Maultaschen ― WTF IS IT??!

It looks like ravioli, it tasted like ravioli, but o'er here, they don't call it ravioli! The Germans call 'em Maultaschen, which translates to mouth and bags, lol. Though they're larger than traditional ravioli, they have the same sort of fillings. I ordered this dish at a restaurant called Stevertal. The menu described it as follows: Hausgemachte Maultaschen mit Lachs gefüllt in Basilikum-Sauce und Salatteller which basically means they were filled with salmon in a basil sauce and served with a salad. The entire meal was exquisite, but why was half a tomato chosen to be used as a dead-centre garnish?! *Smh

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!

Christmas Dinners: Dec. 23―26, 2012

Ya-hoo for conquering my first official Xmas in Germany! Not that it was hard to do ;) Gotta say that the traditions here are not far from what I grew up doing. One key difference is that people put up their Xmas trees much closer to Dec. 25. And a small % of people put up Xmas lights outside their homes. But yeah, similar to back home we did nothing but eat for a few days in a row.

Dec. 23 ― Roasted Duck with  Red Cabbage & Potatoes

Dec. 24  ― Steamed Trout & Potatoes

Dec. 25 ― Slow-cooked Deer with Mashed Potatoes & Savoy Cabbage

Dec. 26 ― Sausages & Salads with Homemade Bread

Unfortunately, I cannot say I took part in the creation of any of these homecooked meals. But much love and thanks to the talented chefs and amazing people in my life who prepared them! It's been awesome indeed to have eaten such varied, delicious dishes over the past few days. #trulyblessed

The last time I'd eaten duck was ages ago, so you can imagine what a treat that was to have! As well, the only fish André and I ever eat is frozen, so being fed 1 whole trout on a dinner plate was luxurious indeed. Oh, and Klaus & Cilly's deer dish?! Absolutely s-t-u-n-n-i-n-g. Firstly, I'd never tried deer before, and boy, was it surprisingly tender. Its taste and texture kinda tasted to me like a cross between liver and beef. Effing can't begin to describe to you how good the deer paired with mashed potatoes, man. And then back to basics at the end of the 4-day eating streak with Renate's typical German dinner ;)

2012 Internationales Sommerfest — Esg Braunschweig

13.07.12 | The music and the entertainment was awesome... but the food was amazeballs! So glad I attended the Esg's annual "summer party" last month. Not only did I meet kool people, but it was only 2,50 Euro for a buffet dinner of many different cultural dishes! To the person who made the Dahl dish, you are my hero. And bigups to the dessert-makers, check out how beautifully they match my plate!