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German Recipes

Last Updated: 13/08/2008 14:27

Vorspeisen - First Courses

It is the purpose of the first course to awaken, stimulate and excite the appetite in preparation for the meal to follow.

In Germany, eating habits and traditions have changed over the last 70 years, but especially since the Second World War. Today the number of courses served, as well as the quantities eaten have become smaller.

Soup is still a popular way of starting a meal, especially the Mittagessen, the main mid-day meal. However, more and more frequently, a piquant, sharp and appetising first course dish is finding its way to the German table.

Appropriately, they call them the Vorspeisen, the “before dining”, and their range and variety is very wide. Simple canapés with pâté, smoked salmon or herrings are passed around before the guests are called to the table. An immense number if ingenious salads with creamy mayonnaises, sour cream, fish, herrings, meats, sausages and cooked vegetables in tasty, tangy and colourful combinations, appear on the table. Most of them can be bought in the great German institution – the delicatessen shops – or are lovingly prepared at home.

Eggs in piquant sauces tempt the palate while the glowing pink of the Roterübensalat (Beetroot Salad) with cubes of meat, sausages or herrings not only taste great but also delight the eye.

Sweet and sour dishes are eaten frequently as many Germans have a strongly developed palate for pickled, sour and vinegary food. So it is not surprising to see dishes like pickled herrings, rollmops and various herring salads.

Most Vorspeisen are served cold, frequently in aspic, like Aal in Gelee (Jellied Eel) and the different types of Sülze or brawns. However, there is also the ever-popular Bratwurst and Blatwurst which are often served warm.

Vineyard snails, now quite rare, are sometimes prepared in a pastry crust and served with herb butter.

German cooks are inventive and the already large repertoire of Vorspeisen is constantly being enriched with new and tasty additions.

Allgäuer Käsesalat (Cheese Salad)

Bauernfrühstück (Farmer’s Breakfast with Eggs and Bacon)

Bayerischer Kartoffelsalat (Bavarian Potato Salad)

Eier in Grüner Sosse (Eggs in Green Sauce)