Hey HOs! GERMAN was our only nomination this month, so it’s our winner by default. Since I’ll be stationed in Germany myself for the next month or so, I will try my best to report on all the tasty things I eat! Looking forward to learning with you!
Although neighbour with Germany, my knowledge of German cuisine is minimal, I can see German influence in France in region like Alsace: sausages, choucroute (sauerkraut), dumplings and fresh noodles. German is also famous for baking. Looking forward to learn especially the regional subtleties.
For a start, maybe this blog can help, Luisa Weiss based in Berlin (and Boston) and has published several German cook books:
More German food blogs here:
What German cookbooks do you own or recommend?
Where in Germany will you be?
Longtimers from the Chowhound days will know that I’ve pined from afar for German Döner Kebabs for years. But there’s much more going on there, of course.
German food is very regional and diverse. You have probably noticed I make it all the time.
Some ideas for you:
Asparagus and/or Speck anything.
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“Potato cheese”
Germans are mushroom mad but not as much as Austrians.
“Pears, beans and Speck” is the name of this meal.
Herring roll is a typical snack in the north.
Labskaus is also from the north.
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Herring in cream.
Herring with beans and Speck.
Flammkuchen.
My seasonal version of Strammer Max.
Potato dumplings.
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Spätzle
Veal meatballs.
Liver and onions.
And the best breads.
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Beautiful photos, Presunto! I really need to go through some of my roommate’s cookbooks before I head back to the states - she has a small but interesting collection of German cookbooks, many of which date back to her youth growing up in East Berlin.
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I’m currently on the west side of Germany, visiting some friends in Pforzheim before I head to Basel for a quick trip. They took me for some Schwäbisch food last night, at a cozy Biergarten called Kupferhammer. My friend recommended the Maultaschen and they were delicious - light veal and herb filling and smothered in caramelized onions. Hopefully I’ll have time for another visit before I head out!
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I am reading and ready to cook something later this week.
Curious about Mett, the pork tartare. Have somebody tried it, do you like it? How is it different from beef tartare?
I never see anybody here eating raw pork, and wonder if I can find quality meat to eat it raw.
I have eaten it but never made it myself. I like it a lot, but then I pretty much love any spreadable meat. In my experience it is different from beef tartare in that it is more finely ground and there’s fat involved (probably ground shoulder?), whereas beef tartare is generally made from super lean filet and more of a coarse chop. I think there are different styles from the various regions of Germany, though.
I read more: “legally, German Mett is not allowed to contain more than 35% fat.” Preparation includes semi-freezes the porc at 2ºC (35.6ºF) and sells freshly prepare the same day. This will be difficult to find in France, as pork are kept around 4ºC (39ºC) or above.
Regional difference of Mett:
I see also it has been mentioned by Presunto here:
35% fat sounds about right. It’s not quite as fatty as your average sausage, but much more so than beef tartare. When I make pork sausages I use shoulder plus some added fat, so ground shoulder without added fat for Mett makes sense. Seasonings vary but salt, pepper and onion are pretty standard. Caraway is popular in Germany in general so I’m sure it’s a common ingredient as well.
Dinner was Knackwurst with mustard, asparagus and mashed potato, the highlight was the dessert - Apfelstrudel, my first Apple Strudel!
The tricky part was to make very thin stretched sheets to wrap around other ingredients. A lot of holes if you saw my “sheet” I turned the strudel upside down before putting it in oven.
I have used this recipe:
It is an OK recipe, a note that there were too much apples. 4 was enough.
On the whole it was good, not too sweet, because I used Granny Smith. Maybe the apples were a bit too mushy, so I should have sliced them thicker.
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Your strudel looks delicious! You might try parcooking the apples a bit to preserve their texture and prevent the gap between crust and filling.
I had a few slices of strudel in Austria while I was there last month and none of them had raisins - not sure if they are more typical in German versions or not.
Good question on the gap. I didn’t precook the apple, I saw on the video of Escoffier School, the chef didn’t do it. I think slicing the apple thicker and recooking that may release some of the extra liquid or steam.
Among the dozen of recipes I saw online, all of them include raisins (soaked with rum), the one from Escoffier School has hazel nuts and some others include pine nuts.
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Nobody interested in German food? Arrrrwwww… Don’t let Cuisine of the Quarter die…
Flammekueche a few days ago. Husband’s home made dough was good, maybe raising a bit too much, so we cooked a bit longer, making the top a big dried.
Has anybody a good Flammekueche recipe to share? The best one I have ever eaten was in Stockholm’s Speceriet, I read that the chef has won international competition for his “tarte flamblée”.
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Looks delicious. I’ll be honest, I don’t cook much German food, but I’ll give it a go. Do German pastries count?
Sure, pastries are lovely and not the easiest to make.
Absolutely! I feel bad that I let this quarter slide, especially since I was IN Germany for most of it. It’s actually just about time to think about nominations for next quarter, though - so start brainstorming!
I have no idea how this recipe compares to others, I just remember when I saw it thinking it was pretty simple
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I made this recipe once 3 years ago, it was fabulous! The rye flour is key. https://www.deliciousdays.com/archives/2010/07/24/welcoming-dear-friends-flammkuchen-with-red-onions/
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Strikes me as kinda heavy for spring/summer! We do grill brats, does that count? 
