German Food Shines on the World

German food in Fort Lauderdale is so diverse that it begs a description of the different dishes that are offered.  Old Heidelberg is an authentic German restaurant that is owned by the Liebe family that has extensive culinary experience.

The world of German food has a wide variety of different dishes.  We have selected a few to describe what their ingredients are and what they are called.

Kasespatzle
Spatzle, are noodles that are made with wheat flour, and egg.  This is particularly are popular in the South of Germany. It is often served with cheese (kasespaetzle) on top – similar to macaroni cheese. It is also sometimes served with roasted onions. 

Eintopf
This dish is a steaming bowl called eintopf and is designed for cold weather. This is a traditional German stew which means ‘one pot’ and describes the way of cooking style rather than a specific recipe. Most recipes have the same ingredients which include: a broth, some vegetables, potatoes  and meat (commonly pork, beef or chicken) or sometimes fish. There are regional specialties, such as, lumpen und fleeh (which means ‘rags and fleas’) in the Kassel area, which is very similar to an Irish stew.

Apfelstrudel
Apfelstrudel or apple strudel, is a pastry filled with apples that are flavored with sugar, cinnamon, raisins and breadcrumbs.  This has been popular dating back to the 18th century. The “puffed pastry” or “delicate flakey pastry”, made from an elastic dough, is kneaded and stretched until it’s as thin as a phyllo pastry, similar to the Greek pastries. Then, the pastry is wrapped around with the filling building up many layers, then baked. This is then served warm and sprinkled with powdered or icing sugar.

Kartoffelpuffer
This main dish is a pan-fried pancake that is made from grated or ground potatoes mixed with flour, egg, onion and seasoning. It is served salty as a side dish to a main course of meat or fish, or sweet with apple sauce, blueberries, sugar and cinnamon. They can be found  in outdoor markets in the winter.

Rote grutze
This is a red fruit pudding and is a popular dessert in Northern Germany. It is made from black and red currants, raspberries and sometimes strawberries or cherries, which are cooked in their own juice and thickened with  cornstarch.. It is then served with cream, vanilla sauce or milk. 

Sauerbraten

German food aficionados always celebrate their meat.  One of their national dishes is sauerbraten (meaning ‘sour’ or ‘pickled’ roast) is a pot roast.     It can be made from many different meats, which are marinated in wine, vinegar, spices, herbs and seasoning for up to 10 days.  Schweinenbraten is a delicious roast pork dish, usually served with braised cabbage or sauerkraut and dumplings (knoedel), and eaten with a pilsner beer.

Brezel
Brezel are soft, white pretzels, made from flour water and yeast and sprinkled with salt (and sometimes different seeds), and great to eat as a side dish or snack – or with a beer. They are located in every bakery and can be found on street stands.  They are sold plain, sliced and buttered (butterbrezel) or with slices of cold meats or cheese.

Schnitzel
Schnitzel is the description of a thin, boneless cutlet of meat, that is prepared coated in breadcrumbs and sometimes served with a slice of lemon. Wiener Schnitzel, is veal, or a schnitzel Wiener is with pork. Depending on the style you order, a Hamburg-style schnitzel, will come with a fried egg on top;  while a Holsten-style schnitzel comes with an egg, anchovies and capers.

Wurst
These are sausages which comprise more than 1500 different types.  A wurst (sausage) is made in Germany and there, there are street stalls that sell them everywhere. Most popular are the bratwurst (fried sausage) which is made of ground pork and spices, Wiener (Viennese), which is smoked and then boiled, and blutwurst and schwarzwurst, which are both blood sausages. There are  regional specialties like Berlin’s currywurst (sausage with curried ketchup on the top), Bavaria’s weisswurst, is a white sausage that one must peel before eating with a sweet mustard, and Nuremberg's grilled rostbratwurst, is served with fermented shredded cabbage known as sauerkraut.

Enjoy the wide array of German food that exists and comes with a deep heritage and tradition.  Old Heidelberg in Fort Lauderdale brings out many of these traditional flavors that one needs to try and find the treasures of German cuisine and culture.