Local Dishes

1. Wiener Schnitzel

   Wiener Schnitzel (breaded veal cutlet)

   Usage

   The name determines the meat: under the German Lebensmittelbuch and Austrian rules, "Wiener Schnitzel" must be veal, while pork versions must be labelled "Schnitzel Wiener Art" or "Wiener Schnitzel vom Schwein". A cheap one is almost certainly pork

   Grammar Note

   Neuter noun (das Schnitzel); the plural is unchanged (die Schnitzel). "Wiener" is a city-derived adjective: always capitalised and never inflected

2. Currywurst

   Sausage with curry ketchup

   Usage

   Herta Heuwer claimed to have invented it in Berlin in 1949, though a rival account places a similar dish in Duisburg in 1936. Berlin uses a fine sausage often without casing; the Ruhr area uses a cased Bratwurst. Add "mit Pommes" for fries

   Grammar Note

   Feminine noun (die Currywurst), plural die Currywürste. A compound of "Curry" + "Wurst" (sausage)

3. Bratwurst

   Fried or grilled sausage

   Usage

   The general word, understood everywhere. At stalls the standard is "Rostbratwurst mit Brötchen und Senf" — sausage in a small roll with mustard. The famous regional versions are Nuremberg (small) and Thuringia (at least 15 cm)

   Grammar Note

   Feminine noun (die Bratwurst), plural die Bratwürste. A compound of "braten" (to fry/roast) + "Wurst"

4. Nürnberger Rostbratwürste

   Nuremberg grilled sausages (small)

   Usage

   A speciality of Nuremberg in Bavaria, protected as an EU geographical indication (g.g.A.): only sausages made inside the city to the set recipe may use the name. Each is 7-9 cm and 20-25 g, so they are ordered by the six or the dozen. The street version "Drei im Weggla" is three in a roll ("Weggla" is the Franconian word for a bread roll)

   Grammar Note

   The word is plural (die Würste); the singular is die Nürnberger Rostbratwurst. They are so small that nobody orders just one

5. Thüringer Rostbratwurst

   Thuringian grilled sausage

   Usage

   A speciality of Thuringia, registered as an EU protected geographical indication (g.g.A.) on 6 January 2004; only sausages made in the state may carry the name. Each must be at least 15 cm long, and the seasoning — marjoram, caraway, garlic — is what sets it apart from the Nuremberg version

   Grammar Note

   Feminine noun (die Rostbratwurst), plural die Thüringer Rostbratwürste. "Rost" (grill grate) + "braten" + "Wurst"

6. Weißwurst

   White veal sausage

   Usage

   A speciality of Bavaria, above all Munich; the imaginary line north of which it is unknown is jokingly called the "Weißwurstäquator". Do not eat the casing — either suck the filling out ("zuzeln") or cut the skin away. It is served with sweet mustard, a pretzel and wheat beer, and the rule about eating it before noon dates from the days before refrigeration

   Grammar Note

   Feminine noun (die Weißwurst), plural die Weißwürste, from "weiß" (white) + "Wurst". Note that Switzerland does not use ß and writes "Weisswurst"

7. Leberkäse

   Baked meat loaf

   Usage

   Despite the name, the Bavarian and Austrian versions contain no liver. German food standards require a product simply called "Leberkäse" outside Bavaria to contain liver; without liver it must be sold as "Bayerischer Leberkäse" or "Fleischkäse". Baden-Württemberg and Switzerland say Fleischkäse, Saarland Fleischkäsweck, Franconia Leberkäsweck. A thick slice in a roll — "Leberkässemmel" — is the classic snack

   Grammar Note

   Masculine noun (der Leberkäse). "Leber" (liver) + "Käse" (cheese) — but "Käse" here refers only to the rectangular loaf shape; there is no cheese in it

8. Schweinshaxe

   Roasted pork knuckle

   Usage

   The southern German (especially Bavarian), Austrian and Czech form: not cured, but roasted or grilled so the skin turns crisp. Regional names: Haxe / Hachse (southern Germany), Schweinshaxn (Bavaria), Stelze (Austria), Wädli (Switzerland). A portion is very large — worth sharing

