MENDOZA, COURTNEY MAE B. HM2-02 German Cuisine
H I S T O R Y
German cuisine has often been labeled as stodgy and fatty,
which can be attributed to the lack of variety in the rural
German countryside until the last 200 years.
But Germany has benefited from a close association with Italy
and France and adopted many of their spices and cooking
methods, always with a German twist.
G E R M A N C U I S I N E
German food generally consists of pork, beef, and poultry
with pork being the most popular
Among poultry, chicken is most common, although duck,
goose, & turkey are also used in traditional German
cuisine
Meat is usually pot-roasted or pan-fried, but these recipes
originated from France.
M E A T
Pork, beef, and poultry are the main varieties of meat
consumed in Germany, pork being the most popular
Among the most popular and most common are
the Bratwurst, usually made of ground pork and spices
F I S H
Alaska pollock is the most common
Today, many sea fish, such as fresh
herring, tuna, mackerel, salmon and sardines, are well
established throughout the country
V E G E T A B L E
Vegetables are often used in stews or vegetable soups, but
are also served as side dishes
Carrots, turnips, spinach, peas, beans, broccoli and many
types of cabbage are very common
Asparagus, especially white asparagus known in German
as Spargel, is a common side dish or may be prepared as a
main dish
S P I C E S A N D C O N D I M E N T S
With the exception of mustard for sausages, German
dishes are rarely hot and spicy
The most popular herbs are
traditionally parsley, thyme, laurel,chives, black
pepper (used in small amounts), juniper
berries and caraway.
D E S S E R T S
A wide variety of cakes and tarts are served throughout
the country, most commonly made with fresh fruit.
Ice cream and sorbets are also very popular
B R E A D
Bread is served usually for breakfast (often replaced by bread
rolls) and in the evening as (open) sandwiches, but rarely as a
side dish for the main meal
Germans use almost all available types of grain for their
breads: wheat, rye, barley, spelt, oats, millet, corn and rice.
Some breads are even made with potato starch flour.
B E V E R A G E
Beer is very common throughout all parts of Germany, with
many local and regional breweries producing a wide variety of
beers.
Drinking water of excellent quality is available everywhere
and at any time in Germany.
Water provided by the public water industry can be had
without hesitation directly from the tap. Usually no chlorine is
added. Drinking water is controlled by state authority to ensure
it is potable.
W E I N E R S C H N I T Z E L
Ingredients:
> 4 to 8 skinless pheasant breasts or boar loin medallions
> Salt
> 1 cup flour
> 2 eggs, lightly beaten
> 1 cup breadcrumbs
> Enough lard, butter or duck fat to come 1/2 inch up the sides of
your frying pan
Procedure:
1. Set out a work surface and lay a pheasant breast on a piece of plastic wrap. Lay
another piece of plastic wrap over the breast and pat it down to seal. Pound the
meat out into a very flat cutlet, about 1/4 inch thick. Take your time, hitting the
meat with about the same force as knocking on a door. Work from the center of the
meat outward. If you are using pheasant or chicken, you will need to pound the
thick end of the breast more than the thin end; pork or veal medallions should be
evenly cut. Do one breast at a time. When you are finished with one, remove the
top layer of plastic wrap and set it aside. As you finish more, stack them.
(Removing the one layer of plastic wrap will make them easier to get off the plastic
later.)
Procedure:
2. Preheat the oven to 200°F. Place a baking sheet lined with paper towels in the oven; this is
for the schnitzels as they come out of the frying pan. Set up a breading station. Put the flour
in a large tray, plate or shallow bowl. Do the same for the eggs, and the breadcrumbs. Put the
lard or butter in the frying pan and turn the heat to medium-high. You want to fry at a
temperature of about 325°F to 350°F.
3. When the fat is ready, dredge a cutlet in flour and shake off the excess. Dredge it in egg,
then the breadcrumbs. Do not press the breadcrumbs into the meat. Immediately put the
breaded cutlet into the hot fat. Shake the pan a little to make sure the schnitzel does not stick
to the bottom. The cutlet should float in the hot fat. Repeat quickly with as many cutlets as
will fit in your pan.
Procedure:
4. Fry the schnitzels until they are golden brown, about 4
minutes. As the first side is cooking, spoon some hot fat
over the other side. This will speed up the cooking
process. Flip only once. When the schnitzels are done, put
them in the oven on the baking sheet and repeat until
you’re done.
S p ä t z l e
Ingredients:
> 400 grams plain flour
> 4 eggs
> 1 ¼ tbsp butter
> ¼ tsp salt
> 200 ml water
Procedure:
4. This is what the dough should look like when you have
reached the right consistency. If you have added too much
water, you can balance that out by adding a bit more flour
Procedure:
5. Bring lots of water with a pinch of salt added to a boil.
Now place the Spätzle press over the saucepan and put
one portion at a time into the press.
Procedure:
6. Press the handle down. When you are at the end of its
course, cut off the hanging Spätzle with a knife or a
spatula.
Procedure:
7. When they have all surfaced, take them out trying to
drain off as much of the water as possible. Put them in a
dish and add a knob of butter .