Foods in Germany?

Actually, German food is not that much different from the daily food in the states. Breakfast in cheaper hotels can actually really just be bread, bread roles, jam, honey, cheese, ham/salami... and boiled eggs, but usually they also offer müsli/cereal, joghurt, fruit/fruit salad, juices.

You should try the different varieties of bread available in Germany. They are very different from what is offered in the states.

Lunch is usually the main meal of the day (traditionally), but more and more people are switching over to having the main meal of the day in the evening, since they than have time for cooking at home.

There are less fast-food chains in Germany than in the US, the main ones being, of course, McDonalds and Burger King. Starbucks and starbucks-like stores are baically on every corner, and new Subway-restaurants are shooting out of the ground like crazy.

You should not miss out o the favorite "German" fast food, the "Döner". IT is actually Turkish food, but very, very popular in Germany. It is flat white bread, cut open to form a kind of bag, which is filled up with crispy meat strips cut from a huge revolving spit, salads, "Krautsalat" (cabbage salad, usually with white cabbage, but if the shop you go to offer it, try having it with red cabbage salad. Not every sho has it, but it's delicious!), tomato slices, joghurt sauce and, if you want to, they or you can spice it up with a pickled green pepper and/or powdered chili. A Döner should cost at least 2,50€ (to guarantee good quality, or that's what the consumer whatevers says, anyhow, and you should see, or be able to be told, what kind of meat it is they will give you (from veal to turkey - everything is possible)

Ice cream is also different from American ice cream, as well as chocolates. Sodas tend to not be as sweet as the American versions (yes, even coke and pepsi). Also, we do not have every American soda, but therefore different ones, like Fanta and Shweppes.

It is also sometimes a shock to foreign people that sweet main courses are nothing unusual in Germany. Sienna O. said, for example, Kaiserschmarren was a dessert. It is not. It is a main course which comes traditionally from Austria, but is quite popular in Germany. Other sweet main courses are, for instance, "Dampfnudel", a big steamed yeast dough dumpling, filled with some fruit, traditionally with plum jam/compot, served with vanilla sauce and a mix of cracked poppy seed and powdered sugar; "Arme Ritter" or "Rostige Ritter" (poor knight/rusty knight), which is basically the same as french toast, only that the rusty knight usually is a bread roll. Milchreis (milky rice = round rice cooked in milk), Griesbrei (seminola cooked in milk). All of those are served with fruit compot.

Rick w suggested to try russina sekt. But there are numerous german wine regions, and numerous German Sekts, so if you have the chance, visit some wineries (the Mosel-Region is one that has not only very good wines, but is also absurdly pretty! As well as lower Frankonia in northern Bavaria (area around Würzburg), and of course the whole Rhine-Region and Nahe-Area).

Germany also has a whole lot of very different beeres to try. Weizenbier of course is great, but have you ever tried a "Kristal-Weizen"? It is a filtered Wheatbeer, and unknown in the states. If you try it, don't be surprised to find half a slice of lemon in your glass. Yep, it's supposed to be there! "Köstritzer" is a very good black beer, and german breweries are producing endless supplies of "Pilsner" for every taste.

Popular are so called "Biermixgetränke". Mostly they consits of a Pilsner-kind beer mixed with lemon/coke/grapefruit... lemonades. Köstritzer also offers a mixed version, called "bebop".

You might also want to try "Bionade" ("coffee fellows" coffee shops, among numerous others, offer it), which is organic lemonade in interesting tastes, and has very low sugar.

Oh, and one more thing to rick w.: "Kümmerling" is not a Kümmel-liquor (cumin), but an herb-liquer. A true cumin-liquer would be "Küstennebel".

OK, that is all I can think of right now. Don't be afraid, you'll find loads of stuff to eat that you will liely miss when you get back to the states.

Have fun in Germany!

Food differs from region to region. It is probably not a really good idea to get some fish (except Forelle) in the south. But it also has seasonal spikes. Aspargus is eaten all over Germany in May, Stollen during Christmas, etc.

You will find a decent burger, but it will be not easy to avoid MCD, or BK for that.

The main difference is that lunch is the main meal and dinner is a much lighter version than dinner in the US.

You have to try Broetchen for breakfast, with lunchmeat, or jam. This is pretty much a must and you will get addicted to them. They also are much closer to France and have all the cheeses you need. The best deal (bang for the buck) is a brunch buffet, usually starts around 9 am until 12 noon and you can eat as much good stuff as you like, mostly accompanied with a glass of Champaign, orange juice, coffee, tea, etc.

