Guest Post: LOUISE'S 'German Cuisine - but not as you know it'

as I am currently in the process of moving, I have found some lovely guest bloggers to take over for me until I'm all settled. today's guest blogger is Louise who blogs over at Beside the Danube, she's a lovely person and I really love the post she's done for today.

German Cuisine (but not as you know it!)

Ask your average Joe what springs to mind when asked to name German specialities and, most of the time, you’ll receive one of two answers: sausages and beer. While it’s true that German (and Bavarians, in particular) love a good Wurst washed down with a Hefeweizen, there’s so much more to German cuisine than first meets the eye.

After almost a decade studying the language, I spent a glorious year teaching English and eating more coffee and cake than ever ever ever medically advised in a pretty medieval city perched on the Danube. During my time in Regensburg, I sampled my fair share of German delicacies (beer and sausages not included). So here’s a little (vegetarian!) checklist of things not to miss out on should you find yourself visiting German lands.

1. Soup (Suppe)

Germany does comfort food well and I ate some of the best soups of my life during the cold Bavarian winter I spent there, where temperatures routinely dipped to – 20 C. Particular favourites included carrot and coconut soup and wild mushroom soup home-brewed with mushrooms from the Bavarian Forest. If you ever find yourself in Hamburg, be sure to take yourself to Oma’s Apotheke (Schanzenstrasse 28) for the creamiest, tastiest tomato soup you’ll ever eat in life. It’s even served in a bowl made of home baked bread!

2. Falafel (Falafel-Döner)

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Most every German town and city will have one (or three,    or five, or twenty) Döner shops, open late into the night. Because of Germany’s large Turkish minority, the food served at these establishments is often of excellent quality and super tasty. For the vegetarians (like me), try the falafel wraps always on offer: healthier than your average Döner and absolutely delicious. Once I ate Döner Falafel two nights in a row. That’s how good it is.

3. Käsespätzle (the Bavarian’s answer to macaroni cheese)

Soaked in a creamy cheese sauce and topped with roasted shallots, Käsespätzle are Bavaria’s answer to macaroni and cheese. Spätzle are traditional Bavarian noodles made with little more than eggs, flour and salt. Vegetarian in a traditional Biergarten? Order these off the menu and you’ll never look at macaroni and cheese in the same way again!

4. Dampfnudeln

Dampfnudeln are kind of a big deal in Regensburg. One colleague would always invite me for these sweet, steaming dumplings drenched in warm custard after school, served in a traditional hole-in-the-wall called the Dampfnudel Uli. At first the thought of eating boiled bread with custard didn’t really appeal, but like any true Bavarian, I soon came to love this peculiar Bavarian delicacy – another dish perfect for cold winter afternoons.

5. Coffee and Cake (Kaffee und Kuchen)

Coffee and cake is a German tradition beloved by those with a sweet tooth (me! me!) The official Kaffee und Kuchen hour begins at 4pm and is a time for chatting, catching up and munching on the best cake in town. The families I grew to know and love in Germany baked some of wonderful sweet treats, but anyone visiting the country will be spoilt for choice with the endless bakeries and coffeehouses lining city avenues. Take the time to while away an hour or two with a slice of apple cake and a cup of Milchkaffee and you’ll not be disappointed.

I hope you’re as hungry as I am now! For more German-themed nostalgia and sentimental musings, visit my blog over at http://frauleinlouise.blogspot.com

Wishing Magdalena all the best in her big move to the UK!

thank you very much for your post Louise, I hope you all enjoyed this post, make sure to check out Louise's blog over at Besides the Danube.