Jan 29, 2013

Typical Meal Structure in Germany

Without a doubt, the daily meal structure here in Germany is definitely different from the meal structure I had as a kid growing up in Toronto. First thing's first: I hate that this post seems like an Edeka ad. I am by no means endorsing the Edeka brand! I just happened to stumble upon this page while flipping through a recent Edeka mag and voila ― a blog post idea was born! Here's a visual of what Germans eat on a "ganz normaler Tag." For more thoughts on this pertinent issue check out germanfoods.org.



Frühstück (Breakfast)
Sorta similar to Canadian breakfasts, but on a regular day, scrambled eggs or pancakes aren't as common. As well, from what I've seen it seems that not as many Germans prefer eating cereal for breakfast. Germans also scoff at the idea of eating sausages and bacon for breakfast as they find it too "American." The German breakfast seems healthy, thought its rather heavy on the meats and dairy.

Mittagessen (Lunch)
Here's where it gets interesting! Contrary to the structure of Canadian meals, traditionally, the main meal of the day in Germany is lunch. The kiddies go home to bowls of spaghetti bolognese or plates of fish sticks and the business people grab döner or currywurst from nearby food stands or eat in office canteens. Eating a sandwich for lunch?! Preposterous!! Just kidding :) German eating habits have changed over recent years and these days, heaps of people have dinner as their hot meal of the day.

Kaffee und Kuchen (Coffee and Cake)
Seriously one of my favourite things about Germany, gahhhhh! It's funny though, because on any ol' afternoon, all you see are senior citizens chillin' in the cafes mangia-mangia-ing on Kaffee und Kuchen. But I do love me some Kaffee und Kuchen when completely relaxed the eff out, say, on the weekend. The tradition's similar to Tea Time in England, but I'd say the selection of baked goods are better.

Abendessen (Dinner)
Abendessen is also called Abendbrot in Germany, which means "evening bread." That's because most people eat bread in the evenings! Evening meals are light and on weeknights, open-faced sandwiches and salads are typical foods you'd find at the German dinner table. Gotta say that we're not traditional at all and I still prefer a hot dinner over a hot lunch ― but hey, that's just what I'm used to! PEACE!

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