Famous German Food

The German cuisine has undergone an immense amount of change, with all the social and political changes, which have taken place in Germany all through these years. The regional food has evolved from different parts of the country. The topography of the country is varied and responsible for different types of dishes been made in different parts of the country. There are the deep forests called Schwarzwald (Black Forest) in Bavaria, the high mountains, which border Austria and the wide valley of the river Rhine. The staple in German diet, Kartoffel (potatoes), were introduced in the diet by King Frederic II. He gave the seeds to people and they were taught to grow the potatoes. Therefore, Kartoffelsalat (potato salad) is a staple in German food. With the different wars ravaging the country, German food has also adapted different styles. After the World War II, the East German food has developed a lot of similarity with the Russian food, while West German food continued to be traditional German cuisine.

Famous German Dishes

The most famous German food has to be Sauerbraten. It means pickled roasted meat. Originally horse meat was used to make Sauerbraten, however now beef and pork is used to make it. The roast needs to be kept in a marinade made of vinegar, wine, spice and vegetable for three to four days and maximum for a period of ten days, before the roast is roasted. Often meat is marinated in earthenware or glassware. Metal utensils are not used, to avoid acidic marinade from reacting with the vessel. After Sauerbraten, comes Sauerkraut in the German food list. Finely shredded cabbage is fermented by using lactic acid bacteria. However, it is not coleslaw. It is often served with bread or meat. The German recipes vary from different province to province in Germany itself. One of the examples are dumplings. In the North of the country, the size of the dumplings is large, whereas in the South, it is small.

Soups
Although, we always speak of drinking a soup, in German, a soup is always "eaten". The soups are made from using vegetables, like potatoes, carrots, green beans, cabbage, etc. and/or meat like beef, pork, turkey, etc. Along with these soups the bean soups and potato soups are very popular.

• Zwei Bohnensuppe: This soup is made using two beans, which is very popular all over Germany.
• Weisse Bohnensuppe: This is a white bean soup, another one which is very popular.
• Linsensuppe: This is the lentil soup, the recipe of which is similar to the lentil soup made all around the world.
• Kartoffelsuppe: It is the chunky potato soup, that is served with salad and some German bread.
• Aalsuppe: Although the name means eel soup, it is not necessarily made from eel. Normally it is made with vegetables and fruits.

Main Dishes
There is a huge variety of dishes, which can be made a part of the main course. These dishes originated in different parts of the country, but now are made in all parts of Germany, albeit with variations. You will note, that most of the German main course dishes are roasted dishes. Roasting meat is very popular in Germany.

• Hasenpfeffer: One of the most famous German dish, is the dish made with rabbit and hare and pepper. It is often roasted or also can be slow pot cooked.
• Gansebraten: This is a roasted goose, which has stuffing of apples and prunes. Often the goose is marinated overnight with different herbs and it is roasted in the morning.
• Labskaus: This German dish is similar to hash and is made with beats, onions, potatoes, either meat or fish and is topped with fried egg.
• Königsberger Klopse: The literal translation is meatball from Königsberg. They are meat balls made from mixed meat, which are poached and served with a thickened white sauce that is flavored with lemon and capers.
• Himmel und Erde: This main course dish is made either with sliced or pureed apples and potatoes with blood sausage.

Sausages
Sausages are the staple diet in Germany. There is a long tradition of preparing sausages in Germany, where they are known as Wurst.

• Bauernwurst: This is the farmers sausage made using pork, which is later smoked.
• Bratwurst: It is the roast sausage made using pork. Sometimes, it can also be made using veal and pork as well.
• Leberwurst: The translation of this sausage is liver wurst, which is made using pig's liver.
• Blutwurst: This is the sausage, which is commonly known as 'blood sausage'. It made by mixing pork with breadcrumbs and blood.
• Weisswurst: This is a mild sausage, that is light in color and made with veal.
• Kackwurst: Veal, pork and garlic is mixed to make this sausage, which is later smoked.

Side Dishes
There is a large variety of side dishes, which are made in the German kitchen. However, most of the dishes have potatoes as an important ingredient.

• Kartoffelsalat: You will note, that this dish often accompanies many meals. It is a potato salad made using olive oil and vinegar. You can refer to German potato salad recipes for the exact recipe.
• Bratkartoffeln: Onions, bacon and fried potato salad.
• Reibekuchen: Potato pancakes, that are served with apple sauce. German pancake recipes are simple and easy to make.

Desserts and Sweets
There are a number of German dessert recipes, which have become a rage all over the world. Let's see which are they.

• Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte: Does the name black forest cake sound familiar? Well yes! The layered cake with cherries and cream does come from Germany. It rather comes from the Bavarian province of Germany.
• Marzipan: Paste frosting is used to mold into shapes. This sweet tastes like almond and sugar.
• Baumkuchen: This the tree cake, which is said to be the 'King of Cakes'.

Beverages:
Can German food be complete without the mention of beverages? Can you think of a drink, which Germany is very famous for?

• Beer: Yes it is the beer. The Oktoberfest without beer is unimaginable. There are many categories of beer. The normally brewed beer is also classified into two categories, namely dunkels (dark-colored) and helles (light colored). Apart from these two, beer can be brewed to the full spectrum between the two extremes.
• Wine: There are many German wine types. In Germany, predominantly white wine is made. Normally wine is on the sweeter side. A characteristic of the German white wine is the pleasing flowery bouquet it comes with. Germany also has its own variety of sparkling German wine, called Sekt, however, it is way different than the French Champagne.
• Juices: Germans are very fond of juices, called Saft in German. However it is the Apfelsaft, which steals the show.
• Coffee: Coffee is a very popular non-alcoholic beverage in Germany. Normally black coffee is had at breakfast in almost all German households.

You can use the easy German recipes to make these authentic German dishes. Another attraction in the German food is the wide variety of bread and cheese. Quark is the most famous German cheese, which contrary to belief is not cottage cheese, yet it is softer than the regular cheese. The German bread recipes differ from the bread recipes used around the world. Apart from these traditional foods, there are a number of junk food items as well. There are many easy and authentic German recipes, which you will come across. From this article on 'famous German food', it is clear, that a number of food items, which have become a part of the world cuisine, have come from the German cuisine.