Traditional German Recipes

Introduction

When most people think of German food, they probably think of beer, pretzels, sausages, and schnitzel. While these foods are in fact typical, particularly in the southern state of Bavaria, there is much more to German food. In fact, every region in Germany has its own cuisine with a variety of main dishes, side dishes, and desserts.

Typical Ingredients

It is no secret German cuisine is meat heavy. Pork, beef, chicken, duck, goose, and game meats like boar and venison are all popular. Many popular dishes involve braising tough cuts of meat. Others, like schnitzel, involve pan-frying. Fresh and dried sausages, liverwurst, and cold cuts are also very common.¹

Germany definitely has more than its share of "meat and potatoes" guys (and gals). Popular side dishes often incorporate potatoes, including potato dumplings, fried potato pancakes, French fries, mashed potatoes, and plain boiled potatoes.²

In Northern Germany, fresh, smoked, and pickled fish are all popular. They will often be served on rolls with onions and pickles.³

Cabbage is the perhaps the most typical German vegetable. White cabbage is used to make sauerkraut, while red cabbage is often boiled or braised. Both green and white asparagus are also hugely popular when in season. Peas, carrots, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts also find their way to the German table.¹

German food is generally not very spicy, but onions, mustard, chives, caraway seeds, nutmeg, cloves, bay leaves, juniper berries, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and of course plenty of salt and black pepper are used to create flavorful dishes. ¹