German cuisine

German cuisine has traditionally been affected to a large degree by the (seasonal) availability of certain ingredients and the climate. As Germany has colder winters than the Mediterranean countries, it historically had a stronger focus on fatty dishes with meat, particularly pork. Like its neighbors Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic, with which it shares quite a bit in culinary terms, Germany was and is a big producer and consumer of all kinds of sausages that are fried, smoked, dried, steamed, cooked or eaten raw. A particular German treat is the breakfast (Frühstück) which can last hours on a lazy Sunday forenoon and usually includes jams, rolls, coffee, hot chocolate but also savory treats like sausage. German cuisine also has a lot in common with that of the French region of Alsace and the German-speaking part of Switzerland.
German cuisine has a lot of regional variation not least because of the historically fractured nature of its politics. Despite 40 years of East-West partition which left their mark, sometimes due to a shortage in certain ingredients during the communist period which led to surrogate creations, most German cultural cleavages divide the country into North and South. So you will not experience a great culinary difference between Schleswig-Holstein (West) and Mecklenburg (East) as both belong to the northern region, while the cuisine of Thuringia (East) is not much different from the Franconia one (West), both being variants of the central-to-southern cooking tradition. That said, foreign influence tends to vary quite a bit. While even relatively minor towns tend to have people of Turkish descent (and their cuisine) in the West, the largest immigrant group in the East is Vietnamese people and they make up a rather smaller portion of the overall population even in large cities. Similarly American and to a smaller extent French and British influence were much stronger in the West while the East had some Soviet and Hungarian influence but also tried to copy "Western" food (West German TV was available to most East German households throughout partition) while avoiding issues of resource scarcity and intellectual property.
Saltwater fish is more commonly eaten in the North but preserved fish of various kinds was common far from the sea already during the Middle Ages as old documents and archeology show. The most commonly eaten freshwater fish are carp (Karpfen) trout (Forelle) and pike (Hecht), the latter usually a side-product of carp farming. In certain regions there are large areas covered by artificial bodies of water to raise fish, particularly carp. In historically Catholic regions it is still common to eat fish on Fridays and during Lent, which also explains the historic association between carp and cloisters. A vegetable that is still a seasonal craze in most of Germany is asparagus (Spargel) which can fetch prices of €10 per kilo. White asparagus is usually eaten with sauce hollandaise, potatoes and ham.
German cuisine has also been exported to other parts of the world such as Australia and the United States by the German diaspora, and many localised versions of German dishes can be found in the cuisines of those countries. For instance, the schnitzel, albeit one made from beef or chicken rather than pork, has been widely adopted as a staple of Australian cuisine, while German sausages gave rise to the American hot dog.

Kosher and halal

While Ashkenazi cuisine in particular shows some overlap with central European cuisine ("Ashkenaz" means "Rhineland") genuinely kosher restaurants are limited to a handful in big cities. Sometimes a synagogue will have an on-site kosher cafeteria, but its offerings may be limited and it may not always be open to those that don't attend services. Kosher ingredients - even "normal" products that one would expect to be kosher by default carrying a kosher label - are rare and virtually only sold in specialist supermarkets. Due to a sizable Ex-Soviet Jewish community some stores aimed at Russian immigrants offer kosher ingredients.
"Halal" (sometimes spelled "helal" as in Turkish) food, that is food conforming to Islamic dietary laws is usually available at Muslim owned businesses and more than half of all Döner stalls proudly display their halal certificate. Vegan and vegetarian products (e.g. gelatin-free gummy bears) are often marked as "halal" despite that being superfluous as vegan nonalcoholic foodstuff is halal by default.

In all regions of Germany there is still native cuisine using local produce, rooted in traditional customs. These dishes are often easier to find in rural areas than in the city. Often the menus of several restaurants have to be compared to get typical dishes on the plate, but the effort is worth it. Germany tastes different everywhere, a wonderful variety of flavours. Further information can be found in the relevant region and city articles.
Further articles on the subject:

• Bavarian cuisine
• Franconian cuisine
• Breweries in Franconia

• The municipality of Aufseß is known for its brewery density and received an entry in the Guinness Book of Records in 2001. The 1,317 inhabitants share 4 breweries, and, with 330 inhabitants per brewery, the town has the highest brewery density in the world.

• Baiersbronn is the only German community with 8 stars from the Michelin Guide and also the only one with two 3-star restaurants.

• The strongest beer in the world (57.5% alcohol) is brewed by the small brewery Oberasbacher Schorschbräu near Gunzenhausen. The bock beer is cooled down and the resulting ice crystals are separated, leaving beer with a higher alcohol content.

• The highest restaurant in Germany is on the Zugspitze at above sea level.

• The Berggasthof Ahornkaser near Berchtesgaden is the highest mountain inn in Germany that can be reached by car at over above sea level.

Schnitzel

In all German regions, pork schnitzel with French fries or potato salad is on the menu. As an unvarying German dish, it is well suited to determine the price level of an individual restaurant or region. The prices vary between and . In the following, some of the most well-known variants are enumerated. The variety of schnitzel variations in Germany is, however, indescribable. One can find a new taste experience each day; many menus offer surprises.

