Eight years after my cookbook Spoonfuls of Germany was first published by Hippocrene Books in New York, it was time for a fresh look. Not only because more ingredients used in German cooking have become more widely available in the United States but also because more regional recipes have been discovered in Germany – the locavore movement, although in German it lacks a crisp word like in English, is gaining stronghold, and with it, more and more handed-down recipes are resurfacing.

As I was starting to work on revisions and additional recipes for Spoonfuls of Germany, I realized I have more stories I want to write down than would fit in the book. “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are,” this famous quote by Anthelme Brillat-Savarin says it all. Food mirrors civilization, culture, mentality, and so much more. This blog is where I will record my musings about German food and Germany, seasoned with a recipe every now and then.

I am not new to the blogosphere. For the past two years I have written about my ups and downs, pleasures and failures in gardening for food in My Gardeners Table. This blog is different, more personal. As a half-and-half (German mother, Tunisian father) I often did not feel integrated and at home in Germany. For the past 15 years, I have lived in the United States. I became an American citizen, I have an American husband and American children. But I know I will always remain very German in my views, values, and mentality. And, as much as I love my life here and do not regret having made the move over the big pond, I do miss Germany, the language, the culture, and, of course, the food.

I hope you will join me for a look into German food, culture, and beyond.