   Grammar Note

   Feminine noun (die Schweinshaxe), plural die Schweinshaxen: "Schwein" (pig) + linking -s- + "Haxe" (shank)

9. Eisbein

   Boiled cured pork knuckle

   Usage

   The same cut as Schweinshaxe but the opposite method: in northern Germany (Berlin above all) and Poland it is cured and boiled, so the skin stays soft — that version is Eisbein, while the roasted or grilled one is Haxe. Berlin serves it with sauerkraut and pea purée

   Grammar Note

   Neuter noun (das Eisbein), plural die Eisbeine. It looks like "Eis" (ice) + "Bein" (leg), but its etymology is disputed and it has nothing to do with ice in the dish

10. Sauerbraten

    Vinegar-marinated pot roast

    Usage

    Marinated for several days in vinegar, water or wine, onion and spices, then braised. The Rhineland version is sweetened with raisins and beet syrup ("Rübenkraut") and was traditionally made with horse meat; Baden leaves out the raisins and stays sourer; Franconia thickens the sauce with spiced gingerbread. It is served with dumplings and red cabbage

    Grammar Note

    Masculine noun (der Sauerbraten); the plural is unchanged. "sauer" (sour) + "Braten" (roast)

11. Königsberger Klopse

    Meatballs in white caper sauce

    Usage

    Named after Königsberg (now Kaliningrad) in former East Prussia, and served across Germany today. The meatballs contain chopped anchovy, are poached, and come in a pale sauce sharpened with capers and lemon, with boiled or mashed potatoes and, in some regions, beetroot. In Königsberg itself the dish was called "Saure Klopse", not by this name

    Grammar Note

    The word is plural (die Klopse); the singular is der Klops — a word for a meatball used in eastern and northern Germany. Its etymology is disputed

12. Frikadelle

    Flat pan-fried meat patty

    Usage

    The clearest case of one dish with entirely different regional names: Frikadelle in the north and North Rhine-Westphalia (the standard form, in use since the 17th century), Bulette in Berlin and the north-east, Fleischpflanzerl in Bavaria, Fleischküchle in Baden-Württemberg and Swabia, Klops in the east. Sold at bakeries, supermarket counters and street stalls

    Grammar Note

    Feminine noun (die Frikadelle), plural die Frikadellen. The regional variants do not share its gender: die Bulette, das Fleischpflanzerl, der Klops

13. Maultaschen

    Swabian filled pasta pockets

    Usage

    From Swabia (Baden-Württemberg and Bavarian Swabia). "Schwäbische Maultaschen" has been an EU protected geographical indication (g.g.A.) since 2009, requiring at least one production step to happen there. Three ways of serving: floating in broth, "geschmälzt" with browned butter and onions alongside potato salad, or "geröstet" — sliced and pan-fried with egg. Vegetarian versions with spinach and cheese exist

    Grammar Note

    The word is plural (die Maultaschen); the singular is die Maultasche. The word originally meant "a slap" in the 16th century, likening the shape to a swollen cheek rather than to a pocket

14. Spätzle

    Swabian egg noodles

    Usage

    The staple side dish of Swabia, served with almost every meat dish. "Schwäbische Spätzle" and "Schwäbische Knöpfle" have been EU protected geographical indications (g.g.A.) since March 2012, covering Baden-Württemberg and Bavarian Swabia. Regional names: Spätzli or Chnöpfli in Switzerland and the Markgräflerland, Spätzlich in Hohenlohe, Nockerln in Austria

    Grammar Note

    "Spätzle" is a plural-only word: standard German has no singular. The name is the Swabian diminutive of "Spatz" (sparrow)

15. Käsespätzle

    Spätzle layered with cheese and fried onions

    Usage

    The best-known Spätzle dish: layered with cheese such as Emmentaler or Bergkäse, topped with fried onions and served with salad. Common across the Alpine parts of southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and one of the few traditional dishes that happens to be meat-free

    Grammar Note

    Treated as plural, like Spätzle. A compound of "Käse" (cheese) + "Spätzle"; in German the last element of a compound fixes its gender and number

16. Thüringer Klöße

    Thuringian potato dumplings

    Usage

    A Thuringian speciality made from two thirds raw grated potato and one third cooked, also called "Grüne Klöße" ("green dumplings", meaning made from raw potato), usually with fried bread cubes inside, and served with a roast and red cabbage. Even inside Thuringia the name varies: Kleese around Jena and Gera, Hütes in the west, Knölla around Lauscha

