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South Africans in Germany

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German Cuisine and Recipes

Many will describe German food as hearty, heavy and unrefined. Comfort food comes to mind, as many dishes are based on starch.

But I think that German food can be very refined “sehr fein”  as well, and they have the best bakeries in the world. Apparently, there are more than 300 bread varieties and over 1200 different bread rolls and baked goods in Germany
German cuisine is very regional and mostly seasonal.

If you would like to try your hand at some German recipes, here are a few websites to explore:

More about German Cuisine

Breakfast (Frühstück) commonly consists of bread, toast, or bread rolls with butter or margarine, cold cuts, cheeses, jam (Konfitüre or more commonly called Marmelade), honey and eggs (typically boiled).
Common drinks at breakfast are coffee, tea, milk, cocoa (hot or cold) or fruit juices.
It is very common to eat hearty toppings at breakfast, including deli meats like ham, salted meats, salami and meat-based spreads such as Leberwurst (liver sausage), Teewurst or Mettwurst and cheeses such as Gouda, Frischkäse (cream cheese), Brie, Harzer RollerBergkäse and more. Most bakeries tend to sell belegte Brötchen (sandwiches from bread rolls), especially in the morning, for people on the go.

Traditionally, the main meal of the day has been lunch (Mittagessen), eaten around noon.

Dinner (Abendessen or Abendbrot) was always a smaller meal, often consisting only of a variety of bread, meat or sausages, cheese and some kind of vegetables, similar to breakfast, or possibly sandwiches. Smaller meals added during the day bear names such as Vesper (in the south), Brotzeit (bread time, also in the south),

Kaffee und Kuchen, literally for “coffee and cake”), or Kaffeetrinken. It is a very German custom and comparable with the English Five-o’clock-Tea. It takes time between lunch and dinner, often on Sundays with the entire family.

However, in Germany, as in other parts of Europe, dining habits have changed over the last 50 years. Today, many people eat only a small meal in the middle of the day at work, often also a second breakfast, and enjoy a hot dinner in the evening at home with the whole family.

For others, the traditional way of eating is still rather common, not only in rural areas. Breakfast is still very popular and it can be elaborate and extended on weekends, with friends invited as guests; the same holds for coffee and cake. Since the 1990’s, Sunday brunch has also become common, especially in city cafés.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cuisine

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