By Mia Hanuska
Welcome back travelers, to The Traveling Cart! I’m Mia Hanuska, and I’ll be your guide on this world tour. Each issue, the cart travels to a new country and explores its history and culture through a customized 3-course meal of traditional dishes cooked by yours truly.
While I typically try to highlight countries you may not have heard of before, in this special edition, I’m bringing you delectable dishes from Europe’s best chef—my grandmother, Mimi—as the cart ventures to the beautiful rural cities of Germany.
About Germany
Pronunciation: jur-muh-nee
National Language: German
Population: 83.5 million
Capital: Berlin
Flag: 🇩🇪
A Very Condensed History of Germany
In ancient times, the area now known as modern-day Germany was occupied by the Germanic and Celtic peoples. The Germanic people stretched from Scandinavia to Slovakia, living simple lives with farms, basic houses, and leather goods. Split generally into separate tribes, the culture was hierarchical, with elite classes of chiefs and warriors.
After fights, then peace, then cooperation, then more fights, many Germanic tribes became controlled by the growing Roman Empire around 150 C.E. The remaining tribes found benefits in numbers, and allied together for survival. By the 4th century, two strong Germanic confederations were established: the Alemanni (near the Rhine river) and the Goths (near the Danube river). The Roman Empire managed to influence a large part of the German culture and speed of innovation, introducing the potter’s wheel and Bible, among more, to the people. Then, soon after the Asian Hun Empire collapsed, the Germanic people declared themselves independent from the Roman Empire despite large-scale migrations that had occurred through their time under the empire. The Germanic people settled in and began a period of great influence on non-Germanic societies, often battling the increasingly shrinking Roman Empire and Hun armies. In a conquest by the Huns, Germans were driven out of the east region of modern-day Germany, explaining the profuse amount of Slavic persons in eastern Germany.
The area continued in heavily disputed fractions, with various monarchs presiding over the kingdoms established in Western Europe, the most prominent of which being the Frankish Kingdom. Largely thanks to Charlemagne’s brutal expeditions forcing conversions, the area was dominated by Holy Roman Christianity, doing whatever it took to reign over the land. One major pushback in the decentralized Saxon society led to over 4,500 executions and the creation of the death penalty for the “destruction of churches, refusal of baptism, and violating Lenten fast,” all orchestrated by Charlemagne.
Charlemagne settled in modern-day Germany, and while restructuring his empire, gave his son Louis II, or Louis the German, the Bavarian government. In a rough expansion effort by Louis the German, involving a three year war against his brothers following Charlemagne’s death and attacks from the Vikings, Louis eventually expanded to Alsace and Lorraine in 870—the eastern part later becoming Germany; the west, France.
Loosely held together through the 10th century, the arrival of the Ottoman Empire took over control of rule in Germany for a good thirty years before falling apart yet again. A very long list of dynasties ensued, often rising and falling for the same reason: religion. Eventually, after a whole lot of wars, the 1624’s Peace of Westphalia ensured the end to attempts of centralizing power and tried to fragment the Holy Roman Empire once and for all.
However, by the 18th and 19th centuries, Germany’s technology and advancement levels were far behind the others in its region. The Holy Roman Empire, while not entirely united or as strong as it may have been earlier, still reigned supreme until a new map of political divisions had to be drawn after the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleon formed the Confederation of the Rhine, an alliance between member states and the French Empire. Finally, after the Franco-Prussian war, Germany officially became a country in 1871. The country later became the main perpetrator in both World Wars, splitting into two countries, East and West Germany, during the second. Modern-day Germany reunified in 1989 following the fall of the Berlin wall.
This Stop’s Menu
Main: Sauerbraten mit Spätzle
Side: Rotkohl mit Äpfel
Sweet treat: Rote Grütze
Main: Sauerbraten mit Spätzle
Germany’s national dish, Sauerbraten, translating to “sour roast,” originates from the Roman empire, when meat preservation strategies required vinegar and spices. The dish varies region-to-region, and while traditionally prepared with horse meat, is now typically made with beef. Many believe the dish was created by Charlemagne, or Karl the Great, while experimenting with uses for leftover cuts. Now, the dish is a classic celebratory food, served alongside Spätzle.
Spätzle, translating to “little sparrow,” named for the small shape of the noodles, originates from the Swabia region of Germany, and consists of ingredients a farmer would have easy access to: flour, eggs, and water. The simple egg noodles grew in popularity due to the abundance of protein-rich spelt and simple cooking techniques providing a deliciously filling meal. It’s often served in soups, with melted cheese atop (known as Käsespätzle), and, obviously, with Sauerbraten.