• A Wiener Schnitzel is found on the menu less often. It is prepared from veal and is, correspondingly, more expensive. Usually, the cheaper Schnitzel Wiener Art made of pork is offered.
• Jägerschnitzel (Hunter's schnitzel) is usually a roasted pork cutlet, more rarely made from veal with a mushroom-tomato or mushroom-cream sauce. In some areas it is breaded, in others it is not. The latter is called a natural schnitzel. A further variant, which originated in East Germany and can still be found there, is breaded centimetre thick slices of Jagdwurst or beer ham and served with a sauce of tomatoes with onions. Potatoes, potato salad, mashed potatoes, French fries, croquettes or noodles are served as a side dish.
• Berliner Schnitzel - not a real schnitzel, but breaded cow's udder
• Cordon bleu is a breaded schnitzel filled with cheese and ham.
• Schnitzel Elsässer Art (Alsatian style) - with bacon, onions and crème fraîche
• Hamburger Schnitzel - with fried egg, partly with fried onions
• Hawaii Schnitzel - with pineapple and cheese au gratin
• Schnitzel Holstein, also à la Holstein - veal escalope with fried egg, smoked salmon, oil sardines, capers, anchovy fillets with fried potatoes, beetroot and gherkins
• Kinderschnitzel - (for chirdren) smaller portion with chips and ketchup, mostly with funny names on the menu
• Kochkäseschnitzel - breaded pork schnitzel with cooked cheese (like Cancoillotte), often served with pickled onions and farmer's bread
• Münchner Schnitzel - Viennese style schnitzel coated with sweet mustard and horseradish under the breadcrumb.
• Pariser Schnitzel - thin escalope of veal salted, turned in flour and beaten egg, and fried
• Putenschnitzel - turkey escalope, natural or breaded
• Schweizer Schnitzel (Swiss Schnitzel) - breaded and gratinated with cheese
• Schnitzel Spreewälder Art - breaded pork schnitzel, spread with horseradish after roasting, topped with pickled cucumber and gratinated with cheese
• Zigeunerschnitzel (Gypsy schnitzel) - natural or breaded with a pepper sauce. The name (which dates to the much less politically correct 1950s) has come under some criticism and you may find it under different names in some menus

Pig legs

Parts of the pig's leg are popular in all parts of Germany. They are offered cooked, fried, grilled and breaded, and there are also many possibilities with the side dishes. There are many names for it: Eisbein, Hachse, Hechse, Haxe, Haspel, Stelze, in the Rhineland Hämmche, Bötel, in Franconia Knöchla, in Bavaria Schweinshaxn.

Roulade

The "Roulade" is a typical German dish. Thin slices of meat are rolled around a piece of bacon and gherkins, seasoned with onions, mustard, pepper and salt. The meat is fried quickly and then cooked slowly for an hour. The roulade is served with red cabbage and, depending on the region, boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, spaetzle, dumplings or dumplings. Roulades are prepared with veal, turkey, beef or pork.
A speciality are Kohlrouladen or Krautwickel (cabbage rolls), blanched savoy cabbage or white cabbage leaves are coated with meat mass and then wrapped.

Sauerbraten

A Sauerbraten is a traditional sweet and sour stew with different regional variations. Raw meat, mostly beef, is pretreated by marinating it in a vinegar marinade for several days. In earlier times, sour marinade was used to protect meat from spoilage. The meat is then sautéed, infused with diluted marinade and braised for several hours. The meat is then sweetened to obtain the typical sweet and sour taste of the sauce and thickened with gingerbread sauce. The piece of meat is cut into slices and served with potato dumplings, boiled potatoes or noodles, usually served with red cabbage. There are two main types of Sauerbraten, with the emphasis on sauer being cooked in Franconia, Saxony and Swabia, while the Rhenish one is more in the sweet direction.
The famous "Rheinischer Sauerbraten" used to use horse meat, which is hardly to be found nowadays. Often raisins are added to the sauce, rarely baked fruit.

Königsberger Klopse

The dish is a former East Prussian speciality, which is now well known throughout Germany and can be found on many menus. It is also called Kapernklopse, Saure Klopse, Soßklopse or Kochklopse. The meatballs consist of minced beef or veal mixed with minced pork, chopped anchovies, onions, soaked white bread, eggs and spices. They are cooked in salt water, possibly with a dash of white wine or vinegar and spices. The broth is sieved, bound with light roux, cream and egg yolk and refined with lemon juice and capers. The meatballs are served with peels, boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes.
They are called Heringsklopse if salted herring was used instead of anchovies.

In restaurants, common sea fish from oceans and elsewhere brought by the international fish trade are offered. Pangasius is on many menus because of its low price. Typical fish species for the North Sea and Baltic coast are herring (Hering), cod (Kabeljau), mackerel (Makrele) and the flatfish flounder (Flunder), turbot (Steinbutt) and plaice (Scholle). Young cod before sexual maturity and smaller cod living in the Baltic Sea are called Dorsch. Alaska pollock, virtually always sold as "Alaska Seelachs" is Germany's most popular saltwater fish, even though it is not native to German waters or a traditional part of German cuisine.
As freshwater fish, char (Saibling), pike-perch (Zander), catfish (Wels) and trout (Forelle) are on menus all over Germany. Carp (Karpfen) is very popular in Franconia from September to April. Renken are offered on the Bavarian lakes and whitefish on Lake Constance, Felchen. This is a fish (Coregonus) from the salmon family, which is usually served smoked or fried. In the lakes of Mecklenburg, the same fish species is called Maräne.
The 'Krabben (crabs) on the North Sea coast are well known, where they are called Granat. You can coil them yourself or buy them already piled.

• A Rollmops is a fillet of herring pickled in vinegar and salt and eaten rolled up filled with gherkin. It is held together by two small wooden sticks which prevent premature unrolling. It is said to have originated in the first half of the 19th century in Berlin.

