German Cuisine 

Because it incorporates a wide variety of peoples spread over a large geographic area, German cuisine is as varied and diverse as its peoples, and changes greatly from one region to the next. There is, however, some overlap, as the southern regions, Bavaria and Swabia, have many dishes in common. German cuisine is also popular in neighboring countries, such as Switzerland and Austria.

In Germany, people typically eat four meals during the day, the most important of which is lunch, and which include a quick meal that is typically eaten in the early afternoon at work. For breakfast, Germans commonly eat toast or warm rolls with jam, marmalade or honey, eggs, and coffee or tea. Children will take cocoa or juice instead. Deli meats and cheeses are also commonly eaten in the morning, as well as meat-based spreads such as Leberwurst. Lunch, the biggest German meal of the day, was traditionally eaten at around noon, while dinner, a smaller meal consisting of bread, meat, cheese, and vegetables, was a smaller meal eaten later in the day. Today, breakfast has become popular with the German people, and is often extended on weekend mornings, which shows that German cuisine is always changing in response to new trends.

Germans primarily consume pork, beef, and poultry, the most popular of which is pork. Chicken is the most common variety of poultry in German cuisine, but duck, goose, and turkey are also widely consumed. Game meats are also available during most of the year. Trout, pike, and carp are the most popular varieties of fish, which was traditionally only available in the northern coastal regions of Germany, but today is widely available throughout the country. Popular vegetables include carrots, turnips, spinach, peas, beans and cabbage. These are typically used in stews or as a side dish. As sides, noodles made with egg yolk known as Spatzle and dumplings are popular, along with boiled potatoes. French fries are common as well, and are served with ketchup, mayonnaise, or both mixed together.

German dishes are for the most part mild in flavor, and, with the exception putting hot mustard on sausages, German meals are rarely spicy. The most widely used herbs are traditionally parsley, thyme, laurel, chives, and black pepper. Germans also commonly use horseradish as a condiment, either by itself, served as a paste, or enriched with cream, sometimes replacing mustard as the condiment of choice to accompany sausages. Germans have also created many different cakes and tarts, most commonly made with fresh apples, plums, strawberries, and cherries. German doughnuts, commonly known as “Berliners,” are similar to American doughnuts without a hole, and are typically made from yeast dough with jam used as a filling. German cuisine features a number of interesting flavors and textures for those eaters who are keen to experience a wide variety of different foods.