Speyer: What Defines German Cuisine? Part 2

Sauerkraut above all is obviously typically German: to Anglo-American countries, after all, Germans are the "Krauts". Internationally, German cuisine is often regarded as particularly meat-heavy and hearty.

What Defines German Cuisine?

Germany is more than just sauerkraut: the many kinds of sausage and bread play a big role too. After all, even in Speyer on the Rhine there are regional bread specialities that exist only there. Who is surprised by that, with more than 3,000 different kinds of bread across Germany? German products such as German wines, Lübeck marzipan, Dresden stollen, Thuringian grilled bratwursts and pretzels are also known beyond Germany's borders.

In Germany it is the culinary variety in particular that is impressive. Whether north, west, south or east, German cuisine has the right meal in store for everyone. That surely applies to the good 50,000 residents of Speyer too. What makes German cuisine so varied are the typical local specialities of each area, such as fruit and vegetables, fish, meat and different kinds of beer.

In this two-part blog post we take you on a tour around Germany and introduce the different regions.

Schleswig-Holstein: German Cuisine with Contrasts

Lower Saxon, Danish and Frisian influences shape the cuisine of Schleswig-Holstein, as do the often harsh climate and the proximity to the sea.

Probably the best-known dish of Schleswig-Holstein cuisine is pears, beans and bacon. Supposedly a daring combination, since the sweetness of the pears meets the strong bacon broth, it is nevertheless very common in Germany's northernmost federal state. This frequently found mix of sweet components with sour or salty ones is called Broken sööt, "broken sweetness". Most often served together are sour and sweet components, which are called söötsuur.

Just as widespread is the napkin dumpling Meelbüdel, served with fruit as well as pork cheek and boiled sausage. Sweet-and-sour goose leg, sweetened turnip purée or the Holstein Sauerfleisch (pickled meat) are also Broken sööt dishes.

Kale, too, is a typical Broken sööt dish, served after lengthy braising with boiled sausage and caramelised fried potatoes. Some people even help the sweetness along with sugar, which is put out ready at the table. Lying between the North Sea and the Baltic, Schleswig-Holstein naturally also places great importance on fish. Herring, Kiel sprats and young plaice are the ones to mention here above all.

Fried fish is also sometimes accompanied by compote and fruit sauces.

For dessert, vanilla ice cream is sometimes served with Frisian bean soup.

Thuringian Home Cooking

Everyone knows Thuringian dumplings. As the saying goes: "A Sunday without dumplings would lose its greatness." So we start straight away with the best-known speciality of Thuringian cuisine.

Classically, they are served with beef roulades, apple red cabbage and a gravy. Thuringian cuisine offers down-to-earth, hearty home cooking that often consists of various kinds of meat.

Thuringian grilled bratwursts are another regional dish. There are often many other sausage and game specialities too.

Raw meat, known in Thuringia as Gehacktes (minced pork), is also very widespread.

In general, Thuringian cuisine can be said to be a predominantly heavy cuisine with hearty sauces and plenty of meat. That is probably just what many Germans like, above all the good 50,000 residents of Speyer. Thuringia, with its gigantic forest areas, has always been shaped by forestry, mining and farming, which you notice in the cooking quite quickly. Alongside the hearty dishes, the simple traybake cake has also stood the test of time in Thuringia to this day. Funerals and festive occasions in Thuringia are accompanied by at least ten kinds of cake.

Saarland Cuisine: Simple and Substantial

The people of the Saarland say: "mir wisse, was gudd iss" ("we know what's good"). In the Saarland, powerful, hearty food is the main theme.

But where do the most popular dishes of Saarland cuisine actually come from? Because of the Saarland's past, potatoes are used very often. As was once the case in Rhineland-Palatinate too, food had to be available quickly and cheaply, which is why carrots, beans, onions and leeks are still so important today.

A classic Saarland potato speciality is Gefillde, potato dumplings filled with minced meat or liver or blood sausage, served with a bacon and cream sauce and salad or sauerkraut.

Other potato dishes found in Saarland cuisine are, for example, Geheirate, Plattgschmelzde or Hoorische. Meat mostly comes to the table grilled. From the swing grill there are, for example, meatballs, bratwursts or marinated pork neck. The proximity to Alsace, and so to France, also meant that Merguez, a red sausage originally from North Africa, found its way into the Saarland. Incidentally, the consumption of mustard and liquid seasoning is higher in the Saarland than in any other German region. No, even the people of Rhineland-Palatinate really cannot beat that.

Hesse: German Cuisine with Aroma

Powerful and down-to-earth: that is probably the best way to describe Hessian cuisine. Classic ingredients of Hessian cooking are potatoes, eggs, bacon and bread as well as herring, herbs, lentils, onions and beef, or various kinds of sausage. Here the Ahle Worscht, an air-dried, lightly smoked red sausage made from pork, is especially widespread.

Different soups are also on the menu in Hesse. Foremost among them is the Frankfurt lentil soup, with sausages and apple sauce.

Green sauce is also widespread; it is served, for example, with ox brisket.

Baked fish or ribs with sauerkraut are also characteristic of Hesse.

On the sweet side, the Frankfurter Kranz (a ring-shaped buttercream cake) and the Hessian sour cream cake are the ones to mention above all. Of course, both of them are known all over Germany too.

The best-known element of Hessian cuisine is probably Ebbelwoi (apple wine), which goes with many dishes. Apples also play a big role in the form of apple juice or as a pure product.

With Ebbelwoi, people like to eat Handkäs mit Musik, that is, marinated hand cheese. Among the drinks, not to be forgotten are Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Grauburgunder and Silvaner.

The second part of our delicious journey through Germany has now come to an end too. Lovely that you joined us. So you can now either treat yourself in the different regions or cook the typical dishes at home.