Where do the Germans like to go on vacation? And how well do they know their barbecues? Meet the Germans host Rachel Stewart answered these questions and more during a summer-themed livestream on YouTube. Catch up here!
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Thank you to everyone who tuned in for the second live session of Meet the Germans on Youtube. Host Rachel Stewart answered questions on holidays and summer in Germany from viewers all around the globe. Here are a few of the highlights — and you can catch the whole video here.
How do barbecuehabits in Germany differfromthose in the UK?
Rachel: The obsession with meat is very noticeable here. There's also the seriousness of the way you talk about the barbecue itself. I reckon most Germans can talk with a lot of confidence about the positive attributes of aparticular type of grill. Is it gas or coal? Is it efficient? Which brand do you have? And they're usually quite expensive — people will invest in a barbecue because it's very important.
Will lots of people in Germany be doing a "staycation" (staying in their home country for their vacation) this year?
Yes. Because of the current situation probably more people than usual will be doing that. But a lot of Germans prefer to stay in Germany anyway — there's lots of domestic tourism. There's a great word: "Balkonien." If you're having a staycation, and you're really staying at home, people will say: "I'm going to do my holiday on 'Balkonien'"—which is a bit like saying "balcony land." It means you're just going to stay on your balcony and have a little holiday there.
Germany's cuisine is renowned for being heavy and meat-based - but that's not always the case. What do Germans typically eat in the summer? Here are some favorites.
Image: imago
Summer is 'Grill' season
Just like in many other countries, Germans love to barbecue, and anything can go on the grill. Sausages, of course, as well any kind of meat, along with vegetables and Turkish halloumi cheese, are among the most popular options. Many Germans stick to old-fashioned coal barbecues. In cities, grilling in public parks is common.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Maurer
Add a little 'Krautsalat'
The word Kraut became a derogatory term to refer to Germans during the World Wars. Although "Kraut" itself means "herb," it is often used to refer to cabbage too - such as the popular German dish "Sauerkraut," which is finely cut, fermented cabbage, and "Krautsalat," coleslaw. Germans will dress it with vinegar instead of mayonnaise, and some people add apples and onions to the salad.
Image: Colourbox
One potato option among many: 'Kartoffelsalat'
If the German word for potato, "Kartoffel," had been simpler, it could've well become the term soldiers used to describe Germans, too. There are probably as many potato salad recipes as families in Germany - and many people will strictly follow their mother's for the rest of their life. Instead of mayonnaise, some traditional recipes combine broth, vinegar and oil for dressing.
Image: Colourbox/Bad Man Production
Another potato dish: 'Pellkartoffel mit Quark'
In the summer heat, no one feels like cooking an elaborate meal. That's why Germans came up with this favorite, based once again on the potato. To save work, "Pellkartoffeln" are potatoes boiled in the skins, removed by each diner before eating. They're served with "Quark" - a creamy dairy product similar to yogurt - that's combined with fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Simple, but addictive.
Image: imago
Salads are not just for rabbits: 'Fleischsalat'
Vegetarians, you can close your eyes now: Germans have managed to make meat the main ingredient of a SALAD - though many people use "meat salad" as a spread for bread, to be honest. Lyoner sausage, or baloney, is cut into strips and combined with mayonnaise or sour cream, pickles, onions and other spices. You have to trust your butcher to enjoy this.
Image: imago
Another challenge: 'Apfel-Matjes-Salat'
"Matjes" are pickled herrings, and although they're perhaps not to everyone's liking, they're cult along the northern German coast. In this traditional recipe, also called "Matjes nach Hausfrauenart," which means "housewife's style," the pickled fish is combined with diced onions, apples, dill and creamy dairy products. This refreshing summer dish is served with - no surprise - potatoes.
Image: imago
Creamy herbs: 'Frankfurter Grüner Sosse'
You might start recognizing a trend: Different German summer specialties involve a sauce that's served with potatoes - and, in this case, eggs. This traditional green sauce from the Frankfurt region celebrates the fresh herbs that are available during the summer. The sauce has its own festival and official season, opening on Maundy Thursday before Easter, called in German "Gründonnerstag."
