German cuisine has evolved over the centuries after being influenced by other cultures, political change and regional tastes, but its staples have pretty much remained the same. German food is known for starches, meats and ales, but it has accumulated different spices and influences during the past 50 years, such as Asian, Italian, Mediterranean and French. But the German culture values their traditional dishes greatly, with sauces, strong flavors and comforting home-made foods.
Geography
There are several regions within Germany. They vary in the types of dishes and main ingredients served. Food grown in certain regions has become a staple to the diet of Germans. Agriculture controls the diet because it is in almost all the landscaping, such as wheat, barley, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, broccoli and several types of herbs. The region of Thuringia is the second largest herb-growing region in Germany. Around 35 percent of Thuringia is covered in forest, so hunting is plentiful of several types of deer, boar, duck, rabbit and pheasant, as well as a moist underground of mushrooms and wild berries. Famous foods from here include sausages and dumplings. In the region of Saxony-Anhalt, grains are plentiful and take up about 60 percent of the land, with sugar beets covering another 10 percent. Fishing used to be prominent in the Elbe river, so whitefish was introduced to the diet. There are also cheeses made throughout Germany.
Staples
The staples of Germany are full of starches and meat. These include pork, beef and poultry (such as chicken, duck, turkey and goose) that are the most popular, along with game meats like venison, rabbit and boar. Meat is most often eaten in sausage form. Trout and pickled herring are the most common fish in Germany, and other seafood is most often seen in northern coastal regions. Salmon and tuna are also on many menus though. Vegetables are usually served with a cream sauce such as hollandaise or in a stew or soup, and are usually potatoes, peas, turnips, carrots, spinach, beans, broccoli or cabbage. Noodle are often used as side dishes, but are thicker than the usual pasta you would find in Italy, especially in the southwestern part of Germany where they are called spaetzle. Along with this are potato dumplings, noodles and ravioli. Bread is also significant, but is served as darker bread with things added, such as nuts, seeds or dried fruits.
Spices and Condiments
Most German food is usually heavy with sauce and pepper. There are rarely spicy or hot flavors used, and the most common herbs are chives, black pepper, parsley, thyme, caraway and juniper berry. In beer or desserts, ingredients such as cinnamon or cardamom are used to sweeten it up. When making sausages, though, even more herbs are common, like basil, sage or rosemary. Mustard is found a lot in German cuisine, sausages and noodles. They usually have very strong, sweet, peppery or lemony flavors. Horseradish is also used a lot, and sometimes combined with mustards. These condiments can be used on pasta, vegetables or meats. Garlic has only recently become well-known in German food.
Drinks and Dessert
Cakes and tarts made with fresh fruit are well-known in Germany, especially with berries, apples or plums. Cheesecake is popular, and so are the German interpretation of doughnuts that have no hole and are filled with jam or other sauces. Eierkuchen are large thin pancakes or crepes, served with jam, sugar or else salty with cheese bacon or meat. Fruit pudding is also popular, made with currants or berries and served with cream. For beverages, beer is so common that almost every person drinks it there, with several local and national breweries. It is always of excellent quality and ranges from pale ales to beer so dark it's almost black. Germ wine is also drank widely, coming from around the Rhine area and supplying Riesling and Dornfelder. The German wines are usually quite sweet. Coffee is also common, as well as locally made soda pops.
Food Culture
Germans' breakfast usually consists of bread or rolls, jam, honey, eggs and coffee. They also place cheeses or deli meats on their rolls, or possibly liver sausage. Their main meal of the day is lunch, and dinner is a much smaller meal, consisting of similar items that are eaten at breakfast. This is the traditional way of eating in German culture. Over the past 50 years, though, the culture has shifted and now lunch is the smallest meal of the day.
Traditional Dishes
Traditional German dishes include:
*Goulasch, a fried beef and pork stew with onions and green peppers, served with potatoes or noodles.
*Kassler mit sauerkraut, cured pork shops cooked and served with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes.
*Eisbein mit sauerkraut, fat cooked pork knuckles and sauerkraut.
*Wiener schnitzel, one of the more well-known dishes outside of Germany, made up of thin veal fillet, crumbed and fried and served with chips and salad.
*Erbsensuppe, warm pea soup and beef broth with onions and potato cubes, served with chunks of sausage.
*Leipziger Allerlei, a thick soup made from a combination of vegetables and potato cubes and beef chunks.
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