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LIVING IN GERMANY

Five German foods to try this summer

With its hearty pork and potato dishes, you may think that German food is more suited to the winter months - but a taste of these gorgeous summer treats will definitely change your mind.

Spargel queen in Beelitz
The Spargel Queen and six Landfrauen (country women) display their harvest of Spargel in the famous asparagus town of Beelitz, near Berlin. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Ralf Hirschberger

Each region of Germany has its own summer culinary tradition for the best meals to snack on in the sun. What’s great is that many of them can easily be made vegetarian or vegan. 

Why not find some recipes based on the delectable treats below to impress the guests at your next summer party or barbecue?

  • Fried herring

Fried, salted herring is a classic northern German dish. It became popular in the Hanseatic League, which grew from a few north German towns in the late 12th century.

The League disintegrated in the late 16th Century, but Bremen, Hamburg and Lübeck remained members until the mid-1800s. Members of the Hanseatic League developed a special cuisine due to their access to rich foreign ingredients from their connections abroad. This made Hanseatic food distinctive and unusual, as it was rare that other regions even in northern Germany would have access to similar ingredients and flavourings.


Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s state premier Erwin Sellering receives a fried herring from District Administrator Birgit Hesse at the International Green Week in Berlin. Fried herring, or Brathering, is a hanseatic speciality. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Nestor Bachmann

The League traded in herring, so it soon became a staple. Salting the herring helped to preserve it, and the popularity of the food has stuck. Nowadays northern Germans eat Bratheringe – fried and marinated herrings. 

Herrings are often served as a salad (with a sour-cream dressing), with cream cheese sauce (Frischkäse-Sauce), marinated with spices or as Berlin-style Rollmops (rolled and stuffed with vegetables and spices). They are often also served with a side of crispy potato slices. 

Unfortunately there aren’t many vegan or vegetarian alternatives to this food itself, but beetroots, fried aubergine, apples or gherkins make for good vegan swap-in options in salads.

  • White Asparagus

States like Baden-Württemberg and Brandenburg pride themselves on their white asparagus (or Spargel) dishes, as the vegetable stands at the heart of their trade. Some states even rake in big bucks selling ‘asparagus tours’ to tourists where you can explore the asparagus-growing regions and even sample different types of asparagus. 

READ ALSO: Only in Germany: McDonald’s begins offering ‘Spargel Burger’

Some cities on the Baden route also offer an annual asparagus festival (Spargelfest) with a whole host of different asparagus-based meals on the menu, alongside fun asparagus-related activities. 

It’s such an immensely popular ingredient that around a fifth of Germany’s overall land for vegetable cultivation is reserved for white asparagus. 

It is thought that white asparagus was first introduced into Germany via the Roman Empire, but the industry dissolved. It emerged next in the 16th century, but only on the plates of the most wealthy and privileged. 


“Spargelino”, the mascot of famous Spargel town Beelitz in Brandenburg, walks with an elderly lady through the streets. Photo: Ralf Hirschberger/dpa

The fact that white asparagus used to be reserved for royalty and the court plays no small part in its popularity. It even has two nicknames in Germany which reflect its former pomp and prestige: das Königsgemüse (the royal vegetable) or das Weißgeld (white gold). 

READ ALSO: Why Germans go crazy for wild mushrooms in the autumn months

However, with now over 70,000 tonnes of asparagus consumed by Germans per year, the years of scarcity are now being more than made up for.  

Asparagus season (or Spargelzeit) usually spans from the middle of April to the end of June, so it is an ideal food for the spring or summer heat and can be converted into a number of diverse and versatile meals. 

Spargel can be eaten in soup, salads, tarts, pasta dishes or on its own with a light sauce or vinaigrette. Next time you visit a restaurant during Spargelzeit, you may even see a Spargel pizza on the menu! And if you fancy a tipple, it can also be incorporated into alcoholic drinks such as martinis.

Countless recipes in English or German can be found online if you fancy incorporating this royal food into your summer repertoire. Even better – it’s easy to keep recipes with this ingredient in them vegan or at least vegetarian. 

READ ALSO: Spaghetti ice cream to Wobbly Peter: Why we love Germany’s sweet summer snacks

  • Cabbage salad

Cabbage salad is a slaw-like, summery salad packed with flavour and nutrients. Red kraut salad is made with shredded red cabbage, red onion, pickled beetroot, vinegar and plum jam, whilst white kraut salad (Weisskrautsalat) is made with white cabbage, vegetable stock, vinegar, sugar and caraway seeds. You can also optionally add bacon – or vegan bacon alternatives if you want to keep it vegetarian or vegan.

The salad is popular far beyond Germany – it is a common side or barbecue dish in America, Poland, Serbia and Hungary. However, Bavarian variations of the salad are favoured throughout Germany. 


Cabbage salad can be made with either red or white cabbage and served as a delicious side dish at a summer barbecue. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Gräfe und Unzer Verlag | Oliver Brachat

This simple-to-make, often vegan recipe is a favourite for many Germans in the summer months due to its lightness and versatility. It was also an incredibly widespread and popular food in the GDR, to be found on any raw food buffet.

  • Bavarian ‘bee sting’ cream cake

This traditional recipe, called Bienenstich (bee sting cake) in German, has a predictably interesting backstory. According to legend, a feud between the towns of Andernach and Linz escalated into violence when the former was attacked by the latter. 

However, the residents of Andernach managed to fend the residents of Linz off by throwing beehives at the attackers, who promptly fled. To celebrate the event, the people of Andernach invented the cake and named it after the event which inspired it. 


