German Recipes
If you are looking for a delicious, robust food culture that delivers on satisfaction, look no further than Germany. This country’s cuisine draws on long historical roots and a dedication to heartiness that leaves you well met and well fed.
The components of German cuisine begin with meat and bread. And why not some beer on the side as the perfect pairing?
Most Popular German Foods
- Saurbraten: Known as Germany’s national dish, this pot roast marinates beef in a highly flavorful stew for days in vinegar and spices (and sometimes even red wine). The result is something extraordinarily tangy and sumptuously tender.
- Bratwurst: The word itself is synonymous with German cuisine, and the meal is the capstone of the country’s art of sausage making. Pork, beef, and veal can be used for the meat, and spices include nutmeg, caraway, and marjoram. Serve this with mustard, sauerkraut, and bread for the ultimate German dish.
- Schnitzel: This dish begins by breading and frying a cutlet of pork until golden brown. This basic formula is gilded in a hundred different ways depending on the area and personal preference. Potato salad, spaetzle, and lemon can all be found on the same plate.
- Dumplings (Klöße or Knödel): These are made from potato or bread, and you can make them by boiling or steaming. It’s the kind of food that fills you up to the rafters.
- Sauerkraut: While not a dish in itself, this fermented form of cabbage remains the most identifiably German food. Though the flavor profile can vary considerably, the fresh and surprising notes make it a perfect garnish.
German Desserts, Bread, and Beer
German cuisine brings us so many great additions to serve as sides to our main meal.
- Desserts: The art of German baking gives us iconic desserts like Black Forest Cake (a layered chocolate sponge cake), Apple Strudel (which technically emerged in Austria), and Berliners (jelly-filled donuts). Each of these shows a critical component to German sweets—the opportunity for decoration through whipped topics, chocolate shavings, nuts, ice cream, and more.
- Bread: German bread is dominated by rye, pumpernickel, and pretzel. Of course, the varieties go on from here, but these form the core flavors that most others will work with. Dark and earthy tones are often brought up into the light of day through tangy notes.
- Beer: German beer remains one of the culture’s greatest culinary gifts to the world. Light, crisp pilsners offer bitterness. Weissbiers offer fruity flavors. Dunkels and Bocks are malty. These are only a handful of names for the great many legendary brews.
The flavors on offer in German cuisine are robust. The combination of meat, beer, and bread give hard hitting satisfaction with every meal. Topping all that off with irresistible baked desserts takes everything to the next level. This is comfort food taken to the level of art.