Well, just enjoy.

You edited, so I will. :)

Right. Berlin and Bremen are larger cities, so you won´t have any problems finding restaurants in either place. As you are going for a month and stay with a host family for some of that time, don´t feel bad about heading for things you know. In Bremen as well as in Berlin, you´ll see a McDonalds, a Burger King and lots and lots of VERY advisable Asian and Italian restaurants all over the place, you can never go wrong there.

You actually WILL have problems finding "typically" German restaurants, it feels as if the Germans are more into "foreign" food these days than their own traditional kitchen. ;) They "germanize" these foods, so a pizza or a curry in Germany will taste slightly differently in Italy (different kinds of Cheese used) or India (not even half as spicy).

Your host family will serve food the way they´re used to. You´ll see lots of potatoes and meat and probably a rather wide variety of vegetables. They will probably ask you what kind of food you prepare, don´t keep it to yourself, Germans are very outspoken and straightforward, so you shouldn´t feel ashamed of telling them that you don´t like any particular thing. Supermarkets are literally all over the place, as a farmer´s markets in Bremen, by the way! So you always have a chance to have a look around yourself if it turns out your host family´s cooking is not really your thing.

In Berlin, as I said, you´ll find pretty much everything, there is no city in Germany that is more metropolitan and cosmopolitan than Berlin. For an easy way out, fast food chains are obviously always a kind of thing to keep in your backhand - Kebab or Döner (usually lamb with different salads and sauces, you can make a pick what you want in yours) are as popular by now as the more traditonal German fast food stall serving Bratwurst (grilled pork sausage) and French fries.

Forget comments here about weird German specialities - honestly, they are almost non-existent. The "fish dish from leftovers" which is not even that, by the way, that was referred to is called "Labskaus" and belongs to "my" city Hamburg - it is hardly EVER served here in any restaurant. Maybe my grandma would still know how to do it, I doubt my mum does. ;)

So bottom line: No worries at all. :)

PLEASE go with an open mind and sample everything. Do yourself a favour and stay away from American fast food. This should be an experience that will broaden your horizons and be something you'll remember your whole life. (You'll probably find yourself bringing back recipes and maybe even whole cookbooks.)

As it has been said, you'll find breakfast will likely be bread/rolls/croissants with cold cuts, cheese, jam, etc. It's unlikely you'll get "Wonder bread" - you could eat 6 slices of that stuff and still feel hungry. Try the REAL European style breads and rolls. They're wonderful!

Unlike the U.S. where beef is king, Germans eat much more pork - in chops, roasts, sausages, cold cuts etc. Wiener Schnitzel is traditionally made from veal (breaded veal cutlet), but pork is the general rule - it's delish ! Contrary to what one person said, you will NEVER get RAW pork.

In Germany, wieners are NOT of the "Ball Park Frank" variety. They come in a natural casing which, when hot, produces a bit of a snap when you bite into them. They're fabulous eaten with one of the many mustards (you probably won't see one that tastes as boring as French's) and a piece of rye bread or a Kaiser bun. I was once challenged to eat them without a fork/knife - no problem - Austrians often just pick them up with their fingers and that's how I grew up. You'll probably be introduced to a wide variety of sausages (particular mustards will be suggested for each variety) - try them.

You're sure to enjoy Eis (pronounced "ice") - it's ice cream, but perhaps a bit different. If you're lucky enough to get homemade (many small Konditorei - pastry shops - make their own) ENJOY ! The closest thing you may find at home if you're lucky is Gelato.

Someone mentioned open faced sandwiches. You WILL find lots of that. Think of all the carbs you'll be saving! If it's piled high, use a knife/fork.

Sausage stands on the streets are VERY popular. Be sure to visit one - you'll like it!

One thing I appreciate there is that you'll likely be eating frequently - so don't overeat at any one meal. You'll never feel REALLY hungry because you'll eat a little something every couple of hours. Believe it or not, on one of my trips, I lost 22 pounds in a month. Wish I could do that with my hectic schedule now. North Americans tend to eat a couple of bigger meals a day and that easily packs on the pounds because we get SO hungry.

My best advice is to "live like a local" and eat what and where they eat.

McDonald's is everywhere.

In Germany, ech region has its own specialties; without knowing where you'll go, it's hard to tell. Most restaurants have a "dish of the day" (or a selection of them) which usually are local dishes; so you probably won't go wrong trying one of them.

