German Cuisine varies greatly from region to region. The southern regions Bavaria and Swabia share many dishes among them and with their neighbours to the south, Switzerland and Austria. In the West, French influences are more pronounced, while the eastern parts of the country have much in common with Eastern European cuisine and there are marked Scandinavian influences in the northern coastal regions.

Contents

1 Eating Habits 2 Meat 3 Fish 4 Vegetables 5 Side Dishes 6 Drinks 7 Spices and condiments 8 Desserts 9 Bread 10 Specialities by region 10.1 Bavaria (Bayern) 10.2 Bremen 10.3 Franconia (Franken) 10.4 Frankfurt am Main and Hessen 10.5 Palatinate (Pfalz) 10.6 Saarland 10.7 Swabia (Schwaben) 10.8 Thuringia (Thüringen) 10.9 Other famous dishes 11 Foreign influences

Eating Habits

Traditionally, the main meal of the day is lunch, eaten around noon. Supper (Abendbrot) is a smaller meal, sometimes only consisting of a couple of sandwiches. However, changing working habits have forced this to be changed in recent decades; today, it is not uncommon for many Germans to eat their main meal in the evening.

Breakfast commonly consists of bread rolls with jam or honey, eggs, and coffee (cocoa for children). Muesli and other cereals are also popular.

Meat

Pork, beef and poultry are the main varieties of meat consumed in Germany, with pork clearly in the lead. Among poultry, chicken is most common, although duck, goose and turkey are also well-established. During the hunting-season, game (especially boar, rabbit and venison) is also widely available in rural areas. Lamb and goat are available, but for the most part not very popular. Horse meat is regarded as a speciality in some regions but is generally rather frowned upon.

Meat is usually pot-roasted; pan-fried dishes exist, but these are usually imports from France. Throughout Germany, meat is very often eaten in sausage form. There are more than 1500 different types of sausage in Germany.

Fish

Trout is the most common freshwater fish on German menus, although pike, carp and perch are also frequently served. Seafood was traditionally restricted to the northern coastal areas -- except for the once-ubiquitous pickled herring. Nowadays many seafish like fresh herring, sardine, tuna, mackerel and salmon have become well-established throughout the country. Prior to the industrial revolution and the ensuing pollution of the rivers, however, salmon was so common in the rivers Rhine, Elbe and Oder that servants complained about being served salmon too often. Freshwater fish are often served grilled.

Other seafood is not often served, but mussels and North Sea shrimp -- which unfortunately are very expensive nowadays compared to imported shrimp -- can be found sometimes.

Vegetables

Vegetables are often eaten in stews or vegetable soups, but can also be served as a side dish. Carrots, turnips, spinach, peas, beans and many types of cabbage are very common. Fried onions are a common addition to many meat dishes throughout the country, although they are almost unknown in Bavarian cuisine. Potatoes are usually not counted among vegetables by Germans.

Side Dishes

Noodles are usually thicker than Italian pasta and often contain egg yolk. Especially in the southern part of the country, the predominant variety of noodles is Spätzle which contain a very large amount of yolk. In recent years, however, Italian-style pasta has very nearly supplanted the traditional varieties, and even Spätzle are often made with durum wheat and no egg yolk. Besides noodles, potatos and dumplings (Klöße or Knödel) are very common. Potatoes entered German cuisine in the late 18th century and were almost ubiquitous in the 19th and 20th centuries, but their popularity is currently waning somewhat in favour of noodles and rice.

Drinks

Beer is very common throughout all parts of Germany. In most of the country, the originally Czech Pils is predominant nowadays, whereas people in the South (especially in Bavaria) seem to prefer Lager or wheat beer. A number of regions have some special kind of local beer, for example the dark Altbier around the lower Rhine, the Kölsch of the Cologne area, which is light but like Altbier uses a more traditional brewing process than Pils, and the very weak Berliner Weiße, often mixed with fruit syrups, in Berlin.

Wine is also popular throughout the country. German wine comes predominantly from the areas along the upper and middle Rhine and its tributaries; the northern half of the country is too cold and flat to grow grapevines. Riesling and Sylvaner are among the best-known varieties. Traditionally, white wine was more popular than red or rosé (except in some regions), and sweet wine more popular than dry, but both these tastes seem to be changing.

Coffee is also very common, not only for breakfast, but also accompanying a piece of cake in the afternoon. Tea is more common in the Northwest.

Germans are unique among their neigbours in preferring strongly carbonated bottled waters to plain ones.

Spices and condiments

Mustard is a very common accompaniment to sausages and is usually very hot. In the southern parts of the country, a sweet variety of mustard is made which is almost exclusively served with Bavarian specialities such as Weisswurst and Leberkäse. Horseradish is also commonly used as a condiment.

