German Cookery
While many Americans eat only two meals a day, skipping breakfast or lunch, the Germans have only in modern times switched to three meals a day -- down from five! Coffee and pastries made up a second breakfast, while late-afternoon sausage and cheese dishes filled in until the evening smorgasbord-like meal. It’s no doubt that Germans like to eat, and they take food preparation and consumption seriously. "For centuries, gastronomes and gourmands have debated that ingredients that compose a perfect meal. Humor and friendship factor into the equation significantly" (Frommer’s, 11). ‘Aus deutschen Landen frisch auf den Tisch’ - From the German country-side to your table - is the motto for German cooking. German cooking is not as celebrated as French or Chinese cooking, however, it is still very good. Every other year Cologne, a city in west central Germany, holds the ANUGA, or Food Fair. It is one of the greatest displays of its kind to be held anywhere in the world. Exhibitors from even the most distant countries come to show their goods in this old cathedral city on the Rhine.
Germany's climate is generally temperate. Because of moist, warm winds from the Atlantic Ocean, the west experiences fairly mild winters and summers. The average annual temperature in northwestern Germany is about 10 degrees C (50 degrees F); in the southwest it averages 12 degrees C (54 degrees F) yearly. The east experiences a more continental climate with cold winters and short, hot summers. Annual temperatures average about 2 degrees to 4 degrees C (36 degrees to 40 degrees F) lower than in the west. Baltic Sea harbors are frequently closed by ice during the winter. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout Germany, with the heaviest rainfall--from 864 to 1,016 mm (34 to 40 in)--occurring in the highlands. The coast has an annual average precipitation of 762 mm (30 in), and the east receives from 406 to 508 mm (16 to 20 in). (Grolier, Germany).
Lacking self-sufficiency in food and raw materials, Germany's economic well-being, like that of Great Britain and Japan, is heavily dependent on successful competition in the international marketplace. In essence, it must import food and raw materials and pay for them by exporting manufactured goods. Chief Economic Products in Agriculture include: Wheat, potatoes, sugar beets, barley, grapes, apples, and livestock. Major Exports are: Machinery, transportation equipment, chemicals, textile yarn and fabrics, iron and steel, power generating equipment, precision instruments, office machines and data processing equipment, and clothing. Major Imports include Road vehicles, food products, clothing and accessories, petroleum and petroleum products, electrical machinery, office machines and data processing equipment.
If a German thinks of America, which always equals the United States, he thinks of all the millions of hamburgers, that all Americans drive at least 3 cars, surf on the beaches and run around shooting guns trying to secure themselves of all the crime. Would you think this is correct? Would you believe that Germany is a country with a population of 80 million people, all eating sauerkraut all their lives long? No, the times have changed. Changed towards a more lighter cooking, towards lighter Grande Cuisine. There are movements towards a new revival of the regional cuisine in Germany. The Germany that is a very small country, with a lot of differences. The North is near the stormy North Sea with the Frisians, speaking a complete different language (at least some of them), and eating different things like "Labskaus," a mix of corned beef, potatoes, beet roots, herring and such, or gravied fishes; "hamburger eel soup" which doesn't contain eel at all, and so on. Or it is the Germany of the South, with Bavaria and the Alps. They eat differently: Nice crusty "Braten" and they have "Brotzeit" a late breakfast with those wonderful brown breads and "Wurst." But all of this is not German cooking of today. German cooking today is much more a regional-based, light kitchen style.
Open-faced sandwiches are served frequently and are meant to be eaten with a knife and fork. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, and these sandwiches make nice, lighter dinner fare. Or, you may try smoked eel, which is eaten with the fingers, over which the waiter will pour schnapps to remove the odor. If you love asparagus, visit Germany in the spring when whole platters of this delicacy are served at table. German food is a lot like eating in a traditional American diner: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, potato salad, dill pickles, beef stew, chicken and dumplings, pot roast and chocolate cake. It is the quintessential home of meat, potatoes, and beer. The Germans make dishes taste good -- largely because of the quality of the ingredients. This is a diet made for cold winter weather, designed for plenty of hard, physical labor. Besides protein, butter, cream, eggs and cheese are predominant. But take a look at the modern urban restaurants which are beginning to adapt to the more worldly trend of less protein and starch in the diets. There are lots of younger chefs paying attention to lighter, fresher foods. For leaner traditional cuisine, stick to the meats marinated in vinegar or wine.
Prosit! Cheers! Whatever language you use, raise a toast of either beer or wine. German beer is clearly the beverage of choice, with hundreds of varieties produced. Dark, light, aged, young, berry-flavored -- the varieties are endless. Part of the fun of traveling through Germany is tasting the wide range of these brews. Look for those with full heads that leave foam, known as Brussels lace, clinging to the sides of your glass. German wines tend to be sweeter and spicier than those of other European nations. The cool climate works well for white grapes but not for red ones, which are grown in only small quantities. Riesling, the queen of German wines, is sweet (as are most wines from this country), fruity and spicy. But if you are a Chardonnay or dry wine aficionado, you are better off foregoing wine and sticking to the pride of the nation: beer.
Bibliography
Adam, Hans Karl. German Cookery. London: The Wine and Food Society Publishing Company. 1967.
Fodor’s 98. Germany. Tilley, Robert; Gregston, Brent; Scheunemann, Jurgen. Fodor’s Travel Publications, INC. New York, London, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland. 1997.
Frommer’s 98. Germany. Porter, Darwin; Prince, Danforth. Simon and Schuster, INC. New York. 1998.
Grolier 1998 Multimedia Encyclopedia, Grolier Interactive Inc.
The Internet: http://www.foodwine.com/