October 15th, 2003 | The lowdown by Jara Gatti

Das Essen in Germany

When you're in Germany, you might get tired of endless foot-long Wurst sausages in tiny Brötchen buns or piles of Kartoffeln (potatoes) with Schwein- (pork) or Rindfleisch (beef) and Kohl (cabbage). Or if, like me, you're a vegetarian, you probably won't find anything exciting at a Jagrhaus (hunting lodge) or Gasthaus (semi-fancy restaurant that usually serves traditional German meals). If you don't have the money for a Ratskeller (very fancy and expensive subterranean dining room found beneath most Rathäuser, or town halls) and you want something more than cafe or Bäckerei (bakery) fare, then I recommend the Imbiss.

You can find an Imbiss everywhere from the smallest village to the cultural center of Berlin, especially in the Innenstadt (downtown) areas. They're often middle Eastern, but can also be Asian or German or anything else that can be prepared quickly and cheaply. The most popular item among every non-veg I know, natives and ex-pats alike, would have to be the Döner. Döner are pita-pocket type sandwiches filled with meat (Hähnchen is chicken, Kalb is calf, and Dönerteller just means you get a Döner with a side dish) carved from giant spit, lettuce, yogurt sauce, and maybe a couple other vegetables or spices. The secret of the Döner is apparently in the preparation of the meat, and a lot of my friends say they'll miss Döners more than anything else in Germany. (One claims he will simply die, alone and Döner-less, when he returns to LA.)

If you're a vegetarian, there are always Falafel sandwiches, which are like Döner only with little unidentified but yummy spice and vegetable patties. Börek are kind of like cheese or spinach (Käse or Spinat) stuffed pastries that are served warm or hot. And there's always the old Vegetarische Tasche (veggie sandwich), which is a pita stuffed with vegetables and usually feta cheese. These are the typical menu choices at middle Eastern Imbiss stands or Kiosk stores, and they often have pizza as well. Pizza in Germany is as delicious as at home but in a non-American way. It's thinner and with less cheese, but the sauce and toppings are so good that you won't miss the extra dough and grease. Of course, Mexican food is often dissapointing to someone who lives near the border and is used to the real stuff (and the lack of decent avocados doesn't help), but on the whole, das Essen (food) in Germany is one of the things that makes this country so nice to be in.

Buying food at the grocery store is really cheap and since they have stricter standards for production than we do, as well as organic food (clearly marked as Bio) that is hardly more expensive than anything else, Lebensmittel (food stuff) tastes better here, and you may want to shop and cook yourself if you're able.

Besides avocadoes, another thing you might is peanut butter: Europeans think that Jif is the most disgusting thing in the world, and it's hard to find. Their substitute, Gnutella, is a horrible chocolate-hazlenut paste that Germans seem to smear on everything (beware if you don't like hazlenuts).

Germany is also known for its baked goods, especially bread, and a typical German breakfast consists of rolls or 'toast' (what they call sliced bread) with butter and jelly or cheese and meat.

If you look hard enough, you can find pretty much every kind of ethnic and traditional meal you want in Germany, so don't be fooled by the old sauerkraut and mustard myths!