Popular German Foods-Blog Post #3-4/19/15

The north focuses on seafood dishes, dumplings and bean soups. The center has lots of breads, fruits and vegetables. In southern Germany, sausage, dumplings, potatoes, cakes and fruit are common. A few German foods are famous all over the world for their flavor and representation of German heritage.
Potatoes and dumplings have long been a staple of the German diet. Although each German region has its own way of preparing them, all of them have one thing in common: local ingredients. Some eat potatoes with pears, bacon and beans, while other regions eat potatoes with bacon and spicy sausage. Others cook up a stew called pichelsteiner, made with three kinds of meat and potatoes. Dumplings, or "knodel," are a side dish to many meals, especially in northern Germany. In the south, these dumplings are smaller and are called spatzle. These can be boiled or fried.



Moving on to desserts, a popular dish in Germany is called the "Rote Grutze".  The dessert is a German favorite because most of the ingredients used to make it is grown in Germany!  This dish can use any combination of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or cherries.  In Germany people love fresh fruits and consume an average of almost 200 pounds per capita every year.  The cherry specifically is widely used for baking and cooking but is also processed into many food products, such as preserves, juices, confections, and the famous German Kirschwasser, a potent distilled cherry brandy.  It is most commonly served with ice cream or gelato. 



http://gomadnomad.com/2011/04/21/top-10-german-foods/
http://germanfoods.org/german-food-facts/fresh-seasonal-fruits-that-soak/