Cooking Delicious German Food (GO DEUTSCHLAND FUTBOL #5)

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       Today, we are going to be looking at some typical German foods, their origins, and how my mother cooked them on the night of the World Cup. The Germans won (hence the title of this series), so I would like to share their customs and food! On Sunday, my mother prepared Spätzle, Pork Schnitzel, and baked beans. All that was missing was some tasty thin-cut potato salad, lebkuchen (a “honey cake” that has been savored by many mouths since the 1300s), and beer.

       To begin, my mom found Spätzle at our local Publix, and upon my whining insistence, agreed to buy and prepare it for me the night of the World Cup. Since we were feeling “European” with our food tastes, we also bought Digestives, an English biscuit that is simply divine. Spätzle is a dumpling-like German noodle that is doughy on the outside, slightly Al dente, and can be flavored with butter, salt, bread crumbs, and gravy. The noodle is extremely textured because of the coating of flour; the other ingredients are simply eggs and water. This food comes from the Swabia region in Germany, and in particular, Baden-Württemberg (where the Black Forest and Lake Titisee are located!). Spätzle means “little sparrows” in German, and perhaps this name was coined because the noodles have a bird-like shape (two distinct “wings”). Also, the first mention of the word “Spätzle” was in 1725. According to a statement I found on Wikipedia (I failed to find it anywhere else), “The total estimated annual commercial production of spätzle in Germany is approximately 40,000 tons.” Wow—that must be similar to the amount of hamburgers and sodas that are consumed yearly in the United States. The spätzle noodles can be made by hand, but the process is long and time consuming. Finally, there are several variations on the plain egg noodle. For example, there is Käsespätzle (Cheese Spätzle) and Pressed Spätzle. The brand of the Public Spätzle was “Maggi”, and it was actually imported from Deutschland.

 

       The other food that I happily consumed was pork schnitzel (which means “cutlet” in German). Although the schnitzel does not have to be strictly pork (i.e. it can be veal or chicken), the German version is usually made with it. The schnitzel became especially popular after WWII because the meat could be pounded out/ thinned (more cutlets per pound of meat) to feed extra people. The thin nature of the cutlet is what makes schnitzel so unique (along with its relative lack of fat and “light” quality). The cutlets can be breaded or tossed in flour, but mother usually just coats them with a thin layer of egg and bread crumbs. In one interesting story I read, the schnitzel originated in the Byzantine Empire when one Emperor demanded that his meat be thinly cut and covered with a gold leaf (what opulence!). One final aspect is the essence of the pork schnitzel is the light drizzling of lemon juice on the top. Other variations of the pork schnitzel include the Jägerschnitzel (hunter’s schnitzel), Münchner Schnitzel (Munich schnitzel), and Wiener Schnitzel (a type of schnitzel that is famous in Vienna, Austria). Schnitzel is also prepared by putting a cooked egg (with a soft inside) on top!