German cuisine
Unlike, North American meals, where families sit down for
supper after a long day’s work, lunch is the important
meal of the day in Germany. People come home from work
around noon to sit down and eat the largest meal of the
day. It is representative of the German culture - hard
working, but understanding the value of building relationships.
Customs around eating
Breakfast and supper tend to be smaller meals and often
consist of the same foods. Bread, served with meat, cheeses,
and spreads, make up a common breakfast or supper. Germans
commonly sit down together for supper, in addition to lunch.
While the size of the meals and to some extent the food
served, German meals look quite similar to North American
meals; people sit around a table with silverware, bowls,
plates, and glasses. Meals commence with the traditional
blessing of guten appetit, “good appetite” in
English.
Common dishes
Bratwurst - Thuringian, the area surrounding Jena,
SST’s main city in Germany, is known for its bratwurst.
Most commonly eaten at cookouts or purchased on street
stands, it still remains a food for special occasions rather
than a daily meal.
Thuringian Clösse - Return from Germany SST and
you will have encountered a new potato dish, but good luck
describing it to friends back home. Germans shred their
spuds, dry them, re-hydrate and then cook. The tasty dish
is served with sauer kraut, a common cuisine for special
occasions, such as Sunday lunch.
Bread - Unlike American bread, which tends to be pre-sliced,
soft and purchased at the grocery store, good German bread
comes strong, in an uncut loaf, and from the bakery each
day. Bread serves as the base for both breakfast and supper.
A variety of spreads, such as cream cheese, jam, butter,
and more, plus meats and cheeses line the kitchen table
for making open face sandwiches. Vegetables commonly are
served alongside.
Italian ice cream - More common in Europe than North
America, Italian ice cream tends to be richer in taste
and smoother in texture than regular North American ice
cream. During the summer months, people commonly buy Italian
ice cream after a walk around town or at the mountain top
café on a long hike.
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