Tast and quality
...from Germany

Over 100 different types of fruit and vegetables enrich our diet in Germany and provide us with essential vitamins and secondary plant compounds. In addition to the taste experience, they also create a solid foundation for a balanced diet. 

This, alongside regular physical activity, is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends a daily intake of 650 g of fruit and vegetables. Roughly speaking, that equals about five fist-sized portions per day. One such portion could consist, for example, of an apple and a small salad with two and a half tomatoes. 

By far the most popular fruit among Germans is the apple, with an annual per capita consumption of 20 kilograms. For vegetables, tomatoes lead the way with 27 kilograms per person, followed by carrots and beetroot at just under 11 kilograms and onions at 10 kilograms. (Source: bmel-statistik.de)

The most popular sausage varieties

On average, every German consumes around 53 kilograms of sausage and meat products per year. (Source: BVWS) Sausages are classified into the following categories: cooked sausages, scalded sausages and raw sausages, which differ in their production methods. Sausage is usually made from pork, beef, veal and poultry. Products made from horse, lamb or game are less common in Germany and are rarely found at the counters of artisan butcher shops, in retail stores or as canned sausage products.

As early as the Middle Ages, it was stipulated that sausage must only be made from fresh and flawless ingredients. Today, this principle is enshrined in various laws, guidelines and regulations. The main components of sausage are meat, fat, spices, salt and, in the case of scalded sausages and aspic, also drinking water. Regional specialities and some cooked sausages may also contain other characteristic ingredients such as liver, blood or groats. The muscle protein of lean meat determines the quality of a sausage – the rule is: the more, the better. Sausage is not only considered a protein-rich source of energy but also provides vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and B12 as well as minerals such as zinc, magnesium and selenium.

Ham: Delicacies from the leg

Wherever pork is part of the diet, ham is regarded as the finest cut of the animal. There is a long tradition of preserving these cuts for extended storage. Before the invention of refrigeration, this allowed large portions of meat to be kept for consumption during the summer months, while winter storage was less problematic. Ham production is widespread throughout Europe, with each region offering its own specialities. Essentially, drying, smoking, curing and cooking (for cooked ham) or maturing (for raw ham) are still the methods used today to transform the hind legs of the pig into delicacies with a distinctive character. 

Foreleg ham, on the other hand, is not a “true” ham but a shoulder cut, and so-called “lachs ham” is actually the smoked loin rather than a ham piece. 


Cooked ham is first placed in a brine solution, which may also be injected mechanically to distribute the seasoning evenly throughout the meat. It is then cooked at 80 to 85 degrees Celsius. A cooked ham of traditional or butcher’s quality shows a clearly recognisable muscle fibre structure.

Raw hams are left to rest for several days after curing to allow for maturation and even distribution of salt and spices. Afterwards, the salt content is adjusted by washing or soaking before the ham is either smoked or air-dried. Smoking methods vary greatly by region. Not only the duration and temperature of the smoke influence the flavour, but also the type and quality of the wood used. The best-known smoked hams from Germany include Black Forest ham, Holstein ham and Westphalian ham.

This classification is based on the water content of the cheese in the fat-free cheese mass. From this, the standard categories are derived: fresh cheese, pasta filata cheese, soft cheese, sour milk cheese, semi-hard cheese, sliced cheese and hard cheese. In addition, whey cheese, cheese in liquid, cooked cheese and processed cheese are assigned to separate groups. The consistency of cheese is defined by the ratio of water to what is known as the dry matter. This dry matter consists of fat, protein, milk sugar and lactic acid, salt, vitamins and enzymes. The higher the proportion of dry matter, the firmer and (usually) more aromatic the cheese.
 

Hard cheese

Among the best-known hard cheeses are Emmental, Cheddar, Parmesan and mountain cheese. A typical feature is a relatively long maturation period, often lasting more than three months, but depending on the variety it can extend up to three years. Hard cheeses develop their characteristic rind through regular rubbing and brushing of the cheese wheel. The high proportion of dry matter and fat, combined with long ageing, gives these cheeses a pronounced and robust flavour. A typical representative of the hard cheese family is mountain cheese, produced in the higher Alpine regions of France and Italy. The German counterpart from the Allgäu is a raw milk cheese with protected designation of origin. Depending on its maturation period – which, according to the Cheese Regulation, must last at least three months – it tastes piquant, strong and savoury with fine nutty notes.
 

Semi-hard cheese

Slightly softer with a juicier texture are semi-hard cheeses, whose dry matter content ranges between 50 and 60 percent. Their maturation period averages one to two months. Among the best-known varieties are Gouda, Edam, Appenzeller, Raclette, cave-aged cheese, Havarti and Tilsiter. This traditional cheese from northern Germany is smooth, ivory-coloured and has a delicately tangy, robust to piquant flavour. The paste is interspersed with small, slit-shaped holes. After five weeks of ripening, it reaches the market, sometimes with a red smear culture or seasoned with caraway and pepper.
 

Butter and blue-veined cheese

The term ‘semi-soft cheese’ covers all cheese varieties whose dry matter content lies between that of semi-hard cheese and soft cheese, i.e. between 45 and 60 percent. This is an accurate categorisation, but it says nothing about the wide range and diversity of varieties it includes. Examples in this group are blue-veined cheeses, Weißlacker, Steinbuscher, Butterkäse as well as Roquefort, Reblochon, Gorgonzola and Esrom. The flavour spectrum ranges from mild to salty and piquant. 

