Germany is known for its various attractions. Whether it’s the amazing castles, the Black Forest, or the delicious German food, there’s always something nice in Germany. If you want a taste of Germany’s most delectable cuisines, here’s a great overview.
There are many different kinds of German food available. They range from super popular recipes like German sausages to more specific ones like Christmas dishes. You may consider trying out all German delicacies available regularly or first go with something a little lighter.
Whatever the case, if you’re interested in trying out some new German food, it is crucial to first understand the typical German food existing to have a great experience.
Let’s first look at a short history of food in Germany:
History of Food in Germany
Germany’s culinary history reflects its roots and geography. Over time, German food has evolved through different social and political changes. Today, every region has varying food specialties with unique flavors. But one thing they all have in common is heartiness and richness.
The food of Germany consists of numerous different national or local cuisines, as well as regional recipes unique to German culture.
Since Germany is located in the middle of a large cultural area, Central Europe, it shares many culinary traditions with neighboring countries, including the Czech Republic and Poland.
Typical Food Served at German Restaurants
When it comes to German food, there are many variations. Depending on what German-speaking country or part of Germany you’re visiting, you can get more than one kind of German food available.
One of the best ways to find the best German restaurants is to ask around. Many German restaurants have bulletin boards and websites where people post information and photos of their favorite German restaurants.
So, consider searching for the restaurants that are more popular on your favorite search engine. Their online reviews will tell you the sort of restaurant it is and if it’s known for excellent service and quality. Also, if you know little about German food served in restaurants or German street foods, get a translator.
In fact, many restaurants have a designated staff to translate and help visitors with any questions they may have. The translator can also help order the food you want, especially if you are unfamiliar with the language here.
Most menus are in German, so it’s easy to get disoriented on what to order or the quantity, especially if you have never had German food. Thus, the translator will guide you on this and even teach you one or two things about different German cuisines.
A large part of eating German food is eating it raw. But you can try it in whatever form that you find most appealing. You will get a great variety of different tastes out of different dishes.
If you are willing to spare some time to learn the various cooking techniques and ingredients in preparing each dish, you can ask.
Best German Foods Options
If you want to try one or more of the different types of German food available, you need to understand the different styles used to cook them. Whether you prefer mild or spicy German dishes, bread dumplings like brotknoedel, or a vegetarian German-style dish, the results differ with each style. Some chefs may use certain kinds of spices, mustard, and herbs to season different dishes for that zesty, flavorful taste.
If you don’t know much about German food, it’s your lucky day. We have compiled this comprehensive German food list consisting of traditional, Christmas, and various other types of German foods. Let’s delve in:
Traditional German Foods You Need to Know
1. Traditional German Potato Salad
A typical traditional German food found in almost every other region is potato salad. This type of salad was popularized in the early 1900s and has since become very common worldwide.
German potato salad is made with a mixture of potatoes, mayonnaise, and onions, giving them a tang. Sometimes the potato salad is served with fried eggs mixed into the salad.
This type of potato salad is commonly served at any event, so you may want to try it at least once, if not severally.
2. Wurst and Sauerkraut
Other types of German food to try out include wurst and sauerkraut, both of which are exceptionally delicious. Sauerkraut is a combination of vegetables that have been prepared to resemble the flavor of kraut.
The main difference between the two is that sauerkraut is made with cabbage that has been cooked and salted to make it taste like what is used on the other side of the globe, while wurst is made with meat and a variety of vegetables. Buy sauerkraut on your next meal at home or as a side dish to your main course.
See Related: Germany Currency: Everything You Need to Know
3. Pretzel
German pretzels are excellent. There’s something about them that tastes that much better in Germany. They make a great pairing while you are drinking the finest German beers at a beer garden.
Maybe that’s why? You can get these delicious knots of bread sprinkled with salt or try it with other dippings such as sugar, cheese, and cinnamon. German pretzels were made to represent arms folded in prayer, and this is where the distinctive knot comes from.
Buy authentic German pretzels from Whole Foods for your next gathering. It’s 100% worth it and a great pairing with beer.
Traditional Meat Dishes
Traditionally, a typical German food must have meat as a key ingredient. Every midday or evening meal has hearty portions of meat and sometimes even breakfast.
Most of the time, the meat is dipped in creamy sauces and served with baked squash, buttery rolls, and a full glass of German beer. Some of the best traditional meat dishes in Germany include:
3. Sauerbraten or Roast Beef Stew or German Pot Roast
Sauerbraten is a national German main dish that doesn’t miss most restaurant menus. Usually, a slice of horse meat, beef, or venison is marinated in vinegar, spices, and wine mixture and left to rest for several days before its roasted. It’s traditionally served with potato dumplings, boiled potatoes, and red cabbage.
