Sarah A. Hahn Geography101 I010 Win 12 American Public University Professor Ivan Welch

Germany is full of culinary delights and known for their beer, festivities, food specialties and entertainment. Being that my mother is German and I have lived there for 15 years; I know all about just how much Germany has to offer and how wonderful the food is. I know many dishes do not look too appetizing but you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. If you are reluctant to try many German dishes due to the fact of it’s appeal, you will miss out on some of the best cuisine. German cuisine has been labeled as very fatty but bordering close to Italy and France has worked in it’s favor because they were able to adopt many of their spices and cooking methods over the last 200 years but reform it into their own way.

There are 3 major regions in Germany:  The North German Plain  The Central Uplands  The Alpine Foreland

The North German plain is made up of the major geographical regions. It shares borders with the coasts of the North sea and Baltic sea. In this region lies some of the major rivers to include the Rhine, Ems, and Elbe river.  The Rhine river The Central uplands stretch all the way from France to Poland and to Czech. Within this region are many forests and valleys such as the Taunus forest, Black and Bavarian forest.  The Black Forest

Last but not least is the Alpine Foreland region. This region is right in between Bavaria Swabia and Baden- Württemberg on the west side and the Salzach river on the east. The great city of Munich lies right in the heart of it all. The Alpine Foreland is made up of plateaus and rolling foothills with major rivers such as the Isar, Inn, and Lech river.

German cuisine varies from region to region based on the geography. The type of cuisine served in the mountainous areas will not be the same as the cuisine served in the regions in close proximity of water. Pickled Herring. Yummy!

Although food varies per region many dishes are still eaten nationwide. The North and Baltic Seas provide more fish for the northern region such as pickled herring, ( which I love) trout, salmon, and fresh sardines. Beef, goose, and lamb are also eaten in the north while things such as pretzels, noodles, potatoes and dumplings are more common in the south. Pork is the most common meat ate all throughout Germany but in the form of sausages. There are so many different types of sausages but called wurst in Germany; such as Rohwurst, Teewurst, Bratwurst, and Mettwurst. Every single one of these I am accustomed to and love.

Did you know that German Americans are one of America’s most significant ethnic groups? Germans have influenced America’s cuisine in numerous ways. Germans brought their food to the states to help transition easily and make good relations with Americans. German immigrants living in New York in the early 1900’s

Germans have brought so many different types of food to America that it is impossible to list. Some of the food the German immigrants brought included beets, cabbage, ham, herring, sour cream, sausage, rye bread and potatoes. German cooking has been around for so long that many do not even notice how much it is incorporated into American culture such as the jelly doughnut, pretzels and even frankfurters. Jelly doughnuts by the way are called “Berliners” where I am from.

Spargel & Potatoes Knödel Milchreis mit Cinamon Here are a few of my favorite dishes. It is so hard to chose just a few when there are so many, But I use to love when my mother would prepare these dishes and every time I go back to Germany she already knows exactly what to make me.

Germany is definitely know for its over the top deliciously fine deserts and bakeries! Pastries and deserts are enjoyed morning and afternoon, often with coffee.

~2 of my siblings~ I am proud to say that Germans really do embrace their heritage and they show it in numerous ways. Cultural landscape is not only defined as buildings, gardens and roads but also by modes of dress, smells of food and even sounds of music. I have one thing that comes to mind when I hear this and that is the tradition we celebrate called “FASCHING!” My family and I celebrate it every year.

Fasching goes as far back to the Romans. It celebrates the end of winter and coming of spring and is months long. locals celebrate Fasching by dressing up in costumes, attending masquerade balls and sit- down affairs where speakers comment on politics and other matters in comic rhymes, and celebrating at parades in cities throughout Germany. During the parades beer and wine is handed out by the float, along with large pretzels and baked goods. German music is played loudly throughout the streets and the streets are filled with the smell of German food, happy people dancing and giving strangers hugs and kisses. I love it! The expression used during Fasching is “Hellauuu”.

Germany is also known for its beautiful castles all around the country. So much history exists in all of them and even in grade school our field trips consisted of visiting multiple cultural landscapes to include many castles, the oldest cities like Röthenburg and beautiful gardens. Schwetzingen CastleLinderhof Castle

Distance decay is a decrease in similarity the farther things are apart. This is seen with many different ethnic cuisines especially if brought over to another land. Today German-Americans still eat traditional German dishes which, over time, were adapted to accommodate local ingredients.

I have been to many places that have sold German food and once I have tried it, it is nothing like the authentic German food. For example sauerkraut tastes differently and even the bratwursts made in America are just not like the ones in Germany. Bread is a major part in German food and the so –called German pastries as well as rolls are not even relatively close coming from a native German. If you want some real, authentic German cuisine the best place is to visit the beautiful country itself…Germany!

america-a References De Blij, H.J, & Muller, P.O. (2010). Regions: Geography Realms, Regions, and Concepts, 14E, 22. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley and Sons