regions of Ahr, Mittelrhein, Mosel-Saar Ruwer, Rheingau, Nahe, Rheinhessen, Pfalz, Franken, Hessische Bergstrasse, Wuerttemberg, Baden, Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen.
Spices
Caraway (Kuemmel)
Small seeds, usually sold dry, that look almost like celery seeds or cumin seeds, which are vital in German cuisine. They are a must in rye bread, in cabbage and in sauerkraut specialties. Their flavor and aroma is totally different from cumin, but they are often mistaken because of the similarity in their name. Cumin in German is "Kreuzkuemmel."
Juniper (Wacholder)
Dark blue juniper berries grow on stout prickly bushes and are easily found in higher wooded areas in Germany. They have a clean flavor that is first slightly bitter, and later almost sweet. Juniper berries often substitute bay leaf in the typical German "bouquet garni." They are also used in marinades of venison to cut the game flavor of the meat, in sauerkraut specialties, and to make a white transparent distilled spirit called "Steinhaeger."
Black and white pepper (Schwarzer und Weisser Pfeffer)
Black and white pepper corns are native to Asia and are an imported product in Germany. They are the small berries of a plant called Piper Nigrum. Both black and white pepper corns come from the same basic plant, and are used abundantly in all German dishes. Black kernels have been picked still red when the pepper berry is not yet fully
mature while white kernels are simply the mature pepper product removed of its outer coating. The difference is in appearance and in flavor. Black peppercorns have a stronger flavor; white peppercorns have a milder aroma.
Herbs
Dill (Dille)
It is frequently mistaken for fennel and anise because of its feathery green appearance when fresh. It has a pungent and unique flavor. It is often added to potato salads, to pickled cucumbers, and to seafood dishes like northern shrimp cocktails. Dried dill herb is used during winter months in soups. Dill seeds are frequently used to flavor German bread specialties.
Marjoram (Majoran)
This green-stemmed plant with round, almost hairy leaves is similar in flavor to oregano but tastes milder. It has a slightly bitter savory flavor and is added frequently to meat dishes and herb butters (Krauterbutter).
Parsley (Petersilie)
Native to Mediterranean regions, it is available fresh, with curly and flat leaves, and dried everywhere in Germany. It is rich in vitamin C, has a pleasant mild flavor, and goes very well with minced garlic and onion mixtures. It is a must in German herb butters.
North American Sources
Vermont Butter & Cheese Company
Pitman Road, P.O. Box 95
Websterville, VT 05678
Tel. (802) 479-9371; Fax (802) 479-3674
A small American creamery that produces "Quark" and distributes it packaged in either 8 oz. or 32 oz. heat-sealed containers together with many other classic European style cheeses. To order or locate "Quark" distributors in your area, call, fax or write.
Usinger's
1030 North Old World Third Street
Milwaukee, WI 53203
Tel. (414) 276-9100 or 1 (800) 558-9998
With sometimes nothing more than their fine sausage making skill, many German sausage makers moved into North America. The German-American Usinger family story reflects this legacy. It involves Frederick Usinger, who founded Usinger's in 1880, and who came from Wehen near Wiesbaden (Hessen) to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Usinger's today has available over 70 varieties of authentic German sausages, including liver sausages, summer sausages, bratwurst, knackwurst and frankfurters. To order directly, or for more information on German style sausages call, write, or visit
http://www.execpc.com/~usinger.
Annual German Fest in Milwaukee
8229 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53222
Tel. (414) 464-9444
Experience German cuisine and German "Gemuetlichkeit" in North America. This event takes place the last full weekend of July.
BR, German Agricultural Marketing Board-CMA
950 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Fax (212) 826-3278
For trade information on imported German foods and beverages and for a free brochure on "Favorite German Cheese Recipes" write or fax.
German Wine Information Bureau
79 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10016
Tel. (212) 213-7028; Fax (212) 213-7042
For more information on German wines and on combining German wines with food.
KD
2500 Westchester Ave.
Purchase, NY 10577
Tel. (914) 696-3600 or 1 (800) 346-6525 from the eastern U.S.
or
323 Geary St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel. (415) 392-8817 or 1 (800) 858-8587 from the western U.S., including Alaska, Texas and Hawaii
Cookbooks
The New German Cookbook
by Jean Anderson and Hedy Wuerz
Harper Collins, New York; 1993; 406 pages
Black and white map of modern Germany, 43 pages of German culinary terms and more than 230 contemporary and
traditional German recipes.
Bavarian Cooking
by Leeb Olli
Lubrecht & Cramer, U.S.A.; 1992; 170 pages
9 color photographs and a culinary map of Bavaria.
The Cuisines of Germany
by Horst Scharfenberg
Simon and Schuster; 1989; 511 pages
Black and white illustrations with a culinary map of historic Germany.
German Cookery
by Elisabeth Schuler
Crown Publishing Group; 1968; 250 pages
A reprint of a fairly old German cookbook.
Where to order European-published German cookbooks:
International Book Import Service, Inc.
2995 Wall Triana Highway, Suite BA
Huntsville, AL 35824-1532
Telephone: (205) 464-0040 or toll-free at 1 (800) 277-4247 from 8 a.m. through 6 p.m. Central Time, Monday through
Friday
E-Mail: IBIS@IBIService.com
URL: http://www.IBIService.com
Use your new-found knowledge of Germany by attempting the companion crossword puzzle to this article!
Elisabeth Castleman is a Maryland-based professional culinary consultant, restaurant critic, freelance food writer and newspaper food columnist.