“Can poppy seeds get you high?”, is a question that pops up a lot when you search for poppy seeds on the Internet. In fact, consuming only three poppy seed bagels can lead to false positives in over-the-counter drug tests, as demonstrated in a 2003 episode of Discovery Channel’s MythBusters.
Walk into any well-assorted pastry shop in Germany and you will likely find sheet cake, streusel cake, or poppy seed roll with a generous poppy seed filling. Continue reading
For Thanksgiving this year, I made an all-German menu from my cookbook: Roasted Duck Stuffed with Rum-soaked Raisins and Apples, Potato Dumplings, and Spiced Red Cabbage.
I usually do not like cabbage yet a while ago I decided it was time to take my cabbage dislike head-on. Continue reading
Much has been written about the assimilation of German Jews before 1933 trying to explain why so many did not leave Germany, their country. Many German Jews were unable to imagine the unspeakable harm they would suffer under the Nazis.
Whether that assimilation was a one-way street or true integration, is a debate among historians. Yet, what I can observe from the food point of view is that it must have been assimilation to a very high degree. Continue reading
Spoonfuls of Germany 