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276 recipes

Gemüse-Kartoffel-Fleisch-Brei (vegetable, potato and beef mash)

In Germany the first proper lunch for a baby of about six months is the Gemüse-Kartoffel-Fleisch-Brei, a smooth purée of carrot or parsnip with potato and a little lean beef, finished with a spoonful of rapeseed oil. Many parents stir in a little unsweetened fruit juice or purée too, as vitamin C helps the body take up the iron from the meat. It tastes sweet and mild and is made with no salt. It contains none of the common allergens (milk, egg, gluten, peanut, tree nuts, soya, sesame, fish). Chef's tip: add the oil to each portion after reheating rather than before freezing, so it stays fresh-tasting.

40 min

German Meat

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MohnkuchenPoppy seed crumble cake

Bavarian and Austrian bakeries, Saxon ones especially, cut Mohnkuchen from huge trays into thick, dark slabs that are eaten at the Sunday Kaffee und Kuchen table and at village fêtes. Under a sandy butter crumble sits a deep layer of ground poppy seeds cooked in milk with semolina and lemon, nutty and slightly bitter-sweet, on a thin shortcrust base. Some families add a splash of rum to the filling; it is written here without, and you can stir in 2 tablespoons with the lemon zest if you like. Whole seeds are the most common slip: they stay hard and gritty and never thicken the filling, so buy ready-ground poppy seed or grind it in a spice grinder. Chef's tip: let the filling cool before spreading it; hot filling melts the base and the cake splits from it when cut.

95 min

German Baking

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Russischer ZupfkuchenChocolate shortcrust cheesecake

Despite the name, Russischer Zupfkuchen is a West German invention, a 1990s café-counter hit that spread from a baking-powder company's recipe card into every coffee-and-cake afternoon from Hamburg to Munich. A crisp cocoa shortcrust holds a pale, creamy quark cheesecake, and torn pieces ('gezupft', plucked) of the same dark dough are scattered on top, where they bake into crunchy chocolate islands. Serve it cold, in tall wedges, with filter coffee. Cutting it warm is the common mistake: the filling slumps and the base cracks, so chill it for several hours first. Chef's tip: keep a third of the dough frozen for 15 minutes before tearing it; firm pieces hold their rough shape and don't sink into the filling.

105 min

German Baking

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Fliegenpilz-Eier (toadstool eggs)

German children's birthday parties and Easter tables often feature a little forest of Fliegenpilz-Eier: hard-boiled eggs standing on cress, each wearing a red tomato cap dotted with mayonnaise like a fly agaric toadstool. Children love making them as much as eating them. They are meant for school-age children: for younger ones, cut the eggs and tomatoes into small pieces rather than serving them whole. Contains egg (also in the mayonnaise); free of gluten and milk. Chef's tip: slice a thin piece off the bottom of each egg so it stands steady.

25 min

German Snacks & Starters

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Quarkbällchen (German quark doughnut balls)

Quarkbällchen fill the trays of German bakeries all year and reach their peak at Fasching, the carnival season, and families in Berlin, Saxony and beyond make them at home for children's afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen. The quark dough needs no yeast, so they are quick: crisp and golden outside, soft and cake-like inside, with a light tang. They are rolled in sugar rather than drenched. They contain milk, egg and gluten. Chef's tip: keep the oil at 170 °C so they cook through; hotter oil browns them before the centre is done.

40 min

German Baking

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AmerikanerIced soft cakes

Amerikaner are a fixture of German bakery counters and children's birthday parties: soft, domed little cakes baked flat-side up, then turned over and iced on the smooth base, half in white lemon icing and half in chocolate. A pinch of custard powder in the dough gives their tender, slightly vanilla crumb. Children can ice them themselves at a party. They contain milk, egg and gluten. Chef's tip: ice the flat bottom of the cakes, not the domed tops; that's what gives the shiny, even finish.

