8 unusual names for German dishes

They’re our neighbours, and that language doesn’t sound all that strange if you paid a little attention at secondary school. Until you look at the menu . What do they mean by Kalter Hund? And why do you get a cheese sandwich when you order a half chicken?

Kalter Hund

The German name for what we call arretjescake, a cake you don’t have to bake. A mixture of biscuits, chocolate, sometimes coconut or butter. It owes its name to the droplets that appear on the cake’s chocolate exterior when you take it out of the fridge: just like a puppy’s damp nose.

Falscher Hase

Is this a fake hare? We would call it a Scotch egg, a meatball or a meatloaf with boiled eggs inside.

Muckefuck

Huh, what? A nickname for ersatz coffee, which isn’t made with real coffee beans but with healthier alternatives such as chicory or grains. That strange name is apparently a corruption of the French ‘mocca faux’.

Himmel und Aäd

Heaven and earth, translated literally. Is this such a heavenly dish? It is if you like black pudding, boiled potatoes and onions, with apple sauce.

Armer Ritter

What we call French toast (also quite a strange name, really) is called ‘Arme Ritter’ in Germany, meaning poor knight. The name probably comes from the Middle Ages, when rich people could eat meat and poor people (and knights, then) had to make do with just bread and an egg.

Halver Hahn

Don’t fall for it: you think you’ll get a delicious grilled chicken when you order a ‘Halver Hahn’, but a slice of rye bread with cheese is served.

Beamtenstippen

‘Beamten’ means civil servants and ‘stippen’ means dipping, in the Berlin dialect. It’s an inexpensive plate of food: dry potatoes with sauce. And then you’re supposed to dip those spuds in the sauce.

Maultaschen

German ravioli. They are named after the bags that horses and donkeys were given to eat from—feed bags, in other words.

Read also:

• Why German food is hübsch and gemütlich
• Recipe: bratwurst with chicory, spaghetti and caramelised shallots
• 5 reasons why I love German Tankstelle service stations

Source: DW