Download Cuisine Heritage of Germany, Austria and Switzerland

Culinary Heritage of
Germany, Austria
and Switzerland
By: Jes Baldeweg-Rau
Period 7
Germany and their Food
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Until the Middle Ages, the German diet mainly consisted of meat and their
by-products (milk and cheese). However, to many of the poor meat was
considered a luxury.
Today, meat such as game bird, rabbit, and sheep are considered common
foods, with the use of juniper berries, as well as mustard and horseradish
being commonly used for condiments.
The food variety changes in different parts of the country. Northern
Germany still tends to reflect the customs of the nearby Scandinavian
countries. The diet here emphasizes on meats and potatoes,while in the
south, a lighter cuisine can be found with strong influences from nearby
Italy and Austria.
Germany is home to a number of different wursts(sausages), such as
Bratwurst, Blutwurst, Bockwurst, Knackwurst, etc.
Germany is also globally known for their pastries. For example: Black forest
cake, Quark Kuchen, coffee cake, etc
As hard as it may be to believe, Germany is only the third highest in alcohol
consumption, behind the Czech Republic and Ireland.
Sheep Meat in Germany
Quark Kuchen and Black Forest
Cake
Switzerland and their Food
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The style of food in Switzerland can be considered a combination of food
styles, influenced by surrounding countries such as Germany, Austria, Italy,
and France.
Swiss cooks had little to work with before the country became a tourist
attraction. They had to employ skill and imagination to turn simple garden
vegetables and fruit into appetizing meals.
Today, when people think of Swiss food most think of fondue or
Emmenthaler cheese, but the Swiss are loyal to their cantonal identities.
Thus it is much more reasonable to discuss the cookery of Bern, or of Vaud,
or of Zürich, rather than to group them all up.
Many recipes have become distinctively Swiss, such as fondue, Raclette
(more melted cