Ah, the Germans can, and love to cook, and the eats coming out of this small country have affected culinary offerings the planet over. Heavy on potatoes, meaty dishes, plenty of veggies, the food is just warming and comforting. And here on this page, you will find authentic traditional German food recipes, with pictures.
As usual, let’s go through a typical day, and start off with one of the German food traditions, their version of the breakfast.
Bauernfrühstück
(Farmer’s Breakfast)
Hearty, hearty, hearty! This breakfast will fill you up and fuel you for hours. And, thankfully, you can note this one as a “traditional easy German food” recipe too, because it is simple and fast to make.
Ingredients:
- 1-1/3 lb. (600 grams) Desiree potatoes, peeled, sliced
- ¼ lb. (120 grams) good quality, thick sliced bacon, diced
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk
- 1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
- Freshly ground course sea salt and black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp. finely diced fresh chives
Directions:
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a good boil. Add in the sliced potatoes, and lower heat to a simmer. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, or until tender.
In a large frying pan, sauté the bacon over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the olive oil and cooked potato slices, and fry, stirring regularly, until golden brown (10 minutes).
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the milk, oregano, and salt and pepper. Combine well.
Adjust heat to medium-low and pour the mixture over the golden brown potato. Gently move the potato and egg mixture with a wooden spoon until the egg is cooked (2-3 minutes).
Sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.
The midday meal in Germany is traditionally eaten between high noon and 1:00 p.m. It is the main meal of the day. Quite often it consists of potatoes, vegetables and meat, although for the Catholic Germans, the meat on a Friday would either not be included, or it would be fish or some sort of seafood.
Hungry? Let’s prepare and eat one of the traditional German food recipes, that would be typically served mid-day, the meal they call the …
Mittagessen
Bratwurst mit Saurer Sahnensosse
(Bratwurst in Sour Cream Sauce)
Rich, creamy, and hearty, and one of the best German food recipes you’ll ever prepare and enjoy, use a good quality bratwurst for the best results.
Ingredients: (serves 4)
- 8 thick Bratwurst sausages (http://amzn.to/1EyOcM3)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
Directions:
In a medium to large saucepan, bring enough water to cover the bratwurst sausages to a boil.
Drop the bratwurst sausages in the boiling water. Remove the saucepan from the heat and let sausages soak in the boiling water for about 5 minutes.
Drain the water from the saucepan, remove the bratwurst sausages, pat them dry with paper towels.
In a medium sized skillet melt the unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the bratwurst to the butter and use a fork or tongs to turn them frequently to brown the sausages on all sides.
Add the 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the bratwurst sausages in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Do not cover. Turn the sausages over occasionally.
If too much of the water disappears, add back a few tablespoons of hot water back into the pan.
After the sausages are well browned and cooked through, transfer them to a plate, cover with aluminum foil and store in a warm place.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, salt and tablespoon of all purpose flour.
Use a tablespoon to transfer the sour cream mixture a bit at a time to the butter, bratwurst drippings mixture. Whisk the cream mixture into the pan and simmer the sauce for roughly 10 minutes to create a smooth, thick texture. Lower the heat a little more. Do not let the mixture come to a boil.
While the sauce is simmering, cut the bratwurst sausages into small pieces. Transfer them back to the skillet and stir to cover them in sauce. Simmer the bratwurst sausages in the sauce until they are hot.
Transfer the finished bratwurst sausages to a serving platter, cover with the sauce and serve hot immediately.
Kaffee und Kuchen
(Coffee and Cake)
Oftentimes the Germans will have an afternoon snack, especially so on Sundays and special occasions. Usually it consists of simply a sweet bread or cake, with some good strong coffee, and the coffee might be topped with some sweet whipped cream. Try this recipe out, for your German ethnic foods afternoon delight.
Ingredients:
1/2 c. softened butter or margarine
1 c. sugar
2 egg yolks
1-1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
2 egg whites beaten until stiff
Confectioners’ sugar
1 recipe topping
Directions:
Cake-
Cream butter and sugar; beat in egg yolks. Sift dry ingredients add alternately with milk, a little at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in egg whites. Roll out blended cake mixture flat, then roll and fold it several times until it is one full roll, and then place it into a greased 9x9x2 pan. Sprinkle topper over. Bake at 350º about 30 minutes. Serve warm.
Topping recipe-
Mix 1/3 c. all-purpose flour and 1/4 c. brown sugar; cut in 2 tbsp. salted butter and mix until crumbly. Spread over warm cakes, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, and serve.
Serve cakes with fresh brewed strong coffee (suggest Jacobs Kronung Coffee), and provide fresh sweetened whipped cream and granulated white cane sugar for everyone to use as per their tastes.
Abendbrot mit Rettich
(German Bread Dinner with Cheese and Radishes)
About six in the early evening is typical dinner time in traditional Germany. It is usually a cold meal, a selection/combination of cheese, salad, cold meats, and whatever the choices to be served, they are always served with thick, hearty, artisan bread.
The word, Abendbrot, literally means “evening bread”. A small hot dish of leftovers or a soup might also find its way to the dinner table. Lots of Germans will take herbal or black tea with the meal.
This recipe is a good example, a sampling of the traditional, yet simple German food recipes for the day’s final meal, the Abendbrot mit Rettich.
Ingredients: (serves 2 to 4)
- 8 slices artisan bread of your choice
- drizzle of your best EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
- 8 ounces soft ripened goat cheese or burratina, sliced into rounds
- 1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt or kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh milled pink peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1 bunch of large radishes, washed and sliced thinly
Directions:
Drizzle a bit of EVOO on the sliced bread and toast until golden brown.
Add the thinly sliced cheese rounds on top of the hot toast.
Add the fresh parsley on top of the cheese.
Sprinkle the pink salt and pepper on top of the radish slices. Layer the slices into a neat pile and place on a serving platter, or splay out several slices in a nice pattern beside the bread on the individual serving plates.
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