Before going into more (and maybe useless) detail, I'd rather recommend you read the very comprehensive entry on "German cuisine" in the English wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_food

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edit:

Oh, Berlin... -- Well, I lived and worked there for seven years, and as I'm from the south (Bavaria) I found Berlin cuisine rather boring. But don't worry: Berlin has a wide variety of, e.g. Thai and Indian restaurants, and a Turkish Döner Kebab always comes fine. There is such a wide variety of snack stalls ("Imbiss" in German) that you probably won't even like to have "big dinner", but rather try a bit here and another bit there. And, as I already mentioned, there's McD all around Germany, and in Berlin, they also have KFC and Pizza Hut. It's hard to starve there if you have some money; it's more probable you'll gain some weight. In any way, try a Turkish Döner. At a Thai "Imbiss", they usually have pieces of chicken on a stick ("Hühnerspieß") with a delicious peanut sauce ("Erdnusssoße"); try it. At an Indian, try "chicken Madras" (VERY spicy, in coconut sauce), or a vegetarian "dal masala" (a lentil dish with spices, served with bread or rice). At an Arabian or Moroccan, don't miss the Falafel.

These were my favorite dishes in Berlin. As to Bremen: I've never been there; but when you're with a family, I'm sure they'll show you round or cook some nice things for you.

To complete this posting, a short lesson of German:

Schwein = pork

Rind = beef

Huhn or Pute = chicken

Truthahn = turkey (the animal, not the country)

Brathähnchen or Broiler = fried chicken (usually served as half the animal, with French Fries ["Pommes" in German])

Enjoy!

Be adventurous try

rolladen

saurbraten

bierwurst

bratwurst

pigs knuckles and pork hocks

blood pudding and head cheese

saurkraut with smoked ham chunks

bock beer .

If all you are going to do is go there and eat american food you miss half the experience.

In ROME do as the ROMANS do as the old saying goes.

And learn some simple GERMAN phrases unlike the french they wont laugh at you for simple mistakes in pronouncing the words.

Important phrases

where is the nearest hospital police station etc

where is the washroom

where is(name of zoo museum your hotel a good restaurant other sites of interest etc)

Carry a city map so they can mark the location of your destination show it to a cab driver learn to say I would like to go here.

Have fun

Go and try as many of the foods as you can. It is a heavy starchy cuisine. However I miss the food more than the bier.

8 years stationed in Germany with adoptive German family in Hamburg and lived in Bavaria and the Eifel region.

We have all kinds of food in Germany especially in the Cities. I live in Berlin. There are many Restaurants from all Countries and small things (I don´t know the english Word for Imbissbude). They sell Currywurst (Soft-Sausages with Curry), Fries, Meetballs and Schaschlik (Pork with Onions and Paprica) but the most popular food is Döner Kebab (Turkish Kebab with Beef, Salat and Garlicsauce) Hmmm... very delicious!

Of course we have also american food here.

If you really want to get an idea of German food then please don't eat stuff from McDonald's, Burger King and Subway.

There're much better things to eat.

Food over here is slightly different from the USA as we eat more bread and more different sorts of meat.

Actually you can have any food over here and it tastes much better than in the States, especially bread. We have more than 300 different sorts of breads and around 1,500 different sorts of sausages depending where in Germany you are.

You won't starve.

Wow, I really wished people would stop promoting alcohol to people whose age they do not know, and who might well be underage....

seriously, some people.....

Don't worry about the food.

I think you'll find the food not much different than in America. There may be more vegetables than in the US. But very often it's the same pseudo-Italian easy-to-prepare food as everywhere else: Pizza, Pasta, etc.

As others have said before, breakfast is less "complete" in Germany; people often only have coffee, a slice of bread with jam, or a bowl of cornflakes; so, rarely anything cooked for breakfast, like roast potatoes, scrambled eggs, or fired bacon, etc.

Certain local meat specialities can be quite disgusting; but not on a French "yummy frog legs" scale.

******

EDIT:

Sorry, don't know much about Bremen; but people in the north somtimes cook weird stuff made from left-over fish. Enjoy.... :-)

Berlin is no problem at all. The only restaurants you can afford in Germany these days are either Italian or Chinese / Thai / whatchemacallits; of course, you can also chose from a wide variety of McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, or Subway restaurants.

A meal in a take-away style Thai "restaurant" should not cost you more than 7 Euros (main course only, not including drinks). Italian, Indian, and McDonald's etc. may be slightly more expensive.

OT: since you simply HAVE to see some of Berlin's great museums, look at this official Berlin website for a money saving Museumspass: http://www.berlin-tourist-information.de/english/b...

I guess u get the same food everywhere...and Berlin such a versatile city...u find everything and every variety of food..