Kugelhopf pans are essentially the same as fluted tube pans. The tube in the middle allows heat to penetrate cake from the centre in. They are used to make kugelhopf cakes.
German Food
Lebkuchen
Lebkuchen are thick, spiced, soft, cake-like cookies (aka biscuits) made in Germany. There are many different shapes and forms. They are made from flour, honey, ground almonds and spices. Spices can include anise, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and white pepper. Some are spicier, some are sweeter. The leavener used is often Hartshorn or Potash. Traditionally,…
Liebig’s Extract of Meat
Liebig’s Extract of Meat is a historical product. It was a thick, dark, syrupy beef extract paste sold in glass bottles, and later in tins as well. It gained popularity first as a food for the poor, and then also as an ingredient in middle-class kitchens. It was also called “Liebig’s Fleisch Extract” (“Fleisch” meaning…
Limburger Cheese
Limburger cheese has a brown rind and a strong smell, both of which come from the bacteria that grows on the cheese. Inside, the cheese is cream-coloured and mild tasting.
Marzipan
Marzipan © Denzil Green Marzipan is very finely-ground almond paste with more sugar (about twice as much as almond paste) and sometimes egg whites. It is essentially a nut “dough” that is dry enough to roll out and shape by hand. Marzipan is used to cover cakes, and to make moulded edible decorations out of….
May Turnips
May Turnips are white and very small. They can be round, averaging 1 ½ to 3 inches (4 to 8 cm) wide, or long, ¾ inch to 2 inches (2 to 5 cm) in length. They are mild enough to eat raw in salads, or you can cook as a vegetable. They are considered a…
Mett
Mett is a German dish of raw minced pork. Seasonings in the pork can include salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic, ground caraway, etc. If chopped onion is mixed in, it’s called “Zwiebelmett.” It is usually served on a bread roll. This is called a “mettbrotchen.” It may be garnished with chopped fresh onion. It is available…
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest starts in the third week of September. It is a celebration of Bavarian drink and food.
Palmin: A vegetable cooking fat.
Palmin is a vegetable-based cooking fat that can be used similar to lard or shortening. It is the same as the vegetable-based cooking fat called Copha, except there are two varieties of Palmin: one comes in a tub, which is almost spreadable, and the other comes in a block like Copha. The blocks come in…
Peach Schnapps
In the truest German sense, this is a distilled brandy (or “eau de vie”) distilled from Peaches. Most common today, though, is grain or potato-based alcohol with added peach flavouring. Genuine Peach Schnapps will be dry-tasting, not sweet. But then, it would probably be wasted on what seem to be the popular uses for Peach…
Pikanto Ham
Pikanto Ham is made in northern Germany, particularly in Westfalia. It is a lean, boneless ham with a spicy flavour. Some versions are smoked as well. It is dry-cured 6 months (1 month per kg / 2 pounds.) Cooking Tips Not cooked, but you serve as is sliced paper-thin. Nutrition 37% protein, 10% fat, 1%…
Potato Pancakes
There are a zillion ways to make potato pancakes; even a zillion ways to make Latkes alone. No one culture has the monopoly, and don’t let them tell you otherwise. After all, no potato food is really all that traditional to any European culture in the grand scheme of things: potatoes didn’t come to Europe…
Prune Plums
Prune Plums are a variety of plums. They are not as round as other plums are. They are more oval-shaped like an egg, and are slightly pointy at both ends. Their dark, purplish-blue skin is thicker and less shiny than that of other plums. Inside, the flesh is yellowish or greenish-yellow, turning red when cooked….
Quark Cheese
Quark is a soft, unripened white cheese that usually comes in tubs or vacu-packs. The curds are usually homogenized so that it is smooth and looks like sour cream, though some styles leave the curds intact. The cheese has a tang similar to sour cream.
Rohwurst
The word “Rohwurst” is a German term for a category of sausage that is meant to be eaten uncooked. It is safe to eat this way because the meat has been thoroughly cured. Rohwurst sausages can be made of pork or beef, smoked or unsmoked. Seasoning varies by kind of Rohwurst, by recipe, and of…
Rumtopf
Rumtopf (literally “rum pot”) is a large sealable container holding fruits preserved in alcohol. The idea was that you added layers of fruit as they came into season. For that reason, strawberries usually constituted the first layer. They are placed in a large glass jar or earthenware pot, sprinkled with some sugar, and then covered…
Rye Flour
Rye flour is a powder ground from the grain called ‘rye’. How dark a rye flour is depends on how much bran is removed when the rye is being milled — more bran milled into the flour means lower protein, lower fibre, lighter colour and less-strong a taste. Some of the types of flour milled…
Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut is made from shredded cabbage that is fermented and pickled in a brine of salt and cabbage juice. The juice and brine come about through how it is made: layers of cabbage with alternating layers of salt, which is then pressed down, squeezing juices out of the cabbage. Varieties include Bavarian (milder flavour, with…
Sour Cream
Sour cream has a taste that is mildly acidic or sour. It has been used for a long, long time in Eastern European cooking, and features as well in many German and Russian recipes. The popularity has made its way to America via immigration, even though the sour cream is now dolloped on refried beans…
Spätzle
Spätzle are very small Central European egg noodles made from flour, eggs, salt and either water or milk as the liquid. They are boiled, and then served with a sauce or in soups, etc.
Speck
The German definition of Speck just means bacon, or even just lard. It looks like streaky bacon (aka American-style bacon.) In theory, German Speck can be eaten uncooked, but is usually always cooked. Bauchspeck (“belly speck”) or Durchwachsener Speck: from the back, brined and smoked; Frühstücksspeck (“breakfast speck”): the sort for frying up for breakfast….
Stollen
Stollen is a yeast-risen fruit and nut bread made particularly at Christmas in Germany. It comes in various sizes, up to 2 kg (4.4 pounds). In theory, the long, flattened oval shape of the loaf is meant to resemble a baby wrapped up in a blanket. It is often packed in cardboard boxes for easy…
Teewurst
Teewurst is a sausage meant to be used as a meat spread on crackers or bread. It was usually served at tea time, thus its name “Tee” (meaning “tea” in German.) The reddish-brown sausage meat inside the sausage casing is firm but spreadable. The meat is uncooked, but safe to eat as is. It is…
Teltow Turnips
Teltows are turnips that were originally developed in the town of Teltow in the Berlin-Brandenburg area of Germany. They are no longer actually grown in Teltow but in the neighbouring town of Kleinstmengen. Many other varieties of turnip are now being sold as teltow, even though they aren’t really.Unlike most other turnips, Teltows are not…