    Grammar Note

    The word is plural (die Klöße); the singular is der Kloß. Northern Germany and Thuringia say Kloß, while Bavaria and Austria say Knödel (der Knödel, plural unchanged)

17. Kartoffelpuffer

    Fried potato pancakes

    Usage

    Grated raw potato and onion bound with egg and flour, fried in hot fat. The name changes by region: Reibekuchen in the Rhineland, Rievkooche or Kröbbelche around Cologne and the Eifel, Reiberdatschi in Bavaria south of the Danube, Grumbeerkichelcher in the Saarland. Served with apple sauce, with sugar and cinnamon, or with sauerkraut

    Grammar Note

    Masculine noun (der Kartoffelpuffer); the plural is unchanged. "Kartoffel" (potato) + "Puffer", from the sound or the puffing up during frying

18. Kartoffelsalat

    Potato salad

    Usage

    The same name covers two different dishes: northern Germany dresses it with mayonnaise, while Swabia and Bavaria use meat broth, vinegar, oil and mustard and no mayonnaise at all — worth asking if you avoid dairy. Sausages with potato salad is the most common German Christmas Eve meal

    Grammar Note

    Masculine noun (der Kartoffelsalat), plural die Kartoffelsalate: "Kartoffel" (potato) + "Salat" (salad)

19. Labskaus

    Mash of cured beef, potato and beetroot

    Usage

    A dish of the northern German ports (Hamburg, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein): cured beef, potato and beetroot mashed together, served with a fried egg, pickled herring (Rollmops or Matjes) and gherkins. It arrives as a pink mash, which can be startling if you have not seen it before. It is said to date from the age of sail, made soft for scurvy-ridden sailors' teeth

    Grammar Note

    Neuter noun (das Labskaus). The etymology is unsettled — English "lobscouse" is one proposal — but it is generally linked to Liverpool "scouse"

20. Grünkohl mit Pinkel

    Stewed kale with Pinkel sausage

    Usage

    A winter dish of north-western Germany (Oldenburg, Bremen, East Frisia). "Pinkel" is a smoked groat sausage. Groups walk out to a country inn to eat it on a "Kohlfahrt", and towns such as Oldenburg and Osnabrück crown an annual "Kohlkönig" (kale king). In parts of the north the kale itself is called Braunkohl rather than Grünkohl

    Grammar Note

    der Grünkohl (masculine) + the preposition "mit" (with, taking the dative) + die Pinkel. "Grünkohl" is "grün" (green) + "Kohl" (cabbage)

21. Rösti

    Swiss fried grated potato cake

    Usage

    A dish of German-speaking Switzerland: grated potato fried flat in butter, crisp outside and soft inside. Bern uses pre-cooked potato with bacon and onion, Zurich raw potato. It is not the same as German Kartoffelpuffer, which contains flour and egg — Rösti contains neither. The cultural divide between German- and French-speaking Switzerland is nicknamed the "Röstigraben"

    Grammar Note

    Feminine in Switzerland (die Rösti); German usage also has das Rösti. It comes from the Swiss German verb "to roast". Note that Swiss spelling never uses ß

22. Flammkuchen

    Thin-crust tarte flambée

    Usage

    From Alsace, and common in Lorraine, the Saarland, the Palatinate and Baden. Very thinly rolled bread dough topped with crème fraîche or Schmand, raw onion and bacon, baked briefly at high heat. French "tarte flambée", Alsatian "Flammekueche". Regional names: Hitzkuchen in Württemberg, Blootz in Franconia, Dinnete in Upper Swabia. Sweet versions with apple or pear and cinnamon also exist

    Grammar Note

    Masculine noun (der Flammkuchen); the plural is unchanged. "Flamme" (flame) + "Kuchen" (cake/flatbread), from baking it before the wood fire had died down

