German Cuisine and Nutrition

Dawn Frick
April 20, 2015
The people of Germany enjoy a wide variety of meats, starches, and fruits and
vegetables in their diet. They are a country with successful and abundant farms for
both animals and crops. While the Germans do enjoy cooking and socializing over their
meals, there has been recent concern over the overall health of the German diet. Many
citizens consume a lot of their calories from meat and dairy products high in saturated
fats but do not include many sources of high fiber foods such as vegetables or whole
grains. Much of the food famous for its German heritage involves bacon and beer in the
ingredients. While there may be similarities to the overall German recipes and
traditions, each region has its own distinct style of cooking and specialties. For
example, sauerkraut is a popular dish in Germany, but each region has its own style of
preparing it.
Germans are known for their love of meat dishes pork, beef, wild game, and
poultry. Pork is the most consumed meat product followed by beef. Since meat is so
plentiful and enjoyed in this country, Germans also preserve their meats by marinating,
smoking, and salting. Many people preserve their own meat, but many popular
companies are in the sausage and wurst (a highly consumed food in Germany)
business. Germany is the number one producer of wurst in the world (with over 1,500
types). Hunting is also a popular sport in Germany and people enjoy rabbit, wild boar,
and venison as main dishes as well. Seafood is also well liked in the German culture.
Herring is one of the most purchased fish along with tuna, sardines, and trout.
The most important side dish in Germany is potatoes. There are many different
ways of including potatoes in meals, however. Some families chose to boil or pan fry
them, but other people may make dumplings, pancakes, or sptzle a favorite pastalike food. They make many of their side dishes out of flour or dough. They do include
vegetables in their dinners, soups, and casseroles. One of the more popular vegetables
is sauerkraut, but they also like carrots, peas, beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and
spinach. Onions are usually only served with a meat dish, but the Germans love
asparagus so much that they have nick-named it Knigsgemuse which translates to
the kings vegetable. Asparagus is often considered a main dish since its such a
special food. Germans consider potatoes to be a vegetable and consume them at
many meals. In fact, the average German citizen will eat almost 150 lbs. of potatoes
each year.
Desserts are also very popular in Germany. They enjoy cakes (German
chocolate cake), chocolate, hard candies, and other pastries. A common ritual in
Germany is to enjoy afternoon coffee (or tea) with coffee cake. Germans also really
enjoy their beer which is evident by the annual Oktoberfest an 18 day festival where

Germans celebrate and sample various beers and food. There are 1,200 breweries in
Germany and they brew many different types of beers, lagers, and ales. Wine is also
enjoyed in Germany many different types of white wine, but they are particularly
famous for the Riesling.
There are many popular dishes that the citizens of this country have passed
down for generations such as eintopf a type of stew made with pork, vegetables, and
potatoes, or Kartoffelpuffe a pan fried pancake made with flour, potatoes, egg, and
onion. A lot of the meat dishes include beer as an ingredient such as their sausage or
Bratwurtz simmered in beer. Another well liked dish is Sauerbraten which is beef that
has been marinated in wine and vinegar for over a week. Several dishes, such as their
potato side dishes, will include bacon as an ingredient.
Many of the health problems of the German citizens are being blamed on the
typical diet of their country. They tend to eat a lot of high calorie foods, minimal
vegetable and fruit intake, and there doesnt seem to be a priority placed on exercise.
The country has noted an increase in type-2 diabetes diagnoses and an epidemic of
obesity. According to The Nutrition Report published in December of 2012, the men of
Germany have an average daily intake of 2,252 calories and women are consuming
1,683. Additionally, the women are receiving 34% of these calories from fat and men
are consuming 36% of their calories from fat sources. Unfortunately, a lot of these food
sources are stemming from saturated fat food items. The same report also indicated
that vegetable intake may be increasing slightly, but the whole grain intake seems to be
staying low for the majority of Germans. According to WHO, heart disease affects 25%
of the German population (compared to 21% of Americans).
Germany has created a food pyramid based off of the Food Based Dietary
Guidelines in Europe with four sections:

The four sides of the pyramid are dedicated to the following food groups:

Foods primarily of plant origin; criteria for grouping at the base, middle or top of the pyramid being calorie
density, nutrient density (vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fibre); preventive aspects (cancer, heart disease).
Foods primarily of animal origin; criteria for grouping at the base, middle or top of the pyramid being calorie
density, nutrient density (e.g., calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, B vitamins, vitamin D); fat quality (saturated fats,
omega-3 fatty acids).

Dietary fats and oils; positioning criteria for fats being: fatty acid composition omega-3, omega-6, omega-9
fatty acids, saturated fats, ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids); vitamin E; cholesterol; trans fats; application in
cooking; criteria for oils: ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids; vitamin E content.
Beverages; positioning criteria being: calorific value (moderate: < 7% carbohydrates, high: > 7%
carbohydrates); essential nutrients; phytonutrients; stimulants; sweeteners.

The bottom of the pyramid explains the proportions for each of the food groups
represented and there is a traffic light explanation to German consumers regarding the
nutritional value of each.
Germans really enjoy their food and have deep traditions passed down through
the generations as to how each dish and recipe should be cooked and served. They
also love to have a party and include their beer, wine, and favorite foods as part of their
celebrations. Americans have acquired several traditional German dishes and have
made them a part of our meals as well such as German potato salad.

Resources
http://www.germanfoodguide.com/oktoberfest.cfm
http://www.expatica.com/de/about/Top-10-German-foods-with-recipes_106759.html
https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/life/lifestyle-cuisine/how-do-people-eat-in-germany
http://www.eufic.org/article/en/expid/food-based-dietary-guidelines-in-europe/
http://www.who.int/en/

Recipes

Beans and Spaetzle

INGREDIENTS18 ounces frozen green beans

4 lb bacon
3 cup onion
4 ounces beer
2 tablespoons sugar
1
4 teaspoon salt
1
8 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup spaetzle noodles
1

DIRECTIONS
1. Combine beans and a small amount of water in a saucepan, over a moderate
flame.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and steam until tender and heated through.
3. Remove from heat, drain well.
4. Combine bacon and onions in a skillet, over a moderate flame heat and stir for 510 minutes, until lightly browned.
5. Add beer and sugar-mix well.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Heat to a boil.
8. Remove from heat, add the spaetzle and pour over beans.
9. Serve hot.

German Potato Salad

3 cups diced peeled potatoes
4 slices bacon
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 10 minutes,
or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, and set aside to cool.

2.

Place the bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until browned and crisp, turning as needed.
Remove from the pan and set aside.

3.

Add onion to the bacon grease, and cook over medium heat until browned. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt
and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, then add the potatoes and parsley. Crumble in half of the bacon. Heat
through, then transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the remaining bacon over the top, and serve warm

Sausage and Sauerkraut

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds sauerkraut, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 apple, diced

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds kielbasa sausage, cut into 1
-inch thick slices

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the sauerkraut, caraway seeds, brown sugar, and apple into a large saucepan over medium-low heat, and
bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

3.

Place the bacon and onion into a skillet over medium heat, and cook until the bacon is almost crisp and the
onion is beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir the bacon mixture into the sauerkraut. In the same skillet,
brown the kielbasa sausage in the remaining bacon grease until the sausage begins to brown, 10 to 15 minutes;
stir into the sauerkraut mixture. Spoon the sauerkraut and sausage mixture into the prepared baking dish.

4.

Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 1 hour