What could be better on a hot summer’s day than a light and delicious slice of Bienenstich? Photo: Alice Wiegand / CC-BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

The Bienenstich is a rich but not heavy dessert made which combines flaked, caramelised almonds, honey, sweet yeast dough and vanilla custard or cream. The honey is an important component, relating to and recalling the origin tale of the dessert. 

The cake takes less than an hour to prepare and is a brilliant addition to any party, barbecue or garden party. If made correctly, it is airy and light to eat – an excellent snack to enjoy in the heat. 

READ ALSO: Five German foods that aren’t what you think they are

This dessert is always vegetarian, and there’s a wealth of easy recipes online explaining how to make vegan alternatives which taste just as good as the original. 

  • Spätzle and spätzle salad

Spätzle dishes originate from Swabia and are eaten at all times of the year, but spätzle salads are a very common side dish at barbecues and other summer events. In fact, around 40,000 tonnes of Spätzle are produced in the German food industry each year – although this is only half as much as annual asparagus consumption, and to my knowledge there’s no Spätzle festival either.

A type of hand-crafted noodle or pasta, spätzle are typically made from a dough which combines egg, flour and salt, although there are easy vegan alternatives to this recipe. 


Why not spice up your Spätzle dish with some roasted red onions and pumpkin? Photo: picture alliance/dpa/www.biskuitwerkstatt.de | Mareike Winter

In the summer, Spätzle are mostly served cold with sun-dried tomatoes, courgette, pepper, asparagus, salad leaves and vinaigrette or pesto. This should help to offset a mid-afternoon carb fatigue and leave you feeling light and refreshed. 

Making spätzle is also commonly a family activity – some families even have a secret, special recipe for the dish which is handed down to each new generation – so if you’re planning to make this simple and delicious dish from scratch, make sure to enlist the help of your loved ones.

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INSIDE GERMANY

Inside Germany: ‘Ampel’ makeover and can Euro 2024 bring Germans together?

From how the Euros are providing a sense of relief in Germany amid heightened tensions to a traffic light transformation in Frankfurt and lucky chimney sweeps, here's what we've been talking about this week.

Inside Germany: 'Ampel' makeover and can Euro 2024 bring Germans together?

Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in Germany that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

The Euros are bringing Germans together – but tension remains 

Whichever way you look at it, it’s been a turbulent few years. In the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, sparking forced migration, an energy crisis and fears over war spreading in Europe. 

In Germany, the cost of living crisis has been gripping residents for years, resulting in increased strike action and protests. Meanwhile, the economy has tanked, support for the coalition government is falling dramatically, division remains over war in the Middle East and the the far-right has climbed in the polls. At the recent European parliament elections, Alternative for Germany (AfD) took second position in the national vote. 

READ ALSO: What do Germany’s far-right gains in EU elections mean for foreigners?

With these unresolved issues, you might think that Germany would struggle to come together to organise the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament this summer.

But so far, Deutschland has been a fantastic host.

The scenes of fans from different countries gathering in German cities and mixing with locals have been joyous to see. 

Games and logistical matters are taking place without any major problems (at least most of the time).

Hammering Scotland 5-1 in the opening game may have brought Germans a much needed boost. Seeing residents from all walks of life huddle around TVs on streets or attend fan zones to cheer on their team has felt like something we’ve all needed after such heavy years. 

Perhaps if the German team goes far, it will unite people even more. 

But the tension is still around. 

A recent survey by broadcaster WDR’s Sport Inside, found that one in five respondents would prefer if the German national team had more “white” players, highlighting racist attitudes. 

It comes after German partygoers were filmed singing “foreigners out!” on the holiday island of Sylt. 

The Euros are providing much-needed light relief in Germany right now – but football won’t fix everything. 

Frankfurt Ampelmann gets makeover

Football figures on the traffic lights in Frankfurt to celebrate Euro 2024.

Football figures on the traffic lights in Frankfurt to celebrate Euro 2024. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Andreas Arnold

Football fever is gripping the nation – and Frankfurt has updated its traffic lights or Ampeln to to celebrate

Anyone walking through central Frankfurt might spot the Ampelmann (traffic light man) giving a red card or kicking the ball – depending on the colour. 

German cities are known for their unusual traffic light figures. 

The most famous are the Ampelmännchen (little traffic light men) in Berlin. These were first created in what was then East Berlin back in 1961 and now appear on various traffic lights in the centre of the German capital. 

Germany in Focus

In the latest episode of our Germany in Focus podcast, we talk about our highlights of Euro 2024 so far, why the German coalition is hanging by a thread, the postal system reform, how offices are preparing for the German citizenship law changes and the German vocabulary you need to watch football. 

Lucky chimney sweeps

My building recently received a visit from a lovely Schornsteinfeger (chimney sweep) to check our boilers were in working order. 

It reminded me that seeing a chimney sweep is meant to bring good luck in Germany. 

That’s because they traditionally came to homes to clean out chimneys, removing soot and dirt, which would help ward off the possibility of fires (as well as unwanted evil spirits). 

A chimney sweep on a roof on Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg in 2023.

A chimney sweep on a roof on Maulbronn, Baden-Württemberg in 2023. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Bernd Weißbrod

They may not actually be going into chimneys and getting covered in soot these days but they’re still providing maintenance and checking on various heating systems which can only be a Glücksbringer (lucky charm).

You’re supposed to get even more luck if you touch a chimney sweep – for example by shaking their hand or twisting one of their silver buttons – but you should probably ask them first. 

If you see a Schornsteinfeger on New Year’s Day or on your wedding day it’s meant to be even luckier.

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