• Bismarckhering are herring fillets preserved in a sour marinade of vinegar, cooking oil, onions, mustard seeds and bay leaves. They are traditionally eaten with fried potatoes or with onions and gherkin on a roll as "Bismarck" rolls.

• "Bratheringe" are fried and then marinated herrings. They are eaten with bread, fried potatoes or jacket potatoes.

• Lachsersatz (salmon substitute, i.e. cold-smoked pollack) or Pacific pollack, which is coloured in such a way that the colour reminds you of salmon. The fish fillets are sold on the market as slices or saithe schnitzel. The salmon substitute is often sold as salmon rolls with onion rings and cucumber slices on a light-coloured roll.

• Kieler Sprotten is a fish speciality from Schleswig-Holstein. Sprat, a herring-like sea fish with a length of about 10 cm, is smoked over beech and alder wood. Some eat them completely, uneviscerated with head and tail. Usually, the head is cut off before eating, and the tail and the main bone is pulled out carefully.

Stint

Stint (lat. Osmerus eperlanus) belongs to the same family as salmon and sea trout. Like its big brothers and sisters, the Stint spawns on the Elbe for a few weeks from the end of February to April, depending on the water temperature, a festival for fish lovers. The fish is usually 15 to 18 cm, to a maximum of 30 cm long. Connoisseurs know that the stint only tastes good if it is not older than one day; you should be able to tell that with your nose, it has a light cucumber smell.
The fish are gutted and the head removed. Before roasting, they are salted and then turned in rye flour. Traditionally, the smelt is eaten with warm bacon and potato salad. During the Stint season, the speciality is offered in restaurants on the Elbe in Lower Saxony from the mouth up via Hamburg to about Lüneburg.

Meanwhile you can find on almost every menu meatless or vegetarian dishes, with vegan dishes you have to search a little longer.

• Kloß mit Soß (dumpling with gravy) is available in Franconia, in the north of Bavaria, as a meatless dish in inns where dumplings are on the menu. If it's not on the menu, just ask for it, usually it's no problem. There is a gravy for dumplings, which you can often choose. Not suitable for vegetarians and vegans as it is a sauce made with meat. Muslims can ask for beef or poultry sauce.

• Käsespätzle are a popular dish in the south of Baden-Württemberg, the neighbouring and culturally related Bavarian District of Swabia and other, southern parts of Bavaria. They are Spätzle noodles with cheese and fried onions.

• Vegetables baked with cheese or vegetables with bechamel sauce are often offered as vegetarian dishes. The composition of the vegetables varies according to the restaurant and season.

Cabbage

Sauerkraut is white cabbage or pointed cabbage preserved by lactic acid fermentation, which is usually eaten cooked as a side dish to meat dishes. Sauerkraut is internationally regarded as a typical German dish, but is also very popular with its eastern neighbours and in Alsace.
In the German-speaking area, in the south the term Kraut is spoken primarily, in the north rather Kohl. In North Rhine-Westphalia and the Rhineland one speaks of Kappes.
Rotkohl (Red cabbage) is used in northern Germany, Rotkraut in central and south-western Germany and Blaukraut (Blue cabbage) in southern Germany, and in North Rhine-Westphalia and the Rhineland it is referred to as red/blue Kappes.
Grünkohl (Kale) or also Braunkohl, as it is called in Braunschweig, Hannover, the Magdeburger Börde and Bremen, is a typical winter vegetable from northern Germany. In the south it is virtually unknown. In many parts of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein it is a real cult to go on a kale trip with clubs, companies and other groups in the autumn and winter months. A typical dish is kale with Pinkel, a smoked black pudding.
Knieperkohl is in the Prignitz (In the middle between Berlin and Hamburg) national dish. It is a sour vegetable similar to sauerkraut. It consists of white cabbage, blue marrow cabbage, or leaves of red cabbage, green cabbage and cherry and vine leaves. The cabbage leaves are boiled up, squeezed out, salted, stamped in layers with the wine and cherry leaves into stoneware pots and then fermented with lactic acid for a few weeks. The knee cabbage is served with knuckle of pork, cabbage sausage, knacker or Kasslerkamm, served with potatoes.

Bread

The whole world loves white bread, not so Germany, here the breads are darker and firmer. There is an incredible variety, well over 300 varieties are baked throughout the country. There are often more than twenty different types of bread in bakeries. Many different types of grain are used, such as wheat, spelt, rye, etc. and varied with pumpkin or sunflower seeds. Wholemeal bread made from wholemeal cereals or specialities such as pumpernickel, a bread baked 24 hours a day in steam chambers, is also popular.

Rolls

There is a multitude of names from north to south, the number of variations is unmanageable. It is worth going to a bakery in each area and trying out new variations. The local names are often supplemented, e.g. sesame, multigrain and rye rolls.

• Brötchen is mainly used in Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, North Rhine-Westphalia, northern Rhineland-Palatinate, large parts of Hesse, northern Saxony-Anhalt and parts of Brandenburg. This term is also understood and, the more so, grudgingly accepted in the rest of Germany.
• In Thuringia, in southern Saxony-Anhalt and in Saxony, Brötchen and Semmel are used.
• Rundstück is used in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and parts of northwestern Lower Saxony.
• Semmel is used throughout Bavaria and southern Thuringia, as well as understood in wide parts of the entire south. It is also the word that - as part of a coumpound noun - is used in the German translation of the Holy Bible for 'breadcrumbs': Semmelmehl (lit. 'roll flour').
• Weck(-en/-e/-a), or Weck(-le/-li/-la) are mainly used in Baden-Württemberg, Rheinhessen, Südhessen, Pfalz, and Saarland. In Franconia, Weggla refers to a milk roll;
• The Schrippe is common mainly in Berlin and Brandenburg, but also in Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
• Bömmel is the name on Hiddensee Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
• Kipf(-l/-la/-le), Laabla, Stella/Stolle, Wegg(-la/-li) one says in Franconia
• "Stüütkes" hot buns in Platt, West Lower Saxony.

