Spoonfuls of Germany


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A tale of two kales

Kale SaladThere are many foods and recipes that carry the “German” label in the United States. Often they are a far cry from the real thing. The worst offender, in my view, is pumpernickel bread. In the US, it is almost always darkened and sweetened with molasses – something that is never done to authentic pumpernickel in Germany (find my recipe for real pumpernickel bread here).

The one big exception, in my view, where something German improved on this side of the Atlantic is kale (Grünkohl). Continue reading →


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Stollen meets bread

sourdough-stollen-1

It was butter that made the city of Dresden the home of Germany’s most famous edible Christmas tradition. In 1491 Pope Innocent VIII gave in to the request of the Saxonian rulers to lift the ban on dairy products during the days of fasting. After he sent the legendary Butterbrief (“Butter Letter”) the bakers in Dresden started to use butter in their Stollen, and the sweet bread that we know today was born.

I love a good Stollen and frankly, in the time leading up to Christmas, I could eat it every day – if only it was a little less rich. Continue reading →


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Sausage for the soul

Bratwurst 1

This has not been a week of good eating habits. Hastily put together meals, gobbled up in front of the TV or tablet screen, loss of appetite altogether, followed by junk food. And, odd coincidence, on Tuesday, Election Day, Continue reading →