Germany Restaurant Tips by nepalgoods

Sauerkraut Country

‘Most foreigners,’ reads the 1969 guide ‘Die Küche in Deutschland’, ‘imagine German cuisine to be an infinite series of sausages and sauerkraut.' This opinion was apparently shared by Germany’s poets and thinkers, experts in analysing the likes and tastes of the German population, as proven by the existence of several hymns to the Germans’ favourite food. ‘Metzelsuppenlied’ by poet Ludwig Uhland (1787-1862), for instance, intones ‘Auch unser edles Sauerkraut, wir sollen’s nicht vergessen; / Ein Deutscher hat’s zuerst gebaut, / Drum ist’s ein deutsches Essen. (Our fine sauerkraut, too - and let’s not forget it - was created by a German, which makes it German food.)

This ‘fine’ German sauerkraut or more precisely, its enchanting smell, also inspired Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) in his Parisian exile, to write: ‘Der Tisch war gedeckt, / hier fand ich ganz die altgermanische Küche. / Sei mir gegrüßt, mein Sauerkraut, / Holdselig sind deine Gerüche. (The table was set, where I found Old German cooking. Greetings, my sauerkraut - how sweet is your aroma.) Finally, Wilhelm Busch (1832-1908) sends Widow Bolte, who is not just enthusiastic about chickens, down to the cellar so ’daß sie von dem Sauerkohle, / eine Portion sich hole, / Wofür sie besonders schwärmt, / wenn er wieder aufgewärmt. (…that she can fetch a portion of sauerkraut, which she particularly likes when it's reheated.) If one were to believe the poets, there is no other food that the Germans love quite as much as sauerkraut.

However, sauerkraut is not even a German phenomenon - it is believed to have been ‘invented’ by the Chinese more than 2,000 years ago. When Genghis Khan conquered China he brought the recipe for making sauerkraut with him; the Mongols finally brought it to Europe. In the 15th century, monks in the Alsace made it as sustenance during their fasts. I think the Korean "Kimchi" is very much related to our German "Sauerkraut".

Directions: For a recipy of Sauerkraut please see my Karlsruhe-Page!

Rating: 4

Theme: German/Austrian