4. Beef Roll/ Rinderroulade
This is a common dish in Saxony that has different flavors, all packed in one single dish. It is prepared by rolling quality thin slices of beef around bacon, pickles, onions, and mustard. Then, it’s roasted with red wine to create a deep rich flavor.
Traditionally, Rinderroulade is served at dinner with mashed potatoes or potato dumplings, pickled red cabbage, and sometimes with winter vegetables in a saucer. The meat is dunked in thick gravy to make the meal tastier.
5. Pork Knuckle/ Schweinshaxe
Popular in Bavaria, Schweinshaxe or pork knuckle is a delicious meat dish. It involves roasting pork at low temperatures for two to three hours or until the skin falls off the bone. The meat becomes juicy and tender, and the skin brittle and crispy.
Before roasting, the meat is marinated for several days. Schweinshaxe is served with potatoes and different types of cabbages.
6. Rabbit Stew/ Hasenpfeffer
To prepare this deliciously rich rabbit stew, rabbit meat is braised with wine and onions and left to rest for hours. The marinade is made with vinegar and wine, and it’s made thick with some rabbit blood.
Hare is called ‘Hase,’ and pepper is ‘pfeffer’ in German. This stew involves using seasonings and spices to make it tasteful. In Austria and Bavaria, Hasenpfeffer is made with sweet and hot paprika.
7. Königsberger Klopse
These are tasty meatballs meals dipped in a creamy white sauce with capers. Traditionally, the meatballs are made with minced veal, eggs, onions, pepper, anchovies, and other spices. The sauce with capers and lemon juice gives this dish a perfect finish.
Officials in the German Democratic Republic renamed these boiled meatballs kochklopse. This was to avoid confusion with its namesake, which the Soviet Union annexed.
This meal may be available in German restaurants under the traditional name, but it’s more common in Brandenburg and Berlin.
Traditional German Sausages
Sausages are an everyday staple in Germany with long traditional roots. Germany is known for its sausage types, up to 1,500 varieties.
Several regional sausage specialties are made and are probably the most famous traditional German food. For example, currywurst, a steamed pork sausage spiced with curry powder and ketchup, is popular in metropolitan Berlin, while Muncher Weibwurst, a white sausage, is common in Bavaria.
You’ll see sausages grilled, smoked, pan-fried, cured, or boiled. Most sausages are served with a German bread roll, mustard, and Sauerkraut in restaurants and big hotels. Without further ado, here is our list of delicious traditional German sausages:
8. Bratwurst
This is one of the most famous street foods in Germany. Typically made with veal and pork, bratwurst is a fresh sausage seasoned with nutmeg, ginger, coriander, and caraway. The sausage is usually grilled over sizzling barbecue stands in German streets, especially in summer.
This grilled sausage typically has a slightly crispy skin. It is served with mustard and ketchup, mustard and sauerkraut, or in a bread roll.
This is an excellent example of German street food and pairs extraordinarily well with German beer. Buy authentic German bratwurst for your home and make an authentic meal for your family or friends.
9. Weisswurst
This is a traditional bacon sausage most common in the Bavaria region. It’s made of pork back, bacon, and veal. For a rich flavor, the sausage is seasoned with parsley, mace, lemon, ginger, onions, and cardamon.
Weisswurst is served as a breakfast and mid-morning snack. It’s cooked in relatively hot water as boiling water can easily break its casing. This snack is usually eaten with pretzels, mustard, and a glass of beer.
10. Saumagen
Made from the ‘sows stomach’ literally, saumagen is a tasty dish made more popular by German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. It was his favorite typical dish that was even served to his visiting dignitaries, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Bill Clinton, Margaret Thatcher, and Ronald Reagan.
This sausage somehow resembles Scottish haggis. It involves stuffing potatoes, pork, carrots, marjoram, onions, nutmeg, and white pepper in the stomachs of a pig casing, but on rare occasions, on artificial casings.
The sausage is then diced and roasted in an oven or pan-fried. This goes well with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut, a glass of dry white wine from Palatinate, or a traditional wheat beer from Bavaria.
See Related: Best German Gifts
Other Popular German Dishes
11. Käsespätzle
Commonly popular in Southern Germany, especially Bavaria, Swabia, and the Allgäu region, Käsespätzle is an excellent example of classic German food to enjoy while drinking beer.
This traditional German dish originated from Baden-Württemberg and is, in essence, pasta. These noodles are a mixture of flour, eggs, salt, and fizzy water to fluff the dough.
Traditionally, it was served as a side dish in meat stews or dipped into a soup. It’s usually seasoned with cheese where hot spätzle and grated granular cheese are alternately layered, and finally, some fried onions are poured on top.
After adding all the layers, it’s put into an oven to melt the cheese and avoid cooling. You won’t miss this traditional German dish in beer gardens, especially in summer, Munich pubs, or even winter.
See Related: Best Things to Do in Hessen
12. Döner Kebab
Introduced to Germany by a Turkish immigrant who came here between the 1960s and 1970s, the Döner kebab became a popular delicacy in Germany. In 1972, Kadir Nurman, a street seller, began to offer sandwiches made with Döner kebab at West Berlin’s Zoo Station.
From there, the dish took East and West Berlin by storm, flooding the rest of Germany. A Döner kebab traditionally contained meat, onions, and a bit of salad. But it has now been developed into a dish with other vegetables and a range of sauces from which to choose.
Sometimes, lamb, chicken, and veal spits are also used. Also, there are vegan and vegetarian versions of the dish in Germany, which are increasingly growing in popularity.
13. Spargel
White asparagus make part of the most popular German staple. Asparagus harvest time is usually around Mid-April, which is when most meals and restaurants in Germany add this palatable vegetable to their menus.
Spargelzeit is an asparagus time that Germans celebrate with a lot of passion. In fact, Spargel festivals are held each year on spargel route in Baden-Württemberg. During this time, an average German eats asparagus at least once a day.
In restaurants, spaghetti is steamed and boiled. It is then eaten with hollandaise sauce, melted butter, or olive oil. It comes heaped upon schnitzel or wrapped in bacon, asparagus soup, pancakes, fried asparagus, asparagus and herbs, asparagus with young potatoes, or asparagus with scrambled eggs.
14. Zwiebelkuchen and federweisser
Federweisser und zwiebelkuchen, a partially fermented young white wine and onion tart, is a well-known culinary treat in South Germany. This is usually common in October, the month of tasting the first wines of the year in Germany.
Brewers of this wine add yeast to grapes, allowing fermentation to occur quickly. When the alcohol level rises to 4%, the white wine is put on sale. Because of the quick fermentation process, this wine can only last a few days. Furthermore, those carbonation levels cannot be bottled or transported in airtight cans. Thus, it’s a wine only enjoyed by those near where it’s produced.
So, in October, most people flock to the marketplace and wine gardens along the Mosel River to take a few sips or a glass of this freshly made federweisser. Since it has a light and sweet taste, it combines well with the warm, savory onion cake.
15. Reibekuchen
Another authentic German food is this pancake of fried potatoes. There are over 40 names for these pancakes. This is often served with treacle (a type of syrup) or apple sauce on black pumpernickel rye bread.
These are more popular in Rhineland or cologne all year round. This popular German food is mostly eaten during the Karneval festivities in spring. Reibekuchen vendors flock to German Christmas markets, where liters of potato dough are being processed daily during the holiday season.
Traditional German Dessert Foods
16. Black Forest Cake
Black Forest Cake is a dessert that is popular in Germany and The Black Forest region. The Black Forest Cake was first created in the Schwarzwaldund, a region in Germany.
This is authentic German food that is served after a long traditional meal. It’s a great example of one of the foods that are hard to get elsewhere outside Germany.
The cake is made with chocolate sponge cake layers and whipped cream. It is usually served with cherry sauce or kirschwasser. Check out these other interesting things about The Black Forest.
17. Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte (a cake with sponge cake, liqueur, and cherries)
You won’t be able to appreciate German cuisine without sampling its most delectable desserts! The sponge cakes with liqueur and creamed cherries are a delicious combination. The Schwarzwaelders Kirschtorte was no doubt Germany’s favorite dessert. This cake’s official debut came in 1915.
18. Apfelstrudel (an apple pastry)
Apfelstrudel is a traditional pastry that is popular in Germany. The pastry is made with thin layers of dough filled with apples and spices. It is then baked and served with sweet icing, sugar glaze, and powdered sugar. Serve it with vanilla ice cream, and you’ll be in pure bliss.
19. Pfannkuchen or Eierkuchen (a German pancake)
Eierkuchen is a German pancake typically made with bacon and onions or raspberry sauce. It’s a popular dish in Germany and is often eaten as a main course, as a side dish, or even as a dessert. Eierkuchen is simple to make and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
20. Bratapfel (a caramelized apple)
Bratapfel is a traditional German food that is made with caramelized apples. It is a popular dessert dish that is served during the fall and winter months.
The apples are cooked in a sugar syrup until they are soft and caramelized, and then they are served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Bratapfel is a delicious and decadent treat that everyone should try at least once.
Weird Rare German Dishes
21. Himmel un ääd
If you want to try something more erratic or weird, then Himmel un ääd should be top of your list. This is a messy and optically unappealing dish but worth giving a try.
himmel un ääd in Cologne or Himmel und erde, (both mean “Earth and Heaven”). Having been around since the 18th century, this dish is more common in Westphalia, Rhineland, and Lower Saxony. The dish is made with mashed potatoes, fried onions, black pudding, and apple sauce.
It’s a beloved meal of the many Kölsch breweries, as well as beer halls in Cologne, where it pairs perfectly well with one or several full glasses of beer.
See Related: Best Things to do in Munich, Germany
German Christmas Foods
Most cultures mark traditions with food. Christmas is the time to enjoy some delicious meals for Germans. Most of the Christmas foods in Germany include some drinks, main meals, and desserts.
Here are some of the German foods that are included in meals during this festive season:
- Crispy roasted goose seasoned with thyme, onions, and fruit.
- Bavarian Bread dumplings (semmelknödel) recipe sopped in rich gravy from the braised roast.”
- German braised red cabbage (rotkohl) topped with green apple, Juniper berries, and tangy vinegar.
- Krautstrudel: an easy savory cabbage roll with soft sauteed strands of cabbage, the savory crunch of caraway seeds, and the smoky flavor of bacon which is all wrapped in a delicate, flaky crust.
- A classic German Dresden Christmas stollen that is flaky, moist, aromatic, and divinely flavorful,
- Almond-filled stollen
- Gingerbread cookies (lebkuchen) common with medieval monks, dating back to the 13th century in Germany and Switzerland.”
- Lebkuchen bars with no fat other than that in the egg.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is German food?
German food is distinguished goods that are genuinely prepared, consumed, and a product of Germany’s fascinating heritage. German food is a fusion of national, regional, and local German cuisines. Meat, sausages, bread, salads, and potatoes are the staples of German cuisine.
What is traditional German food?
Traditional German cuisine has been crafted and handed down through decades as part of Germany’s long and interesting heritage. Traditional German food is a form of German cuisine that is usually served in different regions of the country, with each region representing its very own traditional meal.
Traditional German cuisine consists of dishes made mostly of meat prepared in diverse manners, slices of bread, potato-based ingredients, and various slices of bread.
What is German food like?
Traditional German food is generally served in generous portions, making for a complete and satisfying meal. To have a great taste and savor the best German dishes, they must either be combined or accompanied with a salad or bread right next to the meat bowl.
German cuisine is like a fully-featured meal because it mostly includes meat, bread, salad, and vegetables on a single plate.
Is German food good or bad?
Most of Germany’s delicacies have captured the taste and palate of most of the world, mainly sausage, which is one of the nation’s staple foods. German cuisine is delicious as well as provides pleasant and full servings. The history and culture that craft the country’s meal can be delightfully tasted and seen in German food presentations.
Brewery Guides
- Best Breweries in Cologne
- Best Breweries in Dusseldorf
- Best Breweries in Berlin
- Best Breweries in Munich
Related Articles
- Things in Germany That Are Not Free
- How to Use a Cell Phone in Germany
- History of the German Flag
- Types of Dogs in Germany
- Easy German Travel Phrase Guide
Lock In Your Travel Now
Find Cheap Flights
Use Skyscanner to find flight deals. As my personal favorite flight search engine, Skyscanner scours websites and airlines across the globe, leaving no stone unturned to help you find the best deal possible. And if you really want to take your savings to new heights, pair Skyscanner with Going (Formerly Scott's Cheap Flights). With access to exclusive mistake fares delivered straight to your inbox, you'll be packing your bags and jetting off on your next adventure before you know it.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is a low cost way to ensure your travel plans go smooth no matter what's thrown at it. Cover yourself against illness, injury and theft, and protect the arrangements you've made with our flexible travel cancellation insurance. My favorite options for travel insurance are:
Book Your Accommodation
In order to capture the widest selection of properties and the best price, use Booking.com as they have the cheapest rates for guesthouses, hotels, luxury condos, B&Bs and so much more.
Want More Destination Ideas Direct to Your Inbox?
Be sure to join the ViaTravelers Newsletter for expert tips, tricks and inspiration for your next travel journey!
Discover the Best Travel Tools
Be sure to visit our page on our favorite travel resources to learn how you too can visit over 10 countries in year.