Wurst and a beer compose a typical German meal.
German cuisine is more varied and healthier than many Americans imagine. Weiner schnitzel is frequently made with turkey cutlets. Sauerkraut is actually good for you, and hearty German breads are primarily made with whole grains. A few wursts or slices of ham and a piece of marzipan now and then, and no one's diet will be stretched too much. Luckily, many German foods are available in small, inexpensive portions.
Wurst
Germans eat wurst a few times every week.
Perhaps the most well known of small German foods are sausages, or wurst. Germans eat over 1,500 different varieties of wurst--in their homes, at festivals, purchased from small kiosks in the city, and when on volksmarches for exercise in the countryside. Most Americans are familiar with bockwurst for grilling and knockwurst, which comes fully cooked. These sausages are easy to find in the U.S. and are great candidates for a backyard barbecue with a German theme.
Mustard
This German mustard is darker than American mustard.
It goes without saying that any German wurst needs some sweet or tangy German mustard to go with it. In Germany, very hot mustard is served with cold meat and sandwiches, and hot mustard is used on grilled sausages. Mild or sweet Bavarian mustard goes with cooked pates. Sweet mustard is darker than the other mustards and is sweetened with honey or brown sugar. Small jars of German mustard are sold in markets in the U.S.
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut and sausages are paired together frequently.
Sauerkraut is frequently served alongside wurst and mustard. Some have called it Germany's national dish. Made from finely shredded cabbage that is fermented in vats with salt, sauerkraut is high in vitamin C and vitamin A, and also contains other healthful nutrients. In Germany, sauerkraut is often enhanced with caraway seeds, juniper berries, beer, apples or cloves.
Whole Grain Breads
Every small town and neighborhood in Germany has a bakery. Townspeople go there daily to buy fresh, hearty whole grain bread or crusty, white brochen (rolls) to eat with their morning slice of ham and cheese. The most popular breads include a dense rye bread and a combination of rye and wheat, for a lighter textured bread with a thicker crust. German bakers frequently add seeds to both types of bread. Small loaves of rye pumpernickel or other breads are an inexpensive and easily transported German specialty.
Spatzle
Spatzle are small bits of dough made from flour, eggs and either water or milk, cooked in boiling water and served alongside meats and sausages. Translated as "little sparrows," spatzle is the German version of comfort food. Spatzle lovers can find dried spatzle and spatzle mixes at grocery stores in the U.S. and in Germany as well.
Marzipan
You'll see marzipan candies like these in German bakeries and candy shops.
A glance in the window of any Germany bakery will delight the onlooker with a wide variety of small, fancifully shaped marzipan candies in the forms of animals or people. Marzipan is made from almond paste and sugar. Good-luck marzipan pigs are eaten in all German homes on New Year's Day.
Tags: German mustard, darker than, German foods, Germany bakery, made with, marzipan candies