• Fischbrötchen (Fish sandwiches) are ubiquitous in the north of the Republic and on the coasts, as Bismarck, matjes, salmon, fish burette, smoked fish sandwiches or other. The prices are between €2 and €3, depending on the version and over the decades, they have made their way into the rest of the country.

• There are Bratwürste in all of Germany with a staggering number of sausage variations. They are particularly popular in Franconia and Thuringia. Outside of Franconia and maybe Bavaria, you're likely to get Thuringian Bratwursts.

• Currywurst is a sausage with a sauce based on ketchup or tomato paste and curry powder. The usual side dishes are bread rolls or French fries. Herta Heuwer was considered the inventor in 1949 in Berlin-Charlottenburg. The sausage now exists nationwide, but Berlin and the Ruhr area are considered strongholds.

• Konnopkes Imbiss is in Berlin at the underground station Eberswalder Straße under the viaduct of the Hochbahn. It is open from Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 20:00.

• Döner kebab was made popular by Turkish immigrants. There shouldn't be a pedestrian zone in Germany where you can't get a doner kebab. The usual variant is flat bread quartered and cut open, filled with lamb or veal (and up to 60% minced meat) from the spit (turkish döner = turn), supplemented with a salad garnish of leaf salad, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, white and red cabbage, sheep cheese and peppers and sauces with mayonnaise and yogurt. Döner kebab with rice and salad or with french fries is offered as a plate dish.

• There is no sandwich tradition in Germany, but for decades belegte Brötchen have been sold in bakeries, butchers and kiosks, which are serious competitors for fast food chains. They are more varied and lovingly filled and you can often taste the regional specialities. In almost every butcher's you can get, if necessary on demand, a roll with sausage or in Bavaria with Leberkäse.

Streetfood

Also in Germany the number of the snack carts increases and the meals deviating from the usual snack find more and more followers. At foodtrucksdeutschland.de you can find an overview of what is culinary on Germany's streets. The offered courts are creative and the quality of the meals is high. Several times a year the Franconian Food Truck Roundup is held in Nuremberg, a meeting of food trucks from all over Germany and Austria. The food trucks are usually open Monday to Friday at different locations in the greater Nuremberg area and on weekends often at events, details of the locations can be found on the respective homepage. There is also an app for food trucks throughout Germany.

• Markthalle Neun - Street Food Thursday

  address: Eisenbahnstraße 42/43, 10997 Berlin
  Street food, more than 40 cooks exotic, British pies, duck liver burgers, Thai tapioca dumplings, Peruvian ceviche, Nigerian FuFu, Korean buns, is eaten standing, the few benches and tables are mostly occupied.

• Rote Grütze (Red fruit jelly) is a dessert served with lightly whipped cream or vanilla sauce. Various red fruits are bound with the addition of sugar and some fruit juice with cornflour.

• Spaghettieis was invented in Mannheim in 1969. Vanilla ice cream is pressed through a spaetzle press, creating the spaghetti-like shape, over which comes strawberry sauce as tomato sauce and grated white chocolate as grated cheese.

• Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake) is a classic German cake known all over the world. It usually consists of chocolate sponge cake bases flavoured with kirsch, cherry filling, cream, cherries and chocolate shavings as decoration.

• Berliner Pfannkuchen, Berliner, Pfannkuchen, Krapfen, Faschingskrapfen, there are many names for the pastry. These are yeast dough balls, which are baked floating in fat and then filled. The fillings vary greatly from region to region. In the north and the Rhineland red strawberry or cherry jam is preferred, in Bavaria apricot, plume or raspberry jam, in Swabia, Baden and Franconia rose hip marrow, in East Germany plum jam. Newer creations also use vanilla cream, nougat, cream or egg liqueur as filling. There are the Berliners with icing, fat glaze coated or icing sugar sprinkled. The doughnuts are traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve and during carnival, and are available all year round. A traditional carnival "joke" is the mustard-filled doughnut, but these days (as there are fewer and fewer people who make them at home) it is increasingly rare.

• Dominosteine are a gingerbread specialty, which are available all year round, but actually belong to the Christmas pastry. The cubes consist of several layers, brown gingerbread and on top fillings like marzipan, persipan (apricot or peach kernel "marzipan") and fruit jelly and then covered with chocolate on the outside. They were developed by the Dresden chocolatier Herbert Wendler in 1936, during the Second World War they became popular as an emergency praline.

• Rumkugeln, Punschkugel, Trüffel, is a round confection made of fat, sugar, nuts or almonds, chocolate and cocoa rolled in chocolate sprinkles. As the name suggests, they are mostly made with rum, but only with rum aroma.

=== Flat cakes===

• A classic of German cuisine is the Bienenstich. A yeast dough is rolled out thinly on a tray and spread with a vanilla, cream or fat cream. A mixture of fat, sugar and almonds is placed on top, which caramelises during baking and forms a firm lid.

• With the Streuselkuchen (crumble cake), the covering of crumbles is the decisive factor. The crumbs that cover the filling are made from sugar, fat and flour. The base of the cake is a thin yeast dough, followed by the filling and the sprinkles. There are no limits to the fillings, from apple and plum to rhubarb and poppy seeds - anything is possible.