35 min

German Baking

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Fruit and cereal mash (Obst-Getreide-Brei)

German weaning follows a well-known plan: a vegetable lunch first, then a milk and cereal evening meal, and finally an afternoon Obst-Getreide-Brei, a dairy-free mash of cooked cereal flakes and fruit, usually from around seven months. Fine oat or millet flakes are simmered in water, then stirred into stewed apple or pear with a spoon of rapeseed oil, which German paediatric advice recommends for healthy fats. It is fruity, smooth and naturally sweet. It contains gluten if made with oats (use millet flakes for gluten free); there is no milk, egg, nuts, soya, sesame or fish. Chef's tip: stew the fruit in a little water rather than using juice, which adds sugar.

20 min

German Breakfast & Brunch

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German party pasta salad (Nudelsalat)

In Germany a big bowl of Nudelsalat is the backbone of a Kindergeburtstag, a summer barbecue or a school outing: short pasta, ham, peas, sweetcorn and chopped gherkins bound in a mayonnaise and yoghurt dressing, made the evening before so the flavours settle. This version lightens the dressing with yoghurt and gherkin brine. It contains gluten, egg (mayonnaise) and milk. Chef's tip: dress the pasta while it is still slightly warm, then add a splash more dressing just before serving, because the pasta drinks it overnight.

32 min

German Salads

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BrennsuppeBrowned flour soup

Farmhouse kitchens in Upper Bavaria and the Swabian Allgäu once started the day with Brennsuppe, a soup built from almost nothing: flour browned slowly in butter until it smells of hazelnuts, then whisked into water or stock with caraway and onion. Grandmothers still make it on cold evenings or for anyone feeling poorly, with cubes of stale bread toasted in the pan and a heap of chives on top. It tastes far richer than its ingredients suggest. The usual mistake is rushing the roux on a high heat, so it scorches and turns bitter instead of nutty. Chef's tip: whisk the stock in a little at a time while it is cold or lukewarm, and the soup stays perfectly smooth.

25 min

German Soups

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KartoffelkrokettenPotato croquettes

Kartoffelkroketten belong to the German Sunday roast as surely as red cabbage, alongside Rinderrouladen in the Ruhr or venison in the Harz at Christmas. Dry mashed potato is bound with egg yolk, nutmeg and a little butter, rolled into small cylinders, breaded and fried until crunchy outside and fluffy within. Homemade ones taste far better than the frozen kind and can be shaped a day ahead. The usual mistake is a wet mash, which makes croquettes burst in the oil. Chef's tip: steam-dry the boiled potatoes in the hot pan for two minutes and press them through a ricer, never a blender, which turns them gluey.

60 min

German Sides

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DibbelabbesPotato and leek hash

Dibbelabbes takes its name from the Saarland words for a pot (Dibbe) and to lick out (abbes), because the crisp crust stuck to the cast-iron pan is the best part. Families around Saarlouis and Merzig make it on cold evenings: raw grated potatoes, leek and onion cooked slowly in a heavy pan and turned now and then until golden chunks form all through. Traditionally smoked bacon or Dörrfleisch goes in; this version keeps it vegetarian with a little smoked paprika. Apple sauce and a green salad go alongside. Stirring too often is the mistake; the crust needs time to form. Chef's tip: cook it in the oven in a cast-iron casserole for an even, deep crust with less work.

75 min

German Vegetarian

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SpargelsalatWarm asparagus salad

Asparagus farms along the Baden Spargelstraße and in the Lüneburg Heath sell their spears straight from roadside huts in May, and this lukewarm salad is how many households there eat the first bundle. White and green spears are cooked just tender, cut into lengths and dressed while warm in a sharp vinaigrette of white wine vinegar, mustard, shallot and plenty of chives, so they soak up the flavour. It goes with new potatoes, or as a light lunch with bread. A frequent mistake is overcooking white asparagus until it is limp and stringy. Chef's tip: dress the spears while still warm and leave them for 15 minutes; cold asparagus barely absorbs the dressing.

