Culinaria Germany

'Culinaria Germany' is full of wonderful photographs of Germany, its meats, vegetables, fruits, fish, and the foods that are traditionally made from them. There are fine photos of people, places, beer, wine, countryside...well, it is almost a breath-taking read. Specialties are organized into sections by Region, begining with Thuringia and working around and south to Bavaria. No part of the country is left out. At 460 pages with Appendices, the book is not small but neither can it be encyclopedic. Recipes abound and they are clearly written, with weights and measures given in pounds and ounces and in Tablespoons and teaspoons so the book is just fine for American cooks. Some metric equivalents are provided if you want to cook that way. Few recipes call for hard-to-find ingredients. Within each region, recipes are interspersed with essays on featured products and ingredients. We are traveling in Germany for a month next year and I now feel that I know a lot about regional food and about food traditions. I know what I will look for on a menu!With Bavaria, comes an essay on beer making and another essay on Octoberfest and still another essay (with mouth-watering pictures) on local sausages and sausage types. The section on Berlin includes information on the importance of ethnic foods from Turkey, Greece and Italy along with the presentation of traditional food items such as 'Pork Knuckle with Sauerkraut' or 'Veal Scallops' with a fried egg on top, accompanied, perhaps, by sliced pickles and oven roasted potatoes (as shown in a photograph. The section on Schleswig-Holstein is the place to look for a comprehensive selection of fresh fish and shellfish as well as for treatment of dairy products and of lamb dishes. There is an essay on pubs and bars and another on food conditions for 'working class' residents of the city between 1860 and 1929. 'Pea Soup with Bacon' is a dish typical to the working class diet as is 'Berlin Potato Soup'. Fish recipes include 'Fried Pike Perch with Brown Butter,' 'Baked Polish Karp' and 'Stewed Eel.' Look to the section on the Saarland for a cornucopia of recipes for fruit tarts and for roasted or braised goat meat. Every section of the book features its own region's baked specialties: the section on Hesse features recipes for Christmas cookies and a recipe plus instructions for making a 'Gingerbread House.'The book is 10-1/4 inches tall by 9 inches wide and it comes with a very sturdy, flexible cover with a strong tape binding that opens easily and should last for years. That will be a good thing for lovers of Germany and its traditional foods.

this is a really impressive book.. it goes into full detail of the areas and backgrounds of each dish.. i'm a great admirer of all the books in the culinaria series, for after you've looked through the book, afterwards you have a greater sense of respect for the culture that you happen to be reading about.. how many books can you say about that?? I had also bought 'spoonfuls of germany' but this book by far is the superior 1. 'spoonfuls of germany' virtually has no pictures / illustrations and it's left up to me to guess what the dish is supposed to look like. the only downside to this book i think is that there are no mention of 'servings' for each dish, so i have no idea if the ingredients are meant to serve 1 or 5.. and because it's so chockful of information, the book is quite big (almost 500 pgs!!) and the text is quite small, and maybe slightly inconvenient in the kitchen.Otherwise this is a great book. part geography book, part cookbook, this is a great addition to any kitchen.

It is a wonderful way to introduce foreigners to the basic recipesof traditional German cooking while also providing colorful glimpsesinto historic cityscapes and landscapes. It would be wrong, however, tocome to the conclusion that you have hit contemporary cooking.Today'sCulinaria are defined by its multicultural society and by a people whoare known to be one of the most curious and adventurous travelers.You have to look or connect with a local aficionado to find the realoriginal food hidden in "Gastwirtschafts" in old towns' alleys and inpittoresque spots of the countryside. The book makes a very nice gift.

Having lived ten years in Germany and married to a German who loves to cook traditional dishes from her homeland, this book is a big hit at our house. I find all my favorite recipes with their origins explained and we find new favorites every time we open it. The recipies are quite accurate and easy to follow. Most have photos so you can see how they are traditionally served. The photos and the historical information make this book fun to read and to cook with. The recipies are organized by regions, German states to be exact, and it has a nice index for searching by other parameters. It's a large format coffee table book that your dinner guests will enjoy, especially after some Shweinehaxe mit Rotkraut. Ein Prosit!

A bit of my background: I was educated as a geographer. I already have a few other countries (i.e. France, Spain, and Italy) from this series. This series, include this one, provides description of dish, desert, beverages, and interesting culture by regions of the country. The photos gives you good visual view of what the writer try to present to you (i.e. how food is linked to topography, history and culture). Such way of presenation differentiates this series from others that are pure collection of recipes. I read this book (as well as this series) alongside with history/geography books I have regarding Europe, which was a fascinating experience.

I spent 34 years in Germany and this book was a wonderful reminder for our whole family. I loved the photos and descriptions. I especially liked how the food was divided into the regions of Germany. My son bought this book for himself and I bought one as a surprise for my daughter. This book really captures what German food is all about, especially the breads and broetchen. My only complaint is the obvious omission of what I considered the national dish of Germany--schnitzel (pork or veal).

This is a reprint and the pictures are not as vivid as in my otherCulinaria's of France, Italy, Greece and Spain

This is a very nice and informative book containing lots of interesting facts and recipes found in German cuisine. I currently live in Germany and must say that the food here is not extremely tasty, but never the less it is super interesting to find out how the curry wurst was created, how sour craut is made and lots more typical German foods. The book is divided into German states and looks into local foods, providing not only information but sometimes historical facts about food. It has lots of inspiring recipes (although I must point out that this is not a recipe book, the recipes seem to complement the rest of the book content).It is a good book especially if you live in Germany or are planning to visit, and I found out it make for a great gift for fellow expats in Germany.

I love the Culinaria range of cookbooks as they blend interesting facts about the country with wonderful photographs and fantastic recipes. I love the Culinaria Hungary and Culinaria Spain!I think the authors of Culinaria Germany just tried to cram in too much. Some of the stories are just too wordy and would have benefitted from tighter editting. The copy editors have continually adjusted the font size so that the text will fit each double page spread with the result that the font size changes often. Some of the pages have text so small that its very hard to read. Especially if you are trying to use it as a cookbook (ie: propped on a bookstand on your kitchen worktop about an arms length away). The recipes are great though and the photos and stories are good too. Just not as good as other titles in the same range.

Delicious...delightful....learning experience...If you've never been to Germany and enjoyed the "full meal deal", this is the book for you. Even if you have been to Germany, this is the book for you! Regional dishes, wines, culture and traditions to be enjoyed, tasted and shared. Although some ingredients are a bit difficult to obtain, some can be grown in your own garden or bought in speciality shops. In any case, Culinaria Germany presents you with a wonderful opportunity to take yourself, family and friends on a tasty tour of Germany and learn something about Germany's culture and traditions.

Ein Super-Geschenk für Freunde in England, denen man in einem kurzen Überblick die deutsche Küche näherbringen möchte.Analog den Culinaria-Büchern auf deutsch.Prima!