23. Obatzda

    Bavarian soft-cheese spread

    Usage

    A beer-garden staple in Bavaria: ripe Camembert or Brie mashed with butter, seasoned with paprika and salt, sometimes with onion, caraway or beer, and served with bread, a pretzel and radishes. The EU protected geographical indication (g.g.A.), registered in July 2015, covers the spellings "Obazda" and "Obatzter" and requires processing in Bavaria; menus write Obatzda, Obazda or Obatzter interchangeably

    Grammar Note

    Masculine (der Obatzda / der Obatzter). The name is Bavarian dialect for something mashed together, from "anpatzen" (to knead)

24. Handkäse mit Musik

    Hessian sour-milk cheese with onion marinade

    Usage

    A speciality of Hesse (the Rhine-Main area around Frankfurt), Rhenish Hesse and the Palatinate. "Mit Musik" ("with music") means a marinade of onion, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper — no music is involved; the name is said to refer either to the effect of the onions or to the clink of the vinegar and oil bottles. Hesse drinks Apfelwein with it, Rhenish Hesse and the Palatinate dry white wine

    Grammar Note

    Masculine noun (der Handkäse), "Hand" + "Käse" — it was once shaped by hand. "mit" is a preposition taking the dative

25. Brezel

    Pretzel

    Usage

    Regional names: Breze or Brezn in Bavaria and Austria, Bretzel in Switzerland and Alsace, Bretschl in southern Baden. "Bayerische Breze" (and Bayerische Brezn / Brez'n / Bayerische Brezel) has been an EU protected geographical indication (g.g.A.) since 13 March 2014, restricted to Bavaria. The Swabian type has a thick belly, thin arms and 3-10% butter; the Bavarian type is of even thickness with at most 3% butter, which makes it crisper

    Grammar Note

    Mainly feminine (die Brezel), though a masculine form is also used. The standard plural is die Brezeln; Bavarian dialect says Brezn

26. Brötchen

    Bread roll

    Usage

    One of the most regionally divided words in German: Brötchen (Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, parts of Hesse), Semmel (Bavaria, Saxony, Thuringia), Schrippe (Berlin, Brandenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Weck / Weckle / Wecka (Baden-Württemberg, Switzerland, Austria, Hesse, the Palatinate, Franconia, Saarland), Rundstück (Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, north-west Lower Saxony). If one word draws a blank, try another

    Grammar Note

    Neuter noun (das Brötchen); the plural is unchanged. It is "Brot" (bread) + the diminutive -chen, and every -chen word is neuter. The regional variants differ: die Semmel, die Schrippe, das Rundstück

27. Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

    Black Forest cherry gateau

    Usage

    It contains alcohol: the German food standards for fine bakery goods require a cake sold under this name to contain enough Kirschwasser (cherry brandy) for the taste to be clearly perceptible. If you are driving or avoid alcohol, ask "Ist Alkohol drin?". It is built from chocolate sponge, cherries, whipped cream and chocolate shavings

    Grammar Note

    Feminine noun (die Torte), plural die Torten. "Schwarzwälder" is an uninflected adjective meaning "of the Black Forest"; "Kirschtorte" is "Kirsche" (cherry) + "Torte" (layered cake)

28. Dresdner Christstollen

    Dresden Christmas stollen

    Usage

    A winter cake from Dresden in Saxony. "Dresdner Stollen", "Dresdner Christstollen" and "Dresdner Weihnachtsstollen" have been EU protected geographical indications (g.g.A.) since 2010, limited to around 120 bakeries in the Dresden area. The minimum recipe is, per 100 parts flour, 50 butter, 65 raisins, 20 candied peel and 15 almonds, with margarine and artificial preservatives forbidden. Sold in the run-up to Christmas at the Striezelmarkt

    Grammar Note

    Masculine noun (der Stollen); the plural is unchanged. "Christ" + "Stollen", the latter being a long loaf-shaped cake

29. Döner Kebab

    Döner kebab

    Usage

    Brought by Turkish immigrants and now one of the most common snacks in Germany: over 16,000 outlets by 2011 and around €7 billion in sales by 2023. The takeaway form in flatbread is widely credited to Berlin in the early 1970s and to Kadir Nurman, but when and where the first stand opened is not settled. In practice you simply order "einen Döner"

    Grammar Note

    Masculine (der Döner Kebab), usually shortened to "der Döner". Borrowed from Turkish "döner kebap", literally "rotating roast meat"

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