Ice cream

There is a general trend in Europe - paradoxical as it may seem - that more northerly countries consume more ice cream than more southerly ones. The big exception to this trend is Italy and Italian Gelato is held in high regard in Germany, not least because many Germans have fond memories of having proper Gelato in Bella Italia as kids. As Germany has a lot of Italian immigrants and their descendants, every self-respecting village of any size will have at least one Italian Eisdiele, often combined with a Pizzeria. While classic flavors like vanilla, chocolate or strawberry are common in Germany, too, there is the above-mentioned Spaghettieis and an ice-cream flavor that can only be described as "blue", variously called "Schlumpf" (smurf) "Babyblau", "Bubblegum" or various other names, but invariably of a hard to describe rather artificial flavor - a favorite with the kids. Since about the turn of the millennium, ice cream shops have been experimenting more and more with rather unusual flavors, and you'll usually have at least a dozen to choose from.

Beer

The default size of beer used to be half a liter in the south and it's still the size of most beer bottles. However, increasingly restaurants have switched to 0.4 liter beers as their default to offer prices that appear lower as most patrons won't get out their calculator to figure out how much half a liter would cost at that price. A Maß is one liter of beer served in an earthenware (Steingut, hence the English word for beer mug) or glass Krug (stein). In the north (depending on the division north of the Harz or north of the Main) one is often asked whether one wants a "big" or a "small" beer. Big means 0.4 or 0.5 litres, small between 0.2 and 0.3 litres. In the Rhineland around Cologne (the beer of choice being Kölsch) and Düsseldorf (the typical beer being Altbier) the beer glasses are smaller, normally there are 0.2 liters and empty glasses will automatically be replaced without further asking, until the guest covers the glass with a beer mat. You can also order a Kranz (wreath) which will be about 10-18 0.2 liter glasses. Especially in Franconia brewpubs are still common - a small brewery will sell their own beer and affordable traditional cooking. In that case beer on tap is obviously the best (and often the only) choice. There are three main reasons for beer to be on tap. One is that the owner or operator likes this beer best, in which case you should at least sample one to judge whether they're right. Another is that it is a small brewpub and it is "their own" beer. And the third - sadly increasingly common - reason is that the proprietor has an exclusive deal with some brewery made largely for economic and not necessarily taste reasons. Beer on tap is usually cheaper in the South than bottled beer, but north of the Main river this rule is not as easily applicable.

Wine

There are 13 different wine-growing regions in Germany, the map shows the location of the wine-growing regions. As a rule of thumb, wine is a traditional beverage and both affordable and of high quality in traditional wine growing regions. Where wine does not grow, beer (and in the north spirits) are more traditionally drunk, but there are of course connoisseurs of either beverage in the "diaspora"

• The wine-growing area Ahr is the largest closed wine-growing area for red wine with 84.7% red wine and 15.3% white wine.

• Baden is the southernmost wine-growing area and is the only one in wine-growing zone B of the European Union, such as Alsace, Champagne and the Loire Valley. The most important grape variety is Pinot Noir.

• In Franken wine is mainly cultivated in the valleys of Main, Wern, Fränkische Saale and Tauber. The main grape varieties are Silvaner, Riesling and Müller-Thurgau.

• The Bergstraße lies on the western edge of the Odenwald. It is divided into Hessische Bergstraße and Badische Bergstraße.

• The area 'Mittelrhein extends from the mouth of the Nahe near Bingen am Rhein to the Siebengebirge near Bonn.

• Mosel means a wine-growing region in the Moselle valley with the side valleys of Saar and Ruwer

• The wine-growing region Nahe stretches from the mouth of the Nahe to shortly before Kirn, with the centre Bad Kreuznach and is known above all for its Rieslings.

• The wine-growing area Pfalz is the second largest German wine-growing area with about 6,800 winegrowers.

• The "Rheingau" lies west of the Rheinknie near Wiesbaden. The Riesling grape variety is mainly cultivated.

• In ''Rheinhessen 20 % of the area is planted with vines, therefore it is the area with the least forests in Germany. It is also the largest wine-growing region in Germany, with over 6,000 winegrowers producing more than 250 million litres of wine a year. In Nierstein is the oldest documented (in 742 AD) vineyard of Germany, the Niersteiner Glöck.

• The area Saale-Unstrut extends along the river Saale from Jena to Burgwerben near Weißenfels and along the river Unstrut from Laucha to the mouth of the river Saale near Naumburg. Due to its northern location, early ripening varieties such as Müller-Thurgau, Weißburgunder and Silvaner thrive above all.

• The wine-growing region Saxony - togehter with parts of Saale-Unstrut - is the northernmost in Germany and lies almost exclusively around Dresden. Only in this area the Goldriesling is cultivated.

• "Württemberg" is famous for its red wines. The most common grape varieties are (red) Trollinger, Blauer Portugieser and Dornfelder, (white) Riesling, Silvaner, Kerner and Müller-Thurgau.

Quality levels
According to the German wine law there are four quality classes (sorted according to increasing quality):

• Wein, formerly it was called Tafelwein
• Landwein
• Qualitätswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete, from specified regions (QbA)
• Prädikatswein, Qualitätswein mit Prädikat (QmP). This stage is subdivided again according to the must weight in degrees Öchsle (density of the unfermented fruit juice, proportion of dissolved substances, mainly sugar). The wines become sweeter and more expensive with each step.

