5 ways Germany misses the culinary mark
Germany is enormous. Around 82 million people live there, and apparently they all eat the strangest things. Unless you consider Maultaschen normal, but then you’ve probably never tasted ravioli.
Germany is incredibly close by, but when you find these dishes on the menu or on your plate, it still feels as though you’re a long way from home. And not always in a positive way. Schnitzels and Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte are well-known and beloved dishes from German cuisine; these five are—understandably—far less famous.
Maultaschen
Let’s start with that fantastic name: feed bags. They’re also named after the bags hung around donkeys’ and horses’ necks so they can eat oats from them. But they’re a kind of ravioli, filled with minced meat, parsley, onion and breadcrumbs. It makes you think of… ravioli, but the inferior version (if we’re being honest). On the other hand: Maultaschen have been recognised by the European Union as a regional speciality. There.
Weisswurst
A boiled white sausage on your plate doesn’t look particularly inviting. Traditionally served with Brezen, a delicious salty bread pretzel, and sweet mustard. Did you know that Germany has the Weißwurst-äquator, or sausage equator? It’s the border between Bavaria and the rest of Germany: the places where white sausage is and isn’t eaten. Enjoy your meal.
Falscher Hase
Perhaps you think you’re about to eat saddle of hare or jugged hare: wrong. It’s a meatloaf filled with eggs. A dish from the Second World War, when all kinds of things were scarce. German housewives improvised like crazy and created a dish that, if you squinted, looked a little like hare. A very little bit, that is.
Eisbein
Not suitable for vegetarians: a piece of pork you can feed the whole family with, and you’ll still have enough left over for sandwiches the next day. It’s a piece of pork knuckle, boiled with all kinds of delicious flavourings, then finished in the oven for a wonderfully crisp, shiny crust. Served with sauerkraut and the beginnings of hardening arteries, because goodness, this is incredibly fatty (and delicious).
Labskaus
On Hanseatic ships trading in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages, there were no fresh supplies to be found. So the cook on board prepared ‘Labskaus’, a pan of salted meat, bacon, pickled beetroot, onion, carrots, salted fish such as herring, and whatever else happened to be lying around in the galley. Typical of the Germans to turn that into a national dish. It’s still eaten in Bremen, Hamburg and Rostock. To make it even more insane, fried eggs and pickled cucumbers are nowadays served alongside it, writes the website Wereldbackpackers. Are we supposed to be grateful?
