Don't mention the Wurst (International Cuisine)

Member Name: Belgian999

Product:	International Cuisine
Date:	25/02/02 (316 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You always get plenty on your plate

Disadvantages: If you don't like pork, you don't have much choice!

What crosses your mind first when someone mentions the phrase ‘German food’? I know what most of my mates back in England think – sausage. No matter how many times you tell people differently, they are still convinced that culinary life in Germany revolves exclusively around the bratwurst. Well, bratwurst and the various other types of sausage (Rindswurst, Currywurst, heißer Wurst et al) have historically been the most popular type of fast food, and are still widely available from street vendors, and at any sort of street fair or football match, but please believe me when I say that there is a lot more to German cuisine than the Wurst!

Germany is a big country, and the various federal states offer a great variety of regional specialities – I live in Baden-Württemburg, not far from Alsace, and the food here is characterised by two dishes in particular: Flammkuchen and Spätzle. Flammkuchen (literally translated as ‘flame cakes’) are an Alsatian speciality, but thanks to the historical conflicts in that border region, the local food is found quite a lot in southwestern Germany. Perhaps the best way to describe it is as a sort of pizza – the thin and crispy base (either oblong or round) is covered in a sort of creme fraiche, and then topped with cheese, bacon, mushrooms, or pretty much anything you fancy. You can also try the sweet variation on this theme, for which the topping is normally pureed apples with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Spätzle are not a particular favourite of mine – they are a type of noodle, often shaped like little yellow torpedoes, and are normally served as an accompaniment to meat dishes instead of rice and potatoes. You can also order a large bowl of Käsespätzle, which basically translates as a mountain of cheesy noodles! Maultaschen are another decent local dish, found often in Swabia (the region around Stuttgart) – they are like oversized ravioli, pasta pockets filled with m
ince and vegetables, baked off in the oven and served with a topping of scrambled eggs.

I’m now going to run the risk of perpetuating the stereotypes though: If you go to Nuremberg, you really have to try the Rostbratwurst. These are small sausages, lightly spiced to give them a different flavour to the standard bratwurst, and are normally served piping hot with potatoes and sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is a curious thing – I don’t generally like white cabbage, I can’t abide vinegar, but mix them together with some peppercorns and serve them with a pile of Rostbratwurst, and I can’t get enough. Maybe I’m going native?

If you go to Munich, then you absolutely have to sample the famous Weißwurst. This is a large boiled sausage, which tastes a lot better than it looks – it is cooked in its skin and looks distinctly unappetising on the plate, but if you get over the first impression then it’s well worth a try. The best idea is to go for something like the Bavarian Bauernteller, which contains a selection of different cuts – pork knuckle, Weißwurst, blood sausage, and a mound of sauerkraut. It might not sound too tasty, but it slips down beautifully with a cold wheat beer, believe me!

Most meat dishes involve a pork cut of some kind – in fact, you will do very well to find a menu that does not involve something that was once part of a pig. This is all well and good, unless you’re a vegetarian, in which case your options are often limited to Spätzle or salad – Germany as a nation has not yet adapted too well to the idea that people occasionally do not want to eat meat. The favourite pork cut is definitely the Schnitzel, a breaded cutlet most often served with chips and gravy, and if you live out here, in the end you can’t live without it...

However, Germans could quite happily live on pork. You rarely see lamb on the menu, and beef has become almost taboo in the las
t few years, as well as being a source of constant amusement for the locals – if they’re not making jokes about ‘that English weather’ every time it rains, then you get comments about BSE! Poultry is not eaten as much as in the UK, and a lot of families do still cook a goose for Christmas – turkey is the exception rather than the rule. As southern Germany is largely Catholic in heritage, fish is served on a Friday – but in general you do not get seafood here as much as in the north of the country, simply because you are so far from the sea, in every direction!

Herrings are eaten quite a lot the further north you go, often served as a very simple main meal in a yoghurt or sour cream sauce – and if you manage to last the distance on a night out on the tiles in Hamburg, follow the smell down to the fish market as dawn breaks and get a fresh fish breakfast in the traditional style! Breakfasts in general are something that is totally different to Britain: Breakfast cereal is a relatively recent introduction to German supermarkets, and most people (me included) still prefer to wander down to the bakery and get some hot rolls or fresh bread, to be eaten with cheese, meats and jam. Sandwiches as we know them are not popular either, what you have instead are cheese or ham rolls, and while you can pick up a sarnie at a petrol station, they don’t come close to the legendary M&S chicken tikka variety! The bakeries here all open very early in the morning so that people can pop in for their breakfast, or to pick up a sweet or savoury snack during the day. The cakes are normally excellent – try a slice of Streuselküche, which has a fruit filling and a crunchy, sugared topping like that which you would find on an apple crumble.

This is by no means intended to be an exclusive guide to everything you are likely to find on the menu in a German restaurant, but hopefully it has given you an idea of the variety of f
ood that you can find over here. The things to remember are that half portions as a concept simply do not exist, and the locals do not go to a restaurant for a 'light meal'. Portions are normally generous, prices are reasonable (outside the tourist traps) and you won't get anything that is more than mildly spiced, as Germans don't seem to like hot food. Basically, you have to forget any preconceived ideas of the Germans existing on a diet of sausage and beer, as tempting as that may be – there is plenty of variety there, you just have to know what you’re looking for...

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