• Kabinett, the must weight is 67 to 83 degrees Öchsle
• Spätlese, grapes harvested after the main harvest at 76° to 90° Öchsle.
• Auslese, damaged, diseased or unripe berries are sorted out at 83° to 95° Oechsle, red wine at 100° Oechsle.
• Beerenauslese, overripe and noble rotten grapes, individually selected, with 110 to 128° Öchsle.
• Trockenbeerenauslese, noble rotten grapes with 150° to 154° Oechsle.
• A special feature is the Eiswein (ice wine), the berries must be frozen during the harvest, it takes place at -6 °C or colder. The water freezes and does not enter the must when the grapes are pressed. The juice is concentrated with 110 to 128° Öchsle.

Sweet degrees

• Trocken, a wine with a maximum residual sugar content of 9 g/l is called "dry". Classically dry allows only 4 g/l, with less than 2 g/l it may say on the label: Suitable for diabetics.
• Halbtrocken (Semi-dry) is a wine with 9 to 18 g/l unfermented sugar.
• Lieblich, Halbsüß it's called from 18 g/l to 45 g/l.
• Süß it is sweet if the residual sugar content is more than 45 g/l.

Wine label
The following information must appear on the must wine label: quality grade, geographical origin, bottler, alcoholic strength, nominal volume, type of wine, contains sulphites. The following information may be indicated: Vintage, grape variety, taste, place and location of the wine and additional information such as drinking temperatures and recommended food.

Mixed drinks

• The sweet Schorle is made by mixing wine with lemonade, the sour Schorle with mineral water. One of Germany's most popular drinks is Apfelschorle - apple juice with sparkling water, usually mixed with slightly more juice than water.

• Beer mixed with lemonade is called Radler in the south, "Alsterwasser" in the north. In East Germany (particularly Berlin/Brandenburg), there is often a variation in which red raspberry soda is used instead of lemonade. This mixed drink is known as Potsdamer.

• Berliner Weiße, slightly sour wheat beer is often drunk "mit Schuss", i.e. with some sweet syrup, often raspberry or woodruff. Those mixes an be bought pre-mixed in many supermarkets.

• Spezi is a mixed drink of cola and orange lemonade. The original has actual orange juice in it, but many restaurants will just mix orange soda and coke if no pre-mixed Spezi is on hand.

Soft drinks

Germany does not have a tradition of sugary fizzy drinks but the usual US inspired fare can be had in most places. The generic term for a sugary carbonated drink is "Limo", short for "Limonade" and the usual flavors are "gelb" ("yellow" or orange-flavor) and "weiß" ("white", actually transparent and lemon flavor). When ordering water, it will be assumed that you mean sparkling water unless you explicitly order stilles Wasser. To some extent sugary soft drinks are seen as "child's fare" in restaurants with adults usually ordering water, alcoholic drink, juices or Schorle. Apfelschorle can be bought premixed in supermarkets but restaurants will accommodate all Schorle wishes by mixing juice with sparkling water if they have the required juice. Domestic soft drink innovations are Bionade, a fermented non-alcoholic beverage with organic ingredients and Mate (pronounced with two syllables) a sweetened and carbonated derivation of mate-tea which gives a certain caffeine boost. Both those drinks were especially popular with the urban boheme before finding a more widespread audience.

Caffeinated beverages

With the exception of East Frisia which is particular to tea more than most of the rest of Europe, coffee is the caffeinated beverage of choice. Germans have a high opinion of the Italian and French coffee traditions and thus coffee is often sold under Italian and French names and even a German proud of domestic engineering will appreciate an Italian espresso machine. Coffee chains like Starbucks and domestic clones of it abound in all towns of any size and attract the usual urban boheme but Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) is a well-honored tradition for a lazy afternoon or an informal gathering, albeit with more of a focus on the cake and pastry than the coffee.

• Unlike in other countries, in Germany, with very few exceptions, you can freely choose your table in the restaurant. In some American Diners and in the upscale gastronomy it is part of the flair to be assigned a seat. It is, however, possible to ask staff for a free table when entering a restaurant in order to shorten your own search.
• Especially in traditional restaurants in rural areas, it is still customary to share tables with strangers. Those coming to the table would ask those already there whether sharing the table us an issue.

• If there is a sign on the table with the inscription Reserviert (Reserved), you should not sit at this table, as it is already reserved for other guests. In many restaurants there is still a time on the reservation, then one can estimate whether the time is still sufficient around something to eat or drink, until the other guests come.

• Usually Germans eat with knife, fork and spoon, with exceptions only at snack bars, East Asian restaurants, in fast food restaurants and with poultry dishes. If you want to indicate to the staff that you have finished eating and can be cleared, place the knife and fork at an angle on the plate, approximately in the positions of 11 or 5 o'clock.

• It is nothing unusual in Germany when everyone at a table has to pay individually and the waiter has to issue several bills. When the bill comes, staff might ask "zusammen oder getrennt" (i.e. together or separately) and in the latter case will ask each person what they had (or rather, what they wish to pay) and cross off the items one by one.

• It has become common to have larger leftovers packed for home use. Just ask the staff, they usually offers a friendly solution.

• There is no fixed rule for the tip (Trinkgeld) in Germany, one does not have to go to the American 10% to 15% or even 20% of the bill either, but it should be something between 5% and 10% if you were satisfied with food and service. If you were not satisfied, there is also no problem in giving nothing. Frequently the amount is rounded up, e.g. from €9.20 to €10, from €47.80 to €50. Then the staff gives out the mentioned amount and has a tip.

