"Deutsche Küche" (German Food)

I know a lot of you are looking forward to this post, so after a few days' preparation, here it is! One of the main things I miss about Germany when I'm at home is the food. Therefore, when I'm here I tend to pack on the pounds. I figure once a year isn't so bad haha.

My absolute favourite German dish is "Schnitzel". The following picture is from dinner this evening. Schnitzel is basically a fried porkchop, except a thousand times better. The breading that is used has a certain seasoning in it and the grease (yea I know, real healthy!) that it is fried in makes the whole thing very tender. It is usually served with french fries or roasted potatoes. I think I could probably eat this every day of my vacation. I'm not really a big meat eater anyway, so I think that says something!

Schnitzel and french fries

German cuisine is very meat-and-potatoes. It has evolved from rustic farm cooking to popular cuisine. There is an emphasis on pork, whether fried or roasted or cooked or stewed.

The area of Germany where my grandparents live (and where I'm currently staying) is famous for its "Altbier". Düsseldorf was one of the original places where the brew originated. I'm not much of a beer drinker, so it really does not appeal to me much, but I can tell you that it tastes a little thicker then say a typical North American beer and has more of a malt-y taste to it. To learn about the history of Altbier, you can find out more here

Altbier

I love the coasters that most restaurants use, straight from the old Breweries


Coke comes straight from a glass bottle instead of a fountain. I swear it tastes better this way!

Traditionally in German culture, the "hot meal" is served during the lunch hours and the evening meal consisted of cold sandwhiches. Usually the table is set with various meats and cheeses and you make your sándwhiches accordingly. The following is a typical example of the sandwich table.

Perhaps the best part of being in Germany, is the chocolate! I'm really not much of a sweet-tooth normally, but here I really pig out. The Leibniz cookies in the front are kind of like buttery sugar cookies covered in chocolate. Available at most Canadian (and I'm presuming American) grocery stores. The package in the back are my favourite. They are little marshmellow figures covered in white, milk or dark chocolate. If I could find these in Canada, I'd be in heaven.

I think that's a good overview of German food for now, I may go more in depth in the coming days.