Our Favorite German Foods

Guten Morgen, liebe leute!

Good morning, lovely humans!

As most people can agree, one of the best parts of traveling and being abroad is, of course, das Essen, the food. Don't get me wrong, we are extremely lucky to have so many amazing excursions and to have incredible teachers who are helping the students with their German every morning but at the end of the day, the stories I am usually hearing are, "Julianne, I had the BEST (insert food here) today!" As someone who has spent many combined years in Germany, I love hearing these stories; foods that have become relatively commonplace in my life suddenly taken on a new meaning and give me a renewed sense of joy when described by my students.

As a little midweek treat, I thought it would be fun to share with you some of the students' favorite foods. Not all of the foods are "typical' German, some are special foods that the host family has made for the students, and some are wholly average. However, all have somehow become a special part of the participants' experience since they have been here. Maybe you have tried some of these foods yourself or maybe you can add them to your bucket-list for when you visit Germany!

What is your favorite food you have eaten since you have been in Germany?

"It's not German, but Spanikopita or Baklava." - Samantha

While both Annie and Jennifer said ice cream was their favorite food, Elli and Emiliano said they prefer Spaghetti Eis, which is vanilla ice cream with strawberry sauce made to look like spaghetti.

Amanda B. who has proved herself to be a very adventurous eater said that one of her favorite things she has tried was Mett.  Mett is raw minced pork that is served on bread. Talk about trying new things!

"Two Euro Pizza!" - Serena

"Bratkartoffeln." (roasted potatoes) - Molly D.

"Schnitzel." - Cat and Xavia

Of all the foods that our students love, Currywurst is by far the most popular. Currywurst is comprised of a fried bratwurst or hotdog that is covered in ketchup and curry powder and is usually served with french fries or a bread roll. Currywurst is one of the most popular German dishes and is the favorite dish of Destiny, Amanda B., Amanda H., Claire, and Jared 

"Königsberger Klopse, it's a type of meatball and my host family made it with rice and white sauce." - Cassie

"It's a dish my host mom made - creamy spinach, small potatoes, and fried eggs...it was the best thing I've ever had, it was so good, even though I don't like any of those things on their own." - Molly C.

"There is this really great burger place that my host mom took me to down by the canal and their chicken burger was so good, the best thing I have eaten since I've been here. Also the Kentucky Fried Chicken here is NOT fried chicken!" - Griffin

"Pommes" (french fries) - Adriana

By far one of the most popular German dishes is the famed street food, DÖNER KEPAB! Döner Kepab, which is similar to schwarma and consists of shaved chicken or lamb with mixed vegetables and sauce in a bread round, is a favorite of many participants including Skylar, Emiliano, Shiv, and Harvey.  Jason also falls into this group although he prefers the Durum which has all the fixings in a wrap and not a sandwich roll.

"My host my is African so she cooks a lot of really great African food. And also Halloumi." - Bria

"Yeah, halloumi!" - Toy

(Halloumi is a baked or fried squeaky cheese that doesn't melt. The taste is similar to cheese curds and the consistency is like firm tofu. You can eat it in a sandwich or a wrap or as a salad topping.)

"Bread." - Ronan

So there you have it friends, the favorite foods of our participants. Tell me, which of these foods would you most like to try?

Danke und bis dann!

Julianne