• According to the law, menus (Speisekarte) must either be laid out on tables or presented to the guest before the order is placed, or must be clearly legible. The prices quoted already include service charges, taxes and other surcharges; separate surcharges, e.g. for music, or for the place setting, are not permitted. At least one menu with a meaningful selection of food and drink prices must be clearly displayed next to the entrance.

• In Germany, it is mandatory to name additives in food. There are often small numbers on the menus behind the dishes and at the bottom of the page, or on the last page of the menu you can find the footnote with the additives. The list includes colourings, preservatives, flavour enhancers, etc. Few additives indicate that everything was prepared from fresh ingredients, many additives can be an indication of convenience, that the cooked dish was only warmed up.

• Like the rest of EU, potential allergens are by law clearly indicated with letters beside the dish name if necessary. Bread can also be served gluten free at several establishments upon request.

• The calibration mark (Eichstrich) is a marking on beverage containers (limo glasses, beer glasses, schnapps glasses, wine glasses and wine carafes in commercial dispensing). The volume must be stated as a numerical value with a unit of measurement. So the guest can check how much was poured.

• Service staff is very often college or even high school students working as a side-gig and as such they can be overwhelmed on busy days, but they try their best. As pay is comparable to other entry-level jobs requiring little experience (and the tax system is not built on the assumption of tips) tips are not a necessary part of the salary and - in part due to Germans disliking "kiss-ass behavior" - service staff will be a bit more blunt and less flirty and friendly than you might be used to.

• In some bars on busy nights or with large parties, it may be common that each order is to be paid upon delivery. In that case, it is common to round up the tip for easier handling the change (and to ensure smoother service for the next round). It is also not uncommon to have a Bierdeckel (a cardboard coaster) where the service staff notes the amount consumed, either with simple lines or with the € amount of the goods. A common Deckel might contain three lines (indicating three standard sized beers) and the amount €4.50 indicating something costing that amount and will be paid in one go and individually.

Restaurant chains

In addition to the international fast-food chains that everyone knows, there are also restaurant chains that have their origins and their main focus in Germany. That said, chains don't dominate the food scene and there are a lot of independently owned restaurants or small "chains" with a handful of locations, especially in the higher price and quality rungs.

• Block House operates more than 42 steak restaurants. The brand Jim Block is a burger chain with the special feature that the burgers are prepared in front of the guest.

• Cafe Del Sol is a restaurant chain with a bar offering a Mediterranean ambience. The restaurant offers international cuisine as well as pizza and pasta with a manageable menu, a second emphasis is a bar with cocktails.

• Gosch specializes in seafood such as fried and cooked fish, lobster, oysters and others. There are over 12 businesses on Sylt and 26 businesses spread across Germany as well as restaurants on the cruise ships Mein Schiff

• Kochlöffel Gastronomy chain with grilled chicken, curry sausage, various burgers, salads and soft drinks.

• Maredo has over 50 restaurants and is known for high quality steaks.

• Nordsee is a fast-food restaurant chain focusing on fish and seafood with several hundred locations, from the pedestrian zone to the motorway service area. It's often your best bet for decent if not outstanding fish dishes when far from the coast.

• Sausalitos is a restaurant chain that offers Californian-Mexican cuisine food and drinks.

• L’Osteria is a restaurant chain with Italian cuisine. The pizza has a diameter of 45 cm, there are also antipasti, pasta, salads, and desserts.

• In Vapiano branches, Italian fast food is prepared in front of customers. The chain attaches great importance to the style of its restaurants, designed by the South Tyrolean architect Matteo Thun. There are antipasti, pasta, pizzas, salads and dolci. The pasta dishes combine pre-portioned fresh noodles, 180 g, of various shapes with various sauces. The chain has entered a - well publicized - crisis in the mid 2010s due to overextension and changing tastes

• Wienerwald is mainly represented in larger cities with chicken products, the grill chicken is famous. The chain used to be one of Germany's most successful domestic fast food outlets, but tastes have changed and now they have become a much rarer sight.

• Hans Im Glück - Burgergrill is a quick restaurant chain in contrast to the American chains, with high quality products, freshly prepared, vegetarian burgers, alcoholic beverages.

• Tchibo a chain that started selling only coffee but branched out into various consumer goods. You can also have a sit down coffee with surprisingly edible cake there.

Culinary delights are often seasonal. Fruit and vegetables are tastier when they are harvested ripe. Meat and fish are also subject to seasonal influences. At any time of the year, festivities are celebrated that focus on enjoyment in general or on certain foods in particular. There are also drinking and eating habits in the course of the year, which have arisen from religious traditions such as Lent.

January

• Die Internationale Grüne Woche, the world's largest fair for food, agriculture and horticulture, takes place at the beginning of the year in Berlin.
• "Carp" and "Shell" seasons in months with "r"
• Kale is a typical winter vegetable from northern Germany, in the south it is largely unknown. The traditional kale meals take place from November to Maundy Thursday. In many parts Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein it is a real cult to go on a kale ride with clubs, companies and other groups in the autumn and winter months. A typical dish is Kohl mit Pinkel, a smoked Grützwurst.

February

• "Carp" and "Shell" seasons in months with "r"
• The Stint pulls the Stint up the Elbe for a few weeks during the spawning season from the end of February to April. The fish are gutted and the head removed, salted and then turned into rye flour, fried. And eaten with warm bacon and potato salad. The speciality is offered on the Elbe from the mouth up via Hamburg to about Lüneburg.
• Kale is a typical winter vegetable from northern Germany, though in the south, it is largely unknown. The traditional kale meals take place from November to Maundy Thursday.

