German Cuisine

German cooking was shaped by climate: a long cold winter means food that fills and warms, and preservation methods that carry it through to spring.

Potatoes

Potatoes reached Germany in the eighteenth century and became the backbone of the cuisine: potato salad, knödel (boiled potato dumplings), rösti, and boiled potatoes alongside almost anything.

Schnitzel

A cutlet pounded thin, dipped in flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried in clarified butter. The trick is a genuinely thin cutlet and hot fat, so the crust stays crisp and separates slightly from the meat.

Preserving and fermenting

Sauerkraut, pickles and smoked meats are all old preservation methods that became part of the identity. Sauerkraut is also a natural source of probiotics.

Bread

Germany has more than 300 registered bread types, most of them rye, wholegrain and sourdough — far darker and denser than white bread.