Thanks to my incredible grandmother, the Sauerbraten’s arduous process had already begun by the time I arrived. Requiring five days of marination prior to the actual cooking, the beef turns out so tender it just falls apart—no knife needed. The actual cooking of the Sauerbraten was relatively simple, except for the cutting of the onions, which Mimi had to take over after my eyes started watering two slices in. After dousing the beef in red wine, red wine vinegar, and spices, then turning the slow cooker to high, we waited five hours, checking occasionally. Then, after whipping up a quick gravy with the extra cooking liquid, the dish was ready for serving. And holy moly—this was absolutely incredible. The gravy had the most delicious sweet-sour flavor, and the beef was unbelievably tender. I had never tried Sauerbraten before, and despite the hours it took, I can definitely assert that this recipe will go down in history as one of the most delicious things I’ve ever cooked.
To complete the main, we made a large bowl of gluten-free Spätzle. The recipe we followed, this one from The Gluten Free Austrian, claimed it only made two servings, but after doubling it for all four of us we ended up with far too much Spätzle (although is there really such a thing?). The texture is surprisingly squishy—not very traditionally noodle-y—and the overall shape makes it quite pleasant. It’s made by pressing the batter/dough through a Spätzle press over a pot of boiling water. To those who want to try but don’t have a Spätzle press, Mimi advises, “instead of a Spätzle press, you can also use a potato ricer!” These went perfectly with the Sauerbraten gravy, and were still delicious heated up for lunch the next day. I cannot recommend Spätzle enough, and can assure my parents I will be making more (and mainly because I want to try Käsespätzle).
Side: Rotkohl mit Äpfel
Similar to Sauerbraten, Rotkohl mit Äpfel, translating to red cabbage with apple, likely dates back to the Roman Empire’s food preservation tactics. While red cabbage was originally fermented into Sauerkraut, chefs’ experiments with new flavors resulted in Rotkohl. With countless regional variations, and some even renaming the dish to Blaukohl after the color of the cabbage after adding an acid, the dish has now become a classic side to heavy roasts and sausages.
I thought the Sauerbraten was a long process, but I think this Rotkohl takes the medal for most tedious dish I’ve made. Combining three different recipes, two in English and the other in German, only Mimi knew which step was next. Slicing the cabbage and apples thin, then boiling the cabbage in red wine and a splash of red wine vinegar until soft made the vegetable such an interesting texture and taste. Leaning sour but complemented with warm, spiced aromas, the taste is difficult to describe. While it may seem odd to include apples in the dish, by the end, the apples blended completely into the cabbage, turning a gorgeous red and becoming indistinguishable from the cabbage. The texture was super soft and complemented the rest of the meal perfectly, and I wholeheartedly encourage everyone to make—or at least try—this at least once in their life.
Sweet Treat: Rote Grütze
Rote Grütze, or “red grits,” is traditionally made with red currants, which are a staple in German cuisine. Red currants are native to Germany, and many Germans have wild currant plants in their backyard to enjoy the fruit fresh off the bush in the fall. Its name in German, Johanisbeeren, was coined on the belief they begin to ripen on St. John’s Day, or midsummer day. Other variations of the dessert with alternative fruit options are now widespread, but the nostalgia and cultural importance remains.
To finish the meal, Mimi flipped through her recipe books, finding her multiple recipes for Rote Grütze. With five recipes, three of which were handwritten on various papers shoved in the cookbook, only one contained red wine—so of course, that was the one we had to make. Mimi’s tip for easy hosting is to make this dessert with frozen fruit—she heavily suggests blends with high amounts of cherries, since currants are really hard to source in the U.S.—and in advance for it keeps well in the fridge. It only took a few minutes of simmering the frozen fruit in red wine and sugar until the texture became thick and gelatinous; we then set it outside on the patio to cool off. While it’s typically served with a custard of sorts, we used Mimi’s secret weapon: melted ice cream. Just a couple scoops of the melted Eis on top of a bowl of Rote Grütze finished the dish off perfectly and added a bit of extra creaminess we all enjoyed. This dessert is super tasty and simple to make, with chunks of fruit in a deliciously sweet fruit sauce, and I wholeheartedly urge everyone to make it the next time they have fruit they don’t want going bad!
Thank you for joining The Traveling Cart as we dove into the history of Germany through making three delicious dishes! Special thanks to my incredible grandparents (hi Mimi and Opa!) for hosting me and helping me cook—and eat—these traditional dishes from recipes passed down throughout our family. This was by far my most delicious stop yet, and I look forward to making these dishes again at home, if I can find a day to spare. If you’re interested in learning more about Germany, I’ve scribed a few sources on the back of this parchment you can check out. Ah, the horses are ready for our next adventure—see you at the next destination!
Sources:
https://bespecialtours.com/blogs/sauerbraten-recipe-history-germanys-famous-pot-roast
https://www.kitchenproject.com/german/recipes/Sauerbraten/Sauerbraten-History.htm