However, the country can be roughly divided into three culinary regions: Northern, Central, and Southern. The Northern region contains the cities of Berlin and Hamburg, borders the North and Baltic Seas, and shares many culinary traits with nearby Denmark and Sweden.
Hamburger:
The North and Baltic Seas provide the Northern region a vast array of fresh fish and seafood. Fresh sardines and herring historically were eaten in large numbers and were often salted or pickled. Trout, pike, carp, and perch are all common freshwater fish. Common dishes, which are shared with their Flemish neighbors, are large open-faced sandwiches topped salted meat or pickled fish. The American hamburger is thought to be descended from these sandwiches.
Beer:
Beets, cabbage, barley, hops, and rye are grown in thousands of small farms. While being important food staples, barley, rye, and hops are also used to create beer, by far the most popular drink in Germany. The oldest food regulation in the world is known as the “Purity Law”, or the Reinheitsgebot, and was established in 1516 by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria. Still existing today unchanged, it states that beer should only be brewed from barley, hops, and water. Schnapps, a liquor similar to gin flavored with juniper berries, is also a common drink.
Sausage:
Beef, goose, wild game, and lamb are all eaten in the North. However, pork is the most common meat consumed, usually in the form of sausages. Next to beer, sausages are the next most popular German food. Historically, sausages were created to help preserve meat and to use under-utilized parts of butchered animals (tongue, liver, heart, blood, etc). Today, there are over 1500 different types of sausage with every major German city boasting their own particular variations. Braunschweiger, a type of liver sausage made in the city of Braunschweig, is an example popular in the North.
Agricultural Region:
The Central region of Germany includes the cities of Frankfurt, Dresden, and Westphalia, and is known for its agricultural production. Pumpernickel and rye breads, made from local grains, are common at every meal. Dumplings are made from potatoes, homemade breads, flour, or oats. Rich vegetable stews, sometimes served with slow roasted short ribs and with a strong pepper flavor, help nourish and warm the body through the cold German winters. Arguably the most well known sausage, the frankfurter, originated in the city of Frankfurt.
Salads and Desserts:
The Southern region of Germany utilizes many of the same staples as the rest of the country. However, the cuisine is noticeably lighter and much more attention is placed on the dessert course than in other regions. Salads of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and onions are popular. Other vegetables include white asparagus, radishes, spinach, and cabbage. Vineyards support a growing wine industry. Plums, pears, cherries, apples, and berries are used in many dessert preparations with the most famous being the Black Forest cherry cake.
German cuisine varies from region to region, city to city, and is much more than beer and sausage. Seafood is popular in the North, breads and stews are common in Central Germany, and light salads and rich desserts typify the Southern cuisine.
