• People have lived here for thousands of years, first in tribes and then in a patchwork of small kingdoms that finally became one under the Franks and eventually turned into the Holy Roman Empire, as the German state was known in the Middle Ages.

• Medieval people had a feudal society: kings and nobles lived the good life and held many huge feasts. The cool climate of the northern coastal region made hearty meals and soups popular, and there was also plenty of fresh seafood and herring available, as well as roast fowl. Rye and oats were grown to make dense, rich breads.

• Things were not so pleasant for those at the other end of the feudal system. Serfs, villagers, and free peasants ate whatever they could grow or gather during the little spare time was available to them. This included barley, rye, and oats, as well as lots of red cabbage, apples and beets in the north; the same thing, as well as turnips, sugar beets, and pears in the central region; and the south also had a wide variety of fruit.

• Game was plentiful everywhere, but only kings and nobles could hunt it. Commoners could fish from some local streams and raise livestock, and they could make bread, but they had to pay the lord of the manor for use of his oven (home baking was forbidden by law).• There was also a demographic group that lived outside of the medieval German feudal system. “Ashkenaz” was the medieval Hebrew name for Germany as it was then, and its people were the Ashkenazim, or German Jews. They shared many of the same foods, as far as kosher laws would allow: no pork, but plenty of pickled herring, horseradish, rye breads, vegetable soups, strudel, cakes, and even a treat that is still around today—one that you might be snacking on right now.

Throw Back German Style

• The Renaissance ushered in greater power for cities, and in those cities a variety of craft guilds formed, including a number of cooking and baking guilds. A new “middle” class also appeared, and it took on some of the elaborate cooking styles of the royals and nobility while keeping the best of its own heritage of peasant cooking and baking.

• Then, in the 16th century, the potato arrived from the New World. At first, Germans didn’t care much for it, but it was just as filling as maische (mashing) and much more tasty and versatile. Soon its popularity soared, and today it’s difficult to imagine what German cooking would be like without the potato.

• In 1871, a unified Germany appeared for the very first time. Industrialization increased over the following decades, and the country went to war twice in the 20th century, with disastrous results each time. At the end of World War II, Germany had its “Zero Hour,” with people having to make do with less than 800 calories a day, mostly from cabbage, potatoes and bread.

• Recovery happened slowly. Some 12 million Germans were expelled from formerly occupied countries in Europe, bringing back with them a variety of cooking styles and food preferences. As prosperity returned, Middle Eastern “guest workers” arrived, and a new flavor was added to the complex blend of food and style that modern German cooking had become.• German cooking and baking has deep roots and yet always tastes new and fresh. The latest trends of today’s food world are found in German kitchens and restaurants alongside the old favorites that are being enjoyed by a new generation for the very first time.

http://www.culinaryarts360.com/index.php/history-of-german-cooking-and-baking-5734/

Throw Back German Style Cont.

Germany uses a three-dimensional pyramid that provides qualitative (nutritional role of the food) as well as quantitative (how much of this food relative to others) advice on food consumption. The four sides of the pyramid are dedicated to the following food groups:

• Foods primarily of plant origin; criteria for grouping at the base, middle or top of the pyramid being calorie density, nutrient density (vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fibre); preventive aspects (cancer, heart disease).

• Foods primarily of animal origin; criteria for grouping at the base, middle or top of the pyramid being calorie density, nutrient density (e.g., calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, B vitamins, vitamin D); fat quality (saturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids).

• Dietary fats and oils; positioning criteria for fats being: fatty acid composition omega-3, omega-6, omega-9 fatty acids, saturated fats, ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids); vitamin E; cholesterol; trans fats; application in cooking; criteria for oils: ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids; vitamin E content.

• Beverages; positioning criteria being: calorific value (moderate: < 7% carbohydrates, high: > 7% carbohydrates); essential nutrients; phytonutrients; stimulants; sweeteners.

• The colours on the left of each of the four sides of the German pyramid are traffic lights that indicate the nutritional value of the foods and thereby give advice on the amounts to be consumed. The traffic lights apply to foods within the same food group.

The bottom of the 3D pyramid depicts a circle indicating the relative proportions of each group in the diet. For this, the plant-based foods are divided into ‘fruits and vegetables’ and ‘cereals’ and are given a much larger proportion of the circle than the animal-based foods. Fats are reduced to a very small proportion of the whole and water fills the center.

http://www.eufic.org/article/en/expid/food-based-dietary-guidelines-in-europe/

German Food Pyramid

German Food Pyramid

http://www.eufic.org/article/en/expid/food-based-dietary-guidelines-in-europe/