German Culture

All about Germany

Obsttorte – German Fruit Flan

This is summer time - time of ripe cherries, peaches, apples, strawberries, plums and pears. Let's make the best of it! Summer is not very rich in holidays, but you can make yourself one with Obsttorte - German fruit cake. Here is how to cook it. Ingredients: Pastry: 6 tbsp all-purpose flour 6 tbsp sugar 1 tsp baking powder 3 … [Read more...]

February 19 in German History

February 19, 1199 A bull of Pope Innocent III assigns the uniform of the white tunic with a black cross to the Teutonic Knights. The uniform was worn by them during the crusades, in their later Crusades against pagans in Eastern Europe, through their governance of Prussia and continues to be their emblem in present time. February 19, … [Read more...]

The Not-So-German Chocolate Cake (Traditional Recipe)

Where does German Chocolate Cake come from? Is Germany its motherland? Or ...? There are many questions like these, and as many guesses. However, the truth is that German Chocolate Cake is an American creation. German cooking is famous for its complexity and extravagance in choosing the ingredients. Therefore such a rich dish as German Chocolate … [Read more...]

Mahlzeit!- German Food

Thinking of German food and cuisine as of a mix of Bier+Wurst+Kraut+Knoedel would be an unforgivable simplification of this very fine cultural tradition. What would you say to Forellenmousse, Preiselbeertorte, Bayerischer Wurstsalat, or even Tiramisu! Germans appreciate healthy, well-prepared foods served with care. Everyone who loves to have a … [Read more...]

Black Forest Cake – Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

Enjoy this gorgeous cherry-chocolate cake This great-looking Black Forest Cake is originally called Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte. As for me, the name itself is as juicy and delicious as the cake itself! It's not at all difficult to bake, so carefully study the recipe below, put on your sexy apron, and get started! Black Forest Cake … [Read more...]

German Food

What comes to mind when you think about German cuisine? Right, Sauerkraut and Bratwurst, Black Forest Cherry cake and beer, lots and lots of German beer. However that would be a huge generalization and simplification, because nowadays things have changed towards lighter cooking, reviving of the regional cuisines in Germany. German appreciation of … [Read more...]

How to Taste German Beer

Practical advice on how to get to the bottom of a beer stein without losing a bit of the rich taste of German beer. Difficulty Level: Average Time Required: 20 min Here's How: Choose your favorite kind of beer, or the kind mostly advised by your friend. Open the bottle. While pouring the beer into the glass, listen to the mild sound of … [Read more...]

German Beer – the Absolutely German Drink

According to a representative survey, beer is a German's favorite drink. 79% of German adults drink beer regularly. 67% of German women and 91% of German men drink beer at least once a month. Germany has over 1,200 breweries, which produce the largest variety of beer styles in the world. The Germans are known to the whole world as a true … [Read more...]

Bombings and air-raids during WWII

By Dorothea von Schwanenfluegel Lawson I would like to share with you one more episode of my life. Let's fast-forward to Berlin. The year is 1944. Bombings had become the order of the day & so had air raids. In April, our suburb was under attack & bombs were detonating everywhere with earsplitting blasts as if all the houses were going to … [Read more...]

“Aryanization” of Germany in 1933 and mass book burning

By Dorothea von Schwanenfluegel Lawson Here are some behind-the-scene personal experiences from the 1930's that might be of interest. In 1933, our Nazi government appealed to us for a nationwide "non-Aryan" boycott. I experienced the proposed boycott the hard way. One day I went to the local haberdashery I had been frequenting for years, a … [Read more...]