Know before you go: 12 German dishes and drinks that sound funnier than they taste

Going on holiday to Germany? Good idea! But know what you’re eating. Kuttelsuppe, Wurzelpeter and Schwarzsauer sound like they belong in the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, but are actually horrifyingly real. 

Labskaus

The pink mash of smoked beef (corned beef is usually used), potatoes, onions, lard and beetroot is a traditional sailors’ dish from northern Germany. Add a fried egg and some herring and tuck in. The only shame is that it looks as though it has already made the long journey through your intestines.

Knödel (or Klöße) 

The German dish you love to hate. Or rather: you hate to love. Is the grey dough ball tasty or not? Here too, you mustn’t judge it by its appearance, but if you poke through it – and we mean that quite literally – there’s a lot to discover. Savoury and sweet. 

Snuten und Poten

It would be a shame to throw them away, so pickled pig snouts and trotters are boiled for hours in water with spices, and the meat that then slides off the bones is eaten with sauerkraut. The dish was once wittily sung about by the Wolf brothers, along with a few other gems from German cuisine. Just to get you completely into the German spirit. 

Stippgrütze

What else can you do with the leftovers from the slaughter? Mix them with groats (ugh) to make a kind of porridge and stuff it into a casing. The slices of sausage are then fried in their own fat, after which they usually fall apart, leaving you with a mash on your plate. 

Maikäfersuppe

Admittedly, the chances of them serving this at your Bavarian campsite are slim, but not so long ago our neighbours to the east enjoyed cockchafer soup. The fresh cockchafers were stripped of their legs and wings and fried until crisp before disappearing into the soup. Tasty, nutritious and sustainable; we wouldn’t be surprised if this dish makes a comeback soon. At least one hipster is already on board.

Pillkaller

We’re certainly not going to claim that you should avoid schnapps (although sometimes that is the sensible option). But this one is very, well… German. A Pillkaller is a shot of schnapps topped with a slice of liver sausage, which in turn gets a generous dab of mustard. There’s a whole ritual involved in consuming it, something about looking, smelling, bowing and exclaiming oh and ah. Drinking and swallowing too, and setting the empty glass down on the table with a bang. Prost!

Kuttelsuppe

As a Dutch person, you may raise an eyebrow at the name of this soup, but that’s definitely not what’s in it. What is? Tripe. The lightly thickened soup is soured with vinegar, and this Eastern European classic has many different preparation methods. With tripe as its shining centrepiece.

Möpkenbrot

Another pork feast, this speciality comes from Westphalia. This time, the pig’s head is one of the main ingredients, along with its blood. And some (rye) flour. They make a kind of ‘bread’ from it, which is boiled in water. It is eaten hot or cold, for example with jam or apple sauce. Beat that.

Obatzda

A classic from the Bavarian Biergarten. It’s a mixture of leftover cheeses, usually out-of-date Camembert and Brie, with onion, butter, caraway, paprika and beer. Traditionally served with a pretzel and – duh – beer. 

Wurzelpeter

A goblin stirring a pot on the label? That’s us sold. The 40% alcohol content certainly helps too. As does the fact that bark is one of the ingredients in this herbal liqueur. A lovely return to nature. Will you come and pick us up in Berlin-Mitte? 

Schwarzsauer

Remember when your parents said it was ‘sea chicken’ when you said you didn’t like fish? In Germany, they say ‘chocolate soup’ when, as a child, you turn your nose up at the blood soup they serve you. Thick, syrupy, dark brown, almost black blood soup. Really mean.  

Liebfraumilch

Some people call the sweet white wine from the carton a ‘friend to everyone without pretensions’; others say it’s ‘undrinkable’. We belong to the latter category. Read here how it can be done.

Read also:

• Know before you go: 12 French dishes you might want to avoid
• Know before you go: 8 Spanish delicacies you might want to avoid
• Chocolate mousse with caramelised insects