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Health & Wellbeing

FOODS IN RUHR

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A hefty regional kitchen style was never designed to please calorie counters. The traditional local diet in the Ruhr Metropolis includes much meat, first and foremost pork, thick sauces, potatoes and vegetables. However, late spring sees the arrival of locally grown healthy and light white Asparagus, Spargel, on the markets.

Another dish is black pudding, either with onions, Flöns mit Öl, or roasted with mashed potatoes and applesauce, Himmel und Ähd. The names are in the Rhineland dialect.

A typical German black bread, Schwarzbrot, is still eaten merrily, although simple wheat is the flour of choice.

As for fast food, Imbiss, the term might have its roots in North America of the eighteen hundreds but the hamburger originates from a recipe of ground beef-steak-bread combination that immigrants brought there from Hamburg. Germans have also been eating fast food for an eternity.

Bockwurst

Traditionally made from ground veal and pork and flavoured with salt, white pepper and paprika,  That’s Frankfurter or simmered sausage, Bockwurst. Other spices, such as chives and parsley, are also often added in Germany. Thicker but smaller in length than a Frankfurter, this classic is warmed in hot water and often served with potato salad and always with mustard.

Bratwurst

The classic. A grilled sausage, Bratwurst, is fried, has less veal than pork and it is usually served with a slice of toast or a small bread roll and mustard.

Currywurst

A Bratwurst is sliced and doused with ketchup and curry powder, usually not too sharp. Sometimes, someone may order a very colloquial Mantaplatte, which means chips or fries with mayonnaise, ketchup and a curried sausage, Currywurst.

Pommes Frites

Potatoes are deep fried and eaten as chips or fries in several ways: Pommes Weiss with Mayo, mayonnaise; Pommes Rot are with tomato ketchup, Ketchup; Pommes Weiss Rot are served with both mayonnaise and tomato ketchup. Fries are never served with vinegar or brown sauce.

Döner Kebab

In short doner kebab, Döner, is a dish brought by many Turks that has enraptured and captured Germany. Meat is sliced off a rotating spit of lamb, Schaf, veal, Kalbfleisch,  beef, Rind, or chicken, Hähnchen, that is grilled. A Döner is accompanied by a piece of Turkish bread filled with raw onions, salad, coleslaw, tomatoes, cucumbers and either a sharp, Scharf, or garlic, Knoblauch, sauce.

Frikadelle

Meat patties, known also as a Bulette, of many recipes consist mostly of ground meat, breadcrumbs, spices and onions and it is a flat ball-shape. Quality varies enormously.

Halbes Hähnchen

This is normally purchased at a take away stand or snack bar where the chickens are roasted on spits already well spiced with paprika and salt and sliced in half before being served.

Schnitzel

Boneless, breadcrumbed cutlet, Schnitzel, is mostly served with salad and fries, which comes in several variations: Jäger, hunter Schnitzel is pork with a dark sauce normally consisting of gravy, cream and mushrooms; Gypsy, Zigeuner, Schnitzel is pork with a spicy reddish sauce with paprika and onions; Schnitzel Wiener Art, Viennese style, is a crumbed pork cutlet whereas the original Wiener Schnitzel is created using veal. Both are served without sauce but with a quarter of lemon.

By Vincent Green, Jun 29 2021

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture

Rochusstrasse 1
52123 Bonn

+49 228 242 526 27

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GERMAN FOR FUN

We stand in a foreign culture finding ourselves pointing, gesticulating and hoping to be understood. Germans mostly speak at least some English. However, some expats relocating to the Ruhr Metropolis may wish to carry a few basic but helpful words with them for use in awkward moments.

Visitors viewing art

EXHIBITIONS IN RUHR

Art venues and museums across the Ruhr Metropolis regularly present selections of their own fine pieces in well arranged exhibitions. Regular exhibits of fascinating or rare artworks on loan from across the globe attract large numbers of enthusiasts too. Photo © Jochen Schlutius.

Beautiful dog's head

PETS IN RUHR

Germans, on the whole, love and respect pets and are friendly towards dogs. Dogs are permitted on public transport and inside restaurants but keeping a pet on a leash is a must. Dog ownership in the Ruhr Metropolis is highly regulated, while the national is populace is, in general, very dog friendly.

Beaches in Ruhr

It may come as a surprise to newly arrived expats that beaches can be found in the Ruhr Metropolis. Fine sand and shingle are ideal for walking, playing, relaxing and picnicking. People flock to enjoy various spaces beside the rivers and lakes, especially on warm and sunny summer days. Photo © Ralph Lueger.

Beach scene with sunbathers

FOODS IN RUHR

The hefty regional kitchen was never designed to please calorie counters. A traditional local diet includes much meat, thick sauces, potatoes and vegetables. However, late spring sees the arrival of locally grown healthy and light white Asparagus, Spargel, on the markets. Tastes and philosophies have meant that vegan and vegetarian dishes are far more widespread nowadays in the Ruhr Metropolis too. Meanwhile fast foods such as Bratwurst, Bockwurst, Currywurst and Döner Kebab have remained favourites.

Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
Rochusstrasse 1
53123 Bonn
+49 228 242 526 27