March

• "Carp" and "Shell" seasons in months with "r"
• The Stint pulls the Stint up the Elbe for a few weeks during the spawning season from the end of February to April. The fish are gutted and the head removed, salted and then turned into rye flour, fried. And eaten with warm bacon and potato salad. The speciality is offered on the Elbe from the mouth up via Hamburg to about Lüneburg.
• The "hop asparagus weeks" in the Hallertau take place from mid-March to early April. The tender root shoots of the hop plant are harvested by hand and offered in the local gastronomy as a speciality. They can only be used as long as the shoots grow under the ground protected from light. The growth is strongly dependent on the weather, therefore the harvest time, of about three weeks, can only be determined shortly before. When the plant shoots grow out of the soil, the harvest is over.

• In March and April, on the Mecklenburg Baltic Sea Coast, e.g. in Wismar, Warnemünde on Usedom and Rügen there are Heringswochen'

• March to mid-May is bear's garlic season, it smells intensely of garlic and animates cooks to many dishes.

April

• The "hop asparagus weeks" in the Hallertau take place from mid-March to early April. The tender root shoots of the hop plant are harvested by hand and offered in the local gastronomy as a speciality. They can only be used as long as the shoots grow under the ground protected from light. The growth is strongly dependent on the weather, therefore the harvest time, of about three weeks, can only be determined shortly before. When the plant shoots grow out of the soil, the harvest is over.
• "Carp" and "Shell" seasons in months with "r"
• From March to mid-May is bear's garlic season, it smells intensely of garlic and animates cooks to many dishes.
• The Stint pulls the Stint up the Elbe for a few weeks during the spawning season from the end of February to April. The fish are gutted and the head removed, salted and then turned into rye flour, fried. And eaten with warm bacon and potato salad. The speciality is offered on the Elbe from the mouth up via Hamburg to about Lüneburg.
• The 'asparagus season starts from the beginning to mid-April, depending on the soil temperature
• The Day of Beer is celebrated on April 23rd, because on this day in 1516 the German Purity Law was proclaimed. In many places there are many beer events (Deutscher Brauer Bund).
• At the end of April and in May there is the Maischolle (may plaice), it is caught in the North Atlantic or in the North Sea, measures approximately 35 to 45 cm and has particularly tender meat. It is often served Finkenwerder style with bacon.

May

• Asparagus season
• At the end of April and in May there is the Maischolle (may plaice) season
• From March to mid-May is bear's garlic season, it smells intensely of garlic and animates cooks to many dishes.

• The Weindorf is a culinary wine festival at the market place in Würzburg. It lasts 10 days from the last Friday in May.

June

• The asparagus season ends on St John's Day, 24 June,
• From mid-June, Matjes is served, garnished with potatoes in the skin or black bread and fresh green beans.

July

• July/August is chanterelle season with many different chanterelle dishes.
• The world's largest Labskaus' meal takes place on a Saturday mid/end of July in Wilhelmshaven. Thousands of portions of Labskaus are sold, the record was reached in 2005 with over 10,000 portions.

August

• July/August is chanterelle season with many different chanterelle dishes.
• The 'Internationales Berliner Bierfestival takes place on a weekend at the beginning of August, 2.2 kilometres between Strausberger Platz and Frankfurter Tor, where around 340 breweries from 86 countries presented 2400 types of beer and well over 800,000 visitors from all over the world are expected.
• A weekend at the end of August in Coburg is Dumpling Market. Everything revolves around the Coburg dumpling, also called the Coburger Rutscher. There are various roasts to the dumplings, such as sour and pork roast and roulades with the appropriate sauces
• August/September is mushroom season, porcini mushrooms and other wild mushrooms enrich the menu.

September

• "The new "carp" and "shell" seasons begin, the first month with "r."
• August/September is mushroom season, porcini mushrooms and other wild mushrooms enrich the menu.
• Federweißer", "Bremser" or "Sturm", whatever the fermenting wine is called in Germany. The serving is limited to a few weeks in autumn.

October

• Federweißer', Bremser or Sturm, whatever the fermenting wine in Germany is called. The serving is limited to a few weeks in autumn.
• In autumn there are many game dishes' on the menus.
• Carp - and mussel season in months with "r
• The Day of open distilleries and breweries is held every year in the Franconian Switzerland on the third Sunday in October
• In Nuremberg the trade fair Consumenta provides a wide range of national and international specialities and the chance to get a taste of some of them.

November

• There's a lot of "game" on the menu in the fall.
• Around St. Martin's Day on 11 November, many inns offer goose dishes as traditional goose dishes.
• Carp" and "Shell" seasons in months with "r"
• Kale is a typical winter vegetable from northern Germany, in the south it is largely unknown. The traditional kale meals take place from November to Maundy Thursday. In many parts Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein it is a real cult to go on a cabbage ride with clubs, companies and other groups in the autumn and winter months. A typical dish is Kohl mit Pinkel, a smoked Grützwurst.
• In November the open weekend mummegenussmeile' takes place in the city centre of Braunschweig. Gastronomes offer creations around the Mumme (a viscous malt extract) and at a market you can buy Mumme products.

December

• The pre-Christmas season is the time of Christmas markets with mulled wine and gingerbread
• Kale is a typical winter vegetable from northern Germany, in the south it is largely unknown. The traditional kale meals take place from November to Maundy Thursday. In many parts Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein it is a real cult to go on a cabbage trip with clubs, companies and other groups in the autumn and winter months. A typical dish is Kale with Pinkel, a smoked Grützwurst.
• "Carp" and "Shell" seasons in months with "r"