Garlic was long frowned upon as "making you stink" and thus has never played a large role in traditional German cuisine, but it has seen a rise in popularity in recent decades due to the influence of French and Italian cuisine.

Generally, with the exception of mustard for sausages, German dishes are rarely hot and spicy — the most popular herbs are traditionally parsley, thyme, laurel and chives, the most popular spices are white pepper (used in small amounts), juniper berries and caraway. Other herbs and spices like basil, sage and hot chili peppers have become more popular in recent times.

Desserts

A wide variety of cakes and pies are prepared throughout the country, most commonly made with fresh fruit. Apples, plums, strawberries and cherries are used regularly on cakes. Cheesecake is also very popular and almost always made with cream cheese.

Ice cream and sorbets are also very popular. Italian-run ice cream parlours were the first large wave of foreign-run eateries in Germany, becoming widespread in the 1920s.

Bread

With regard to bread, German cuisine is more akin to Eastern than to Western Europe. The country boasts at least 300 different types of bread, ranging from white wheat bread to grey bread (Graubrot) and "black" (really dark brown) rye bread (Schwarzbrot). Most types of bread contain both wheat and rye flour, and often wholemeal and seeds (such as linseed, sunflower seed, or pumpkin seeds) as well. Pumpernickel, a Westphalian black bread, is not baked but steamed, and has a unique sweetish taste.

Bread is usually eaten for breakfast and as sandwiches in the evening, not as a side dish for the main meal. The importance of bread (Brot) for German cuisine is also illustrated by words such as Abendbrot (supper. literally Evening Bread) and Brotzeit (snack, literally Bread Time).

Specialities by region

Bavaria (Bayern)

• Weisswürste ('white sausages') - a speciality from Munich (München), traditionally eaten for second breakfast. Served with sweet mustard, pretzels, and wheat beer, even on working days, although companies usually set a limit on the amount of beer that may be drunk during work hours.
• Weizenbier (wheat beer)
• Knödel (dumplings made from potatoes or white bread)
• Schweinebraten (pot-roasted pork)
• Leberkäse (a type of meat pie)

Bremen

• Kohl und Pinkel (kale, very slowly cooked, with bits of rather salty sausage; a typical winter dish)

Franconia (Franken)

• Bratwurst (Fat beef or pork sausages served grilled). The best-known sausages are from Nuremberg (Nürnberg).
• Klöße (Large dumplings made from bread dough and served with pot-roasted meats)
• Gingerbread (Lebkuchen). The most famous German gingerbread is, again, from Nuremberg.

Frankfurt am Main and Hessen

• Green Sauce (Made from minced hardboiled eggs, oil, vinegar, and an abundant amount of seven fresh herbs. Served with boiled potatoes)

Palatinate (Pfalz)

• Saumagen (Pork belly)

Saarland

• Dibbelabbes (A potato hash prepared from raw grated potatoes, bacon and leeks, and baked in a Dibbe, or pot)
• Gehierote (Potatoes and thick noodles served with a creamy bacon sauce)

Swabia (Schwaben)

• Maultaschen (A distant relative of Italian ravioli)
• Zwiebelkuchen (onion pie)

Thuringia (Thüringen)

• Thuringian Bratwurst

Other famous dishes

• Hasenpfeffer (peppered hare)
• Schweinshaxe (pork hock)
• Speckpfannkuchen (large, thin pancakes with diced, fried bacon)
• Sauerkraut (pickled shredded cabbage)
• Spaetzle (hand-made noodles used extensively in southern Germany and Alsace)
• Sauerbraten (pot-roasted horse or beef prepared with a marinade of wine, vinegar, and gingerbread, or spices such as cloves)
• Stollen (a bread-like cake with dried citrus peel, dried fruit, nuts, and spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, usually eaten during the Christmas season as Weihnachtsstollen or Christstollen). The best-known Stollen is from Dresden and is sold at the Striezelmarkt Christmas market, which derives its name from the cake.
• Marzipan f.e. Lübeck style (widely used in Christmas specialities)
• Bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes, often with diced bacon and/or onions)
• Currywurst (boiled sausage (Bratwurst in southern Germany), cut into slices and seasoned with ketchup and curry, usually served with French fries) - a popular snack originating in 1950s Berlin
• Kartoffelsalat (potato salad, usually in a cream or mayonnaise dressing and often served as a side dish to bratwurst or boiled sausages)
• Pfefferpotthast (pepper-beef stew)

Foreign influences

With the rising influx of foreign workers after World War II, many foreign dishes have been adopted into German cuisine - Italian dishes like spaghetti and pizza have become a staple of German cuisine. Turkish immigrants have also had a considerable influence on German eating habits — döner kebab is Germany's favourite fast food, selling twice as much as the major burger chains put together. Chinese and Greek food are widely available and popular. Indian, Thai and other oriental cuisines are rapidly gaining in popularity.