In Germany, staple foods used in many regional specialties are meat, vegetables, spices, and wheat. The most popular meat consumed is pork, but other types like chicken and beef are used commonly too. Schnitzel (breadcrumb roasted pork or veal), Sauerbraten (sour roasts), Bratwurst (pork or veal sausages), and Frikadellen (meat patties) are delicious meat dishes that people eat for lunch or dinner. One specialty meat in Germany are sausages, there are over 20 kinds of sausages and are all spiced differently to give each a unique and tasty flavor. Sausage recipes can range from pork liver sausages, veal sausages, mini sausages, even blood sausages. Meat dishes are always accompanied by some kind of vegetable dish with carrots, potatoes, spinach, broccoli, white asparagus, and many kinds of cabbages. Vegetables can also be used in stews, but mainly as a side dish. Most vegetables are boiled in salt water, but some can be fried or mashed like potatoes or onions. Spices and herbs are a very important part in cooking because it gives food that unique flavor. Fresh parsley, thyme, chives, juniper berries, basil, sage, and oregano are commonly used spices and herbs in Germany. German food isn't very spicy, but can be when making mustard for sausages and using horseradish. Another important ingredient used in breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert cooking is wheat. Wheat can be used in cakes, bread rolls, sandwiches, basically most Germans eat food with wheat more than once a day. Bread is made in Germany everyday with over 17,000 bakeries and about 6,000 types of bread, depending on the type of wheat used. Wheat bread is usually mixed with rye flour to make breads such as Pumpernickel and Westphalian that have a special sweetish taste. Visitors should make time to try Germany's wide variety of foods that can be delicious for vegetarians too. Here is a recipe to make rotkohl (red cabbage) that goes great with meatballs, boiled potatoes, or buttered spatzle (German noodles):
Ingredients1 small or medium head of red cabbage4 slices bacon, chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup sugar (more to taste)
¼ cup white vinegar (more to taste)salt and pepper
Peel the outermost leaves off the cabbage and discard. Chop the rest of the cabbage coarsely, as if for a chunky coleslaw. Meanwhile, fry the bacon over medium heat in a large cooking pot. Once the bacon is cooked but not crisp, add the sugar and onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the sugar is slightly caramelized. Stir in the cabbage, apple, onion, bay leaves, sugar and vinegar, as well as generous amounts of salt and pepper. Cook on medium for several minutes until the ingredients are heated through, stirring constantly to prevent anything sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium low. Allow the cabbage to cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cabbage should still be very slightly tender-crisp. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly; you may find that for a larger head of cabbage, more sugar and vinegar will be required.
Serve the rotkohl steaming hot. Enjoy!
sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cuisine,
http://recipes.suite101.com/article.cfm/rotkohl
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