By John Jacobs After World War II, and before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reuniting of east and west, German Democratic Republic (GDR) chefs proved their creativity and adaptability by developing recipes that made hearty meals despite a limited selection of ingredients.

What has emerged on the cuisine scene is a country with distinct culinary influences in various locations. East Germany foods, not just the cuisine in the defunct German Democratic Republic, rely on local produce and mostly meats, mixed with a variety of spices to create unique flavors.

Recipes Made with a Cup of History
When someone says “German food” what comes to mind? It is usually words like “hearty” and “filling” because they capture the essence of all German food.

To understand East German food better, it is necessary to briefly recall its history. Berlin, now a city of 3.4 million people, has been through much change over the last few centuries. Food history could go all the way back to the Neolithic Age when gruel was a main staple, but it is the period between 1700-1871 when Frederick the Great of Prussia ruled that some novel (for the period) foods were to become dietary staples – cucumbers and potatoes. These two items had been brought to Europe from America a few hundred years earlier, but they became favorite foods at this point because they fit the frugal lifestyle encouraged by the Prussian king. They remain favorites and both are found in many recipes.

In 1949, tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, France and Great Britain led to the formation of the German Democratic Republic or GDR (East Germany) and the German Federal Republic (West Germany). Since the Soviet Union oversaw the formation of the GDR, it had a heavy influence over the East German culture, including food, until the 1990 reunification of Germany. Much of that influence remains in popular recipes.

Practical and Filling Region by Region
Germany has always approached food from a practical perspective. In the book “Bratwurst & Beyond: A History of Food in Germany,” author Ursula Heinzelmann shares extensive research on German food. In Sabine Welserin’s 16th-century Augsburg recipe collection, Heinzelmann discovered filling bread was used a binding agent in sauces because cream was saved to make butter. Also in the cookbook was a Lebkuchen (gingerbread) recipe. To this day there are parts of east Germany where carp is cooked a particular way and sauce is bound with gingerbread.

The landscape is as much an influence as history. For example, in the new state of Thuringia, located east-central, a significant portion of the countryside is covered by the Thüringer Wald forest, the Thüringer Schiefergebirge mountains and agricultural fields. The fields yield a variety of vegetables and fruits, and the forest supports a large wild game population. Many regional dishes include ingredients like cabbage, turnips, cauliflower and turnips. Wurst (German sausage and cold cuts) is extremely popular. Sausage casings are filled with chopped meat like pork, cooked, and eaten alone or with bread. The hundreds of types of Wurst are often served with sauerkraut and potato salad. In Saxony, the food is a bit different, once again because of the landscape. With several regions, Erzgebirge has the Ore Mountains forming a natural border between Bohemia and Saxony and Sächsische Schweiz (Saxon Switzerland). Saxon Switzerland has two mountain ranges – Ore Mountains and Lausitzer Bergland with the river Elbe flowing between.

East German food has two distinctive themes. In Saxon Switzerland, for example, recipes are based on available local foods in the mountainous areas, like quark, potatoes and flax seed. The Prussian influence is seen in the unusual potato salad recipe from the former GDR Lausitze region. It includes potatoes and fresh cucumber, along with sour cream, horseradish, carrots, peas and onions.

Cities like Dresden, often compared to Florence, have been greatly influenced by the availability of culturally diverse ingredients, leading to more sophisticated foods like Saxon Sauerbraten (braised marinated beef) and Dominosteine petit fours. When in Dresden, visit the Raskolnikoff restaurant to try classic Germany fare that is simple and sophisticated at the same time. Dresdner Stollen (sweetbread) from Saxony is a national treasure dating back to the 14th century.

Soviet Influence Remains in the Food
The Soviet influence on east Germany food is felt to this day. Solyanka remains a popular food. Traditionally, it is a thick and spicy soup made with a meat and cucumber pickles, capers, olives, dill and parsley. Today it is made at home and sold in cans in grocery stores.

Jägerschnitzel or “hunter’s cutlet” is sliced pork in a creamy mushroom or burgundy-mushroom sauce with onions. The east German variant used Jagdwurst, a type of sausage made of pork and bacon mixed with mace, ginger, coriander and ground mustard. Also from the Soviet era is Filinchen, a thin crispy bread eaten with jams, sausage or spreads.

The hearty and filling east Germany foods based in the past, long before the GDR was formed, includes items like braised cucumbers and carrot stew. Gulasch mit Kartoffelkloessen is goulash with potato dumplings. Bauernfruehstueck is a farmer’s breakfast designed to sustain hard-working laborers in the fields and is made with fried potatoes, smoked ham, eggs, onion and bacon.

Poor Man’s Steak
Currywurst is a fairly new entrant on the list of favorite German foods by historical standards. The pork sausage in English curry-stewed tomato sauce was created in 1949 in post-war Berlin. It was called the “poor man’s steak” because good meat was unaffordable at the time, and it continues to represent the everyday German. The recipe in east Germany is different than the rest of the country because the sausage has no casing. The caseless version is due to the fact sausage casing was not readily available in the GDR.

Down-to-earth foods include Eisbein (pork knuckle), Kaseler Rippchen (pork chops) and Königsberger Klopse (meat dumplings). East Germany is more than Berlin. In northeast Germany, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is situated on the Baltic coast and is the land of lakes and farmers. Dishes in this part of east Germany include seafood recipes like Aal in Dillsosse (eel in dill sauce), Gebratener Hornhechte (fried horn fish) and Mecklenburger Fischsuppe (fish soup).

East Germany is a land rich in food traditions that reflect a diverse landscape and a long history. Most of the foods take advantage of the great bounty of fruits and vegetables, using them to add variety and sweet-and-sour flavors to heavy meats. Visit anywhere in east Germany or visit a local German restaurant. Either way, no one can possibly go hungry.About DiversityPlus Magazine:
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