As part of our virtual tour of Germany, we will be touching on a number of different aspects of our tour in greater detail via the Blog.
Germans typically have 2½ meals per day - a great breakfast, a hearty lunch and a lighter supper.
Breakfast/Frühstück
A German breakfast typically comprises cold meats, cheese, breads, cereals, fruit, juice & pastries and is a great way to try some of the local specialities or breakfast like a local. It is often fun to guess at the various nationalities as they breakfast - ie the French will often just have coffee and yoghurt, other Europeans are very much into the cold meats, cheeses and bread whilst most other travellers look for the hot dishes. My personal preference is cold meats, cheese, bread, danishes & coffee.
As Australians, we are spoilt for choice and quality when it comes to coffee. The ubiqitous Flat White is spreading around the world but I like to try the local coffee and food as yet another reminder that we are not at home and to appreciate how, in so many ways, we are so lucky. Germany is not well known for its coffee - they do beer, wine and a host of non-alcoholic drinks so well, why chip them about what most would consider to be quite weak coffee. Germany is not big on baristas in their coffee shops and most make do with American-style or machine-produced coffee - gives you a whole heap of flavours but without much body.
Lunch
Lunch in Germany is called Mittagessen - literally mit (middle) tag (day) essen (to eat) - and is usually eaten between 12 pm and 2 pm. Germans traditionally enjoy their main cooked meal for lunch rather than dinner. Lunch is often served after a starter such as potato salad.
Traditional German Food
Sauerbraten (Roast Beef Stew)
Schweinshaxe (Pork Knuckle)
Rinderroulade (Beef Roll)
Bratwurst (Grilled Sausage)
Kartoffelpuffer (Potato Pancake)
Kartoffelkloesse (Potato Dumplings)
Sauerkraut (Fermented Cabbage)
Spätzle (Egg Noodles)
If there is a National dish for Germany it would probably be Sauerbraten - a German pot roast dish which can be prepared using a variety of meats. Beef is most often used but the other more popular versions include venison, lamb, mutton, pork and, in some traditions, horse meat. The Germans love their potatoes (Kartoffeln) and, according to Deutsche Welle, consume about 65kgs per person per year. If you think that this is a lot, consider that the Belarusians (the people who live in Belarus) eat 178kg/person/year or about 500gm/person/day.
Dinner/Supper (das Abendessen/Abendbrot) Abendessen - lit. "evening to eat" or Abendbrot “evening bread” are the typical German suppers. A light meal eaten usually between 6pm and 8pm and – like breakfast – consists of full grain bread and rolls, fine cheese, meats and sausages, accompanied by mustard and pickles. Note the different words for breakfast, lunch and the evning meal in German - you could also use the term morgenessen or morning to eat instead of fruhstuck which literally means first or early meal. You will never go hungry in Germany, and we haven't even got to talk,yet, about the cakes. Whilst Germans love their meat and meat dishes, the German cuisine and culture is also extremely vegan and vegetarian friendly.