I would have never considered the German food to be a cuisine that I would be very excited about, but I was pleasantly surprised by the huge portions, the tasty food and how everything just goes so well with the German beer. In this post I list down – The must eat food in Germany.
I will also mention show some non-german food delicacies that I enjoyed during my week long stay as a part of my 2019 Euro Trip. I’ll also mention the cost along with the restaurants where I had the best of it.
Must eat food in Germany – Meat Dishes
Schnitzel (Breaded Cutlet)
Well its actually Austrian, but taste wise I somehow preferred the German version. It’s No. 1 thing on the list of must eat food in Germany. Its simply a thin fillet of meat coated with breadcrumbs and other stuff and deep friend in hot oil. What’s not to like, right?
You can have it as Pork Schnitzel, Chicken Schnitzel, Turkey Schnitzel and so on. But the most famous and authentic is the Wiener Schnitzel which is made up of Veal. Since, I don’t eat beef I did not try that particular variety but I tried everything else.
Also, the portions are huge. So it ends up as a very fulfilling meal.
Cost – €10-15
Best place to get one – I had good Pork Schnitzel at Augustiner’s but for me the personal best was the Turkey Schnitzel at Cafe Konigin.
Schweinshaxe (Pork Knuckle)
Another smashing dish, that I had on the first official dinner. Funny thing, the venue was chosen by our CFO for a party and it was Augustiner’s. I had been here at the same place a day before with my friend who now stays in Munich.
Cost – €8-15 for half portion (which is still enough to feed 2 people with medium appetite)
Best place – I really loved the one at Haufbrauhaus Munchen.
Bratwurst (Grilled Sausage)
The most famous of the German sausages. Most sausages are either made from beef, veal or pork. All the sausages I tried were pork ones. But well, if you eat beef try them. I have only heard good things about them.
Cost – €3-6 (Paid around €5.5 for 4 sausages at Augustiner’s)
Best Place – Anywhere would do, even the street food carts. You can’t really go wrong with this.
Weisswurst (Bacon Sausage)
Who doesn’t love Bacon. I was introduced to bacon in my first Euro Trip which began in London. Ever since then I have been a huge fan of the crispy and fatty bacon. So it was natural that I would try their Bacon Sausage. Yummy.
Currywurst (Sausage with Curry Sauce)
A sausage served with a curry sauce. Will please all those Indian taste buds. Its also served with fries in most cases. Mit pommen in German means with Fries.
Cost – €6-10
Schweinebraten und Ente
Duck with pork roast and gravy. It comes in few varieties. The first picture is just the duck and second one is more like a farmer’s meal with duck as well as pork roast.
Cost – €12-18
For the vegetarians feeling left out..
Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer)
Something similar on the lines of British hash browns, just a little thinner and way bigger in size. You could call them the veg schnitzels if you like.
Cost – €3-6
Kartoffelkloesse (Potato Dumplings)
They come as a side dish with lot of food and I wasn’t a big fan simply due to their huge size. Check out the earlier photos to get an idea.
Cost – €3-4 (Generally served as accompaniments to the meat dishes, but can be ordered extra)
Sauerkraut (Fermented Cabbage)
Another accompaniment with most meat dishes, just love the sour and acidic touch it brings to the food.
Cost – Same as the dumplings.
Brezeln (Pretzel)
Pretzels with cheesy sauce and beer – A match made in heaven.
Cost – €2-5 (Excellent choice with the Weise Beer)
Bagel (Pretzel)
Cut the pretzel into 2 slices just like bread and fill them with cheese, meat and veggies and it becomes a bagel sandwich. Another of my breakfast favourites. It’s in the vegetarian section because just like a normal sandwich you can have it without any meat.
Cost – €2-5
Desserts
Apfelkuchen
Apple cake. This used to be my go to breakfast with some hot black coffee. I remember eating it almost every alternate day.
Cost – €2-3 for a slice.
Black Forest Cake
You knew this one would be coming, didn’t you? Black forest cake is based on the famous Black Forest region in Germany. We have had plenty of it in India, but when in Germany its time to taste the real deal.
Cost – €2-3 for a slice.
Some other non-german food I tried & loved
Pizza
Yeah you heard it right. Lip smacking pizza. Probably one of the best I ever had, even better than in Italy. What were the ingredients and toppings? – Just basil and tomato. That’s it. You might find it surprising, but its a must eat food in Germany. And please go to that specific restaurant – L`Osteria.
Carbonara
Another dish I loved at L`Osteria restaurant. The bacon and egg pasta was just yummy. Highly recommend this restaurant if you want some Italian food. Portions again are huge, so better carry a friend along.
Dean & David
Most of my office lunches would be at Dean & David, be in salads, Thai food or even some Indian.
What was your favourite food story in Germany or what as per you are the must eat food in Germany, let me know in the comments section.
If you are interested in Vietnamese cuisine as well, then read about the 10 must eat Vietnamese dishes.
Note – Most of the meals I had were in Beer houses which are these massive restaurants with a very tavern like feel about them. So they are pretty dark as the vibe is more about socialising and drinking beer than clicking photos. As a result the post contains some of my photos & some photos taken from the internet because mine didn’t come out good. So due credit to those photographers.