Image: imago
The summer stew: 'Birne, Bohnen und Speck'
Pears, green beans and bacon: The name of this northern German dish is both a basic shopping list for what's needed in the recipe and a culinary poem for the taste buds. These three ingredients are cooked into a comforting stew that's salty and sweet, healthy yet with a nice touch of fat. The pears are of a variety that remains firm when cooked - available from July to September.
Image: Colourbox
Competing stars of the summer: 'Beeren'
Some Germans could probably skip the main course and simply stick to dessert all summer, as it is the season of regional fresh berries ("Beeren") and fruit ("Früchte" or "Obst"). Favorites include strawberries ("Erdbeeren"), red currant berries ("Johannisbeeren"), cherries ("Kirschen"), blueberries ("Heidelbeeren") and apricots ("Aprikosen").
Image: Imago/Eibner
'Zwetschgen': Not all plums are equal
Another fruit that's typically used in Germany to make amazing cakes is the plum. But not just any kind of plum - one with a strange, untranslatable name: the "Zwetschge." It is similar to the damson plum, but still a distinct variety. This can be confusing for foreigners. Zwetschgen are small and oval, while "Pflaumen" (the general term for plums) are the round ones.
Image: Imago/Chromorange
The summertime staple: 'Rote Grütze'
If you start craving "rote Grütze," then you've really adopted German food culture. Its literal translation is "red grits," but this classic can best be defined as a thick red berry fruit compote. Summer berries are combined with sugar and cornstarch. The fruit pudding is served with vanilla sauce, cream or ice cream. It's simple, but somehow summer in Germany wouldn't be the same without it.
Image: picture-alliance/J. Haas
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Yes, definitely! And if you do decide to do that, you'll be in very good company, because people here love camping and they love camper vans. It's something that, at the beginning, I couldn't really buy into because I didn't want to bring all my stuff with me on holiday. The idea of a camper van, where you basically bring some of your home along with you on the road, seemed quite a bizarre idea to me. Now I think about it, it's quite a German idea: very practical, quite efficient, just having everything you need right there.
What do you think is the reputation of Germans when they're abroad or on holiday?
In my experience, Germans really are everywhere. Even when I've been to more far-flung places, you almost always come across a German. German and Dutch people you'll find everywhere. I guess it's probably typical that German tourists will have a plan; they'll have researched everything beforehand and made notes and they'll definitely have a guide book with them, to make sure that they get to see all the best aspects. They're maybe less spontaneous than other tourists... but that might mean that they see everything!
What'sthe Germans' mostcommonholidaydestination?
One very classic holiday destination is Mallorca, which is a Spanish island. It has its own nickname— the Germans call it "Malle" — and it's got a bit of a reputation as the party destination. There's a particular beach area called Ballermann, which is very much the hub of German drinking — or at least it was. They've actually tried to crack down on that recently. The locals have said they don't want so much mass tourism and certainly not so much boozy tourism. Actually, there's a British contingent on Mallorca as well. There's the Bay of Palma, and on the one side, in Magaluf, is where all the drunken Brits are, and on the other side is where the Germans are. That's a slightly negative parallel between my home country and my adopted country!
Can you recount a relatively embarrassing experience with the German language?
Something that springs to mind is the really simple mistakes that I was making early on and nobody corrected me. I learned that in German the "j" is pronounced like an English "y" – like in "Joghurt." But I was then using that rule for words that actually came from English, and in those words you don't actually change the sound. So, for example, I would say that on the weekend I was going "yoggen" if I was going jogging, and actually you would just say "joggen," with a hard "j."
Another example was that I used to always say "angenehm" when I met people for the first time. That's actually really, really formal. It's like if I would go up to someone and say, in English: "Terribly pleased to meet you." Nobody corrected me, so I was walking around saying "angenehm" in really casual situations for a long time.
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