Butterkäse is a very mild, delicately tangy cheese that is evenly matured after four weeks of storage. The aroma of this German cheese is subtle – in stark contrast to many counterparts in the semi-soft cheese group that are inoculated with mould cultures. German blue cheeses are produced using Penicillium roqueforti cultures. Cow’s milk is used as the raw material, giving the cheese a milder taste.
 

Soft cheese

Soft cheeses have a significantly higher water content and therefore a softer, juicier texture. Their dry matter content ranges between 40 and 56 percent. A key characteristic of these cheeses is that, due to their relatively high water content, they do not mature evenly but ripen from the outside in. Two types of soft cheese are distinguished: those with white mould cultures and those with so-called red smear. Typical and well-known varieties include Camembert, Brie, Romadur, Weinkäse, Limburger and Munster cheese. 

German Camembert has been produced since the 19th century, featuring a creamy texture and often a milder flavour than its French counterpart. Limburger, originally from Belgium and introduced to the Allgäu in the 19th century, offers very strong aroma and flavour notes. Its typical bar shape is covered with a sticky, reddish-brown smear that gives it its distinctive taste. The formation of this smear is encouraged by ripening in humid cellars and regular rubbing with brine. Like many culinary inventions, Munster cheese was first produced in a monastery. Benedictine monks in Alsace gave it its name, derived from the Latin ‘Monasterium’ for monastery. This soft cheese with red smear culture has a very distinctive and pronounced flavour that intensifies as it matures.
 

Fresh cheese

Quark, mascarpone, double cream cheese, cottage cheese and Picandou belong to the fresh cheese group and differ from all other cheeses in that they require no ripening process and have only a short shelf life. They are always made from pasteurised milk and stored under refrigeration. The individual varieties vary in consistency and fat content. Cottage cheese, originally from the USA and produced in Germany under the name Hüttenkäse, is widely popular. For its production, the cut and washed curd is mixed with sweet, salted cream. This process is carried out gently to preserve the curd grains. Cottage cheese has a pure, lactic-acid flavour. Cream cheese and double cream cheese are not made from skimmed milk but from milk with an adjusted fat content. These homogeneous, spreadable cheeses taste fresh and delicately tangy.
 

Regional specialities: Harzer, Mainzer cheese & Quargel

The flat cheese rounds, known mainly in central Germany as Mainzer cheese, Bauernhandkäse, Harzer, Korbkäse, Stangenkäse or Olmützer Quargel, belong to the sour milk cheese category. The base product for making these cheeses is sour milk quark. It is mixed with salt and often spices, shaped and then left to mature. This inexpensive, low-fat and protein-rich cheese is available in two types: with blue mould or with red smear. These cheeses have a strong, savoury and often hearty flavour.

What bread is made of

Ground cereal grains, water and one to two percent salt – this trio always forms the basis of bread dough. A leavening agent such as baker’s yeast or sourdough, and less commonly ferment starter, ensures the dough rises and remains airy. For rye-based baked goods, sourdough is virtually indispensable. The main bread cereals include wheat and its ancient forms (spelt, emmer, einkorn, kamut) as well as rye. Variety is added by numerous other possible ingredients, such as other grains and grain products, oilseeds, vegetables, spices or dairy products. Bread and baked goods make an important contribution to the supply of protein, carbohydrates and dietary fibre thanks to their ingredients. Wholegrain products are particularly beneficial. As the entire grain kernel is milled, they provide plenty of minerals (especially iron, potassium, magnesium, zinc), B vitamins and fibre. For example, rye wholegrain bread contains 6.5 to 9 percent fibre, whereas rye bread contains only four to seven percent. Consequently, wholegrain products also have a significantly higher satiating effect.

How bread is made

In large kneading bowls, the baker prepares the dough from the ingredients, often using not only flour but also semolina, fine meal, coarse meal, flakes, bran and germ. The dough is then weighed according to the type of bread, usually kneaded and shaped by hand. Several resting periods follow, allowing the ingredients to swell and the dough to develop – in technical terms, this is called dough fermentation. The finished loaves are then placed in the oven either individually or closely side by side. While free-standing loaves later develop a crisp crust all around, loaves baked close together only have a crust on the surface. This is also typical of breads made from soft doughs, such as toast bread, which are baked in tins. Other bread names reveal the baking technique used, where there are also various options. Wood-fired bread, for example, is baked in directly heated ovens using untreated wood placed inside the baking chamber. The characteristic speckled crust of Gersterbrot, on the other hand, is created by briefly flaming the loaves with an open fire before baking. The baking quality of grain can vary greatly from harvest to harvest depending on climate, soil and growing conditions. Before processing, the baker therefore carries out certain chemical and physical tests, including determining the gluten content, starch quality and enzyme activity. Final clarity about the flour’s baking properties and the dough’s rheology is provided by a baking trial.

No additional substances may be added to honey, nor may any components be removed. Honey is therefore a 100% natural product. Honey is characterised by great diversity. There are numerous varieties, which differ mainly in colour and flavour. Colour ranges from almost colourless to a rich dark brown. In terms of taste, profiles vary widely – from delicately sweet to strong and spicy.

An important distinguishing feature is the plant predominantly visited by the bees. Furthermore, a distinction is made between nectar and honeydew, which the bees feed on. Honey produced mainly from nectar is called blossom honey, while honey derived from honeydew is known as honeydew honey. Another criterion is the method of production. Depending on the extraction technique, there are centrifuged honey, comb honey and pressed honey. Popular varieties include acacia honey, mountain blossom honey, sweet chestnut honey, rapeseed honey, summer honey and forest honey.