30 min

German Salads

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Folienkartoffel mit KräuterquarkBaked potato with herb quark

Wrapped in foil and split open, Folienkartoffel is what queues form for at Christmas markets, village fairs and summer barbecues across Germany, and it is just as easy at home in the oven or in the embers of a grill. A large floury potato bakes until fluffy, then gets a big spoon of cold Kräuterquark with chives, parsley and garlic, sometimes with sweetcorn or grated cheese too. The contrast of hot potato and cool, tangy quark is the whole point. A common mistake is choosing waxy potatoes, which stay dense. Chef's tip: prick the potatoes and rub them with oil and coarse salt before wrapping, so the skin turns tender and seasoned.

75 min

German Vegetarian

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ErdbeerkuchenStrawberry flan

When strawberry stands pop up on every country road in June, bakeries from the Rhineland to Saxony fill their windows with Erdbeerkuchen, and families bake one for Sunday afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen. A light sponge is baked in a fluted flan tin with a raised rim, spread with a thin layer of custard or jam, covered with halved strawberries and set under a clear red glaze, then served with whipped cream. The mistake most people make is filling the base while it is still warm, which makes it soggy. Chef's tip: brush the cooled base with a little melted white chocolate or jam first; it seals the sponge against the fruit juice.

55 min

German Baking

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GefilldeStuffed potato dumplings

Gefillde are the Saarland's festive Sunday dumplings, especially loved in the Bliesgau and around Homburg: a dough of raw and cooked potato wrapped around a filling of pork liver sausage and minced pork and beef, poached gently, then served with a creamy bacon sauce (Speckrahmsoße) and sauerkraut. They are rich and filling, a dish for cold weekends and family gatherings. The most common mistake is a filling that is too wet, which bursts through the dough while poaching. Chef's tip: chill the filling balls for 20 minutes before wrapping so they are firm and easy to seal.

120 min

German Meat

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GrünkernsuppeGreen spelt soup

Grünkern is spelt harvested half-ripe and dried over beech smoke, a trick farmers in the Bauland and Odenwald of northern Baden and Lower Franconia used when wet summers threatened the crop. Around Boxberg and Walldürn the cracked grains still go into a thick, nutty soup for autumn and winter weekday lunches, often followed by something sweet. The grains simmer with leek, carrot and celeriac until they burst and thicken the broth, and a spoon of cream and plenty of parsley go in at the end. Chef's tip: toast the cracked Grünkern in the butter until it smells like smoky popcorn before adding any liquid; skipping this leaves the soup flat and grey.

60 min

German Soups

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KräuterquarkHerb quark

On summer evenings across Germany, from Hamburg allotments to Swabian farmhouse kitchens, a bowl of herb quark sits in the middle of the Abendbrot table with rye bread, radishes and boiled new potatoes. Fresh low-fat quark is loosened with a little milk and linseed or sunflower oil, then packed with chopped chives, parsley and dill and a hint of garlic, so it tastes cool, tangy and green. It also goes on jacket potatoes at the fair and next to grilled vegetables at a barbecue. The usual mistake is chopping the herbs ahead and letting them sit, which turns them dark and bruised. Chef's tip: let the finished quark rest in the fridge for 20 minutes so the garlic mellows and the herbs flavour the whole bowl.

10 min

German Chutneys & Dips

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BauernfrühstückFried potatoes with ham and egg

Despite its name, the 'farmer's breakfast' is mostly eaten at lunch or supper in Hamburg pubs, Hanover canteens and farm kitchens across Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. Leftover boiled potatoes are fried until crisp with onions and diced cooked ham (pork), then eggs are poured over and set gently into a golden, folded omelette, served with gherkins and a tomato salad. Leave out the ham and add peppers or mushrooms for a vegetarian version. The usual mistake is adding the eggs before the potatoes are properly crisp. Chef's tip: use potatoes boiled the day before and chilled; they hold their shape and brown far better.

30 min

German Breakfast & Brunch

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HühnerfrikasseeChicken fricassee

From Kiel to Konstanz, Hühnerfrikassee is the comforting weekday dish children in Germany ask for, a fixture of school canteens in the old East and of family kitchens everywhere else. Chicken is poached gently with soup vegetables, then the broth becomes a pale, creamy sauce with mushrooms, peas and pieces of asparagus, sharpened with lemon and capers if you like. It is always served over plain rice. The common mistake is boiling the chicken hard, which makes it dry and stringy. Chef's tip: finish the sauce with a little lemon juice off the heat; without it the frikassee tastes flat and heavy.

75 min

German Chicken

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StielmusTurnip greens mash

Stielmus, also called Rübstiel, is the young stalks and leaves of turnips, sold in bunches at markets in Cologne, Düsseldorf and the Münsterland only in spring and early autumn. Rhinelanders chop them and cook them with potatoes, then mash everything together with butter and nutmeg into a green, slightly peppery mash. It is traditionally eaten with bacon or sausage, but works as a vegetarian main with a fried egg. A common mistake is chopping the stalks too coarsely, which leaves stringy pieces. Chef's tip: if you cannot find Stielmus, a mix of turnip tops and chard gives a similar mild bitterness.

45 min

German Vegetarian

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EiersalatEgg salad

Every German bakery counter and many Sunday breakfast tables have a bowl of Eiersalat, spread thickly on halved Brötchen or rye bread at Abendbrot. This home version keeps it light: chopped hard-boiled eggs bound with a little mayonnaise and yoghurt, sharpened with mustard and gherkin and finished with lots of chives. It is also the usual way to use up dyed Easter eggs in the week after Easter. The classic mistake is overcooking the eggs, which leaves grey-green rims and a sulphur smell. Chef's tip: chop the eggs with a fork or an egg slicer, not a blender, so the salad keeps soft little pieces of white and yolk.

20 min

German Salads

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SchnittlauchbrotChive bread

Order a Schnittlauchbrot in a Munich beer garden and you get the simplest Brotzeit there is: a thick slice of sourdough rye, buttered right to the edges and buried under so many chopped chives that the bread disappears. A pinch of coarse salt on top is all it needs. Bavarians eat it with a radish or two in the afternoon, and at home it is a classic Abendbrot when the chives in the garden are growing fast in May and June. The mistake is using fridge-cold butter, which tears the bread and will not hold the chives. Chef's tip: press the bread butter-side down into a plate of chives instead of sprinkling, and every bit gets covered.

5 min

German Snacks & Starters

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PichelsteinerBeef, pork and vegetable stew

Every summer the town of Regen in the Bavarian Forest holds a Pichelsteiner festival in honour of this layered stew, said to have been first cooked on the Büchelstein hill in the 1800s. Cubes of beef and pork shoulder are stacked in a heavy pot with potatoes, carrots, celeriac, leek and cabbage, a little marrow-bone fat or butter goes between the layers, and the whole thing cooks gently without stirring. Each spoonful mixes tender meat with soft vegetables in a clear, peppery broth. Stirring early is the classic mistake: the potatoes turn to mush. Chef's tip: brown the meat well first and the broth turns a rich amber instead of pale grey.

130 min

German Soups

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SteckrübeneintopfSwede stew

Swede carries hard memories in northern Germany, where it fed families through the 'turnip winter' of 1916–17, yet in Mecklenburg, Holstein and along the Elbe it is loved again as a sweet, golden winter stew. Chunks of swede, potato and carrot cook down in broth with smoked pork shoulder (Kasseler) until some of the vegetables collapse and thicken the pot, and it is ladled out on frosty days with mustard and dark bread. Expect a mellow, earthy sweetness. The usual mistake is cutting the swede too large; it takes longer than potato, so keep the cubes small. Chef's tip: mash a few ladles of vegetables against the side of the pot at the end for a thick, creamy stew without any flour.

90 min

German Soups

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