German Food Suggestions
 

What foods did you discover in Germany and Austria that impressed you? We will be there for a couple of weeks and look forward to trying new things. Any suggestions?

Cliche I know, but the many sausages are truly divine. It's hard to beat a toasty bratwurst tucked into a crispy roll and topped with a dollop of spicy brown mustard.

yeah, the first one is tasty...but daily after that? "Where's the CHICKEN?"

I meant every meal!

Hi Wren,

You might want to google <German cooking>.

I've heard the the Germans make good schnitzel with noodles.

((I))

My first response didn't come up so ignore the meal response! I loved the potato dumplings but my husband did not. He loved the crispy pork hocks served in the beer gardens. Just about every meal includes pork.

I have a LONG list...I'm very fond of Austrian and German cuisine.

Let's see, salad dressing with pumpkin oil, fresh salads with a bit of fennel, eiswein, the better Austrian wines, almost anything on the menu at Meinl am Graben or Steirereck. Nuremberger sausages. FRESH German potato salad. Federweisser from Pfalz. "Pretzel croissants"--combines the rich butteriness of croissans with the salty kick of freshly made pretzels. But only from our favorite bakery chain in central Germany. Pastries from Cafe Oberlaa in Vienna. Doesn't matter which one--I'll take anything they've got. Gane dishes (when they're in season). And that's just a starter list!

Boring as it may be, I'm partial to the schnitzel and spaetzle (a small dumpling). My favorite schnitzel was a deliciously flavorful and moise turkey schnitzel I had at Stiftskeller St. Peters in Salzburg, but my various chicken and pork schnitzels were also wonderful.

And of course if you are in Austria or Bavaria you must try apfelstruedle! I prefer it with a warm vanilla sauce over it...heavenly! My favorite snack in Austria and Germany, though, is the chocolate croissants. I still fantasize about the warm and gooey chocolate croissants we picked up each morning at the local bakery in Schnonau (near Berchtesgaden) when we were there last year.

Tracy

Hi wren,

tell me where you go and I will give you some regional food tips.

Bratwurst is for Germany the same as Hamburger (in fact, a traditional German dish from Hamburg) for the USA. If you want to have a culinary experience in the US you take something different. It is the same in Germany. Don't stick to those greasy traditional dishes which are served at touristy spots. Try innovative German cuisine!

Oh, and I love the little side salads that come with most meals. They usually consist of some lettuce, thinly sliced radish and carrots, and wonderful light cucumber dressing. Simple but delicious.

Tracy

Some suggestions not made above:
---Obatzter: a cammembert cheese-type dessert (though we had it as an appetizer) with onions and bread. We had it at the Hackerhaus in Munich. I think it is a Bavarian specialty.

--Spaetzl, a noodle side dish

--Sauerbraten

--Any of the hardy german soups

--Any Spargel (white asparagus) dish

I will second the apfelstrudel. I'm not a dessert person, but the piece we had at the Hacker House was incredibly good.

Kaiserschmarren in Austria - a sugared pancake with raisins. Yum!
Plum tart (Zwetschgenkuchen).
Also Zwiebelkuchen, an onion tart served with the new wine.

Don't forget to leave room for dessert!

I'll never forget the heavenly marzipan torte at Niederregger's cafe in Luebeck, the marzipan capital of the western world. And after the dessert binge, you can even stock up on confections while you're there. (Can you tell I love marzipan?)

Rote gruetze (a soft jellied dessert made with red berry fruits and served with custard or cream) is wonderful! And the fine tradition of kaffe und kuchen (coffee and cake) in the afternoon is hard to resist. Yes, I am a dessert person!

The breads...all of them wonderful.

I have to agree with Underhill about the breads. The traditional breakfast Kaiser rolls over there have a crisp crust that puts American rolls to shame. I watched a German woman cut her Kaiser roll in half, pull out the dough inside, and eat the crust.

When I am in Germany, I gorge myself on Schnitzel. It is great and usually one of the least expensive items on the menu. There are so many variations. The actual cut of pork can’t be obtained in this country. It comes from the pig equivalent of top round, and over here is all made into ham. Schnitzel is either natur (lightly floured and fried) or panniert (dipped in egg and breadcrumbs, and fried). There are a variety of sauces. My favorite are Jäger, or hunter style, with a brown gravy with mushrooms, or Ziguener style, a little piquant, with green, yellow, and red peppers and onions. I have also had Schnitzel with fried onions (Zwiebeln).

Spätzle, those little dumplings, is originally a dish from Schwaben (eastern Baden-Württemberg) but can be found all over Germany now. And, from it they make the German equivalent of Mac and Cheese, a dish with Spatzle, fried onions, and Allgäuer cheese. Schmekt! And their Pommes far exceed those in this country.

Another Schwäbisch specialty, Maultaschen, is a kind of large ravioli, stuffed with ground meat and spinach. It is best served topped with fried onions.

I don't know why German food gets such a bad rap---it is wonderful. And there is so much more to it than Wurst (which I've never eaten). In addition to the Schnizels, Spätzle, etc. already mentioned (and described so well by LarryinC.), the salads and vegetables are great---fresh, crisp and well-prepared. If you feel like something light, just order a "Fitness Teller" (fitness plate)---usually a grilled skinless chicken breast and side salad. You will also find very good fish dishes, especially near lakes.

And then there's my alltime favorite dessert (if you like ice cream) ---Spaghetti Eis. The world's best strawberry sundae.

I third the breads. You know those old jokes about "in Heaven, the Italians are the lovers, the Germans are the engineers," etc.? In my Heaven, the Italians will make the food but the Germans will make the bread.

Another vote for the salads. I'm not always sure what it's going to look like, but I've never had a bad salad in Germany.

Regarding schnitzel, if you see one with Rahm sauce or 'Rahmsosse', that was one of my new favorite discoveries this last trip. It's an awesome blend of gravy & cream sauce.

Also, if you need a change, there's some excellent Italian food around, at least there is in southern Germany.

Have fun! - I'm jealous.
H

Affelkuchen! Yummy!

Sausages and Bier!Every little village seems to make it's own wurst. Nurenburg is perhaps the most famous but not necessarily the best. Many small breweries still exist. Again, each tastes unique. I could each wurst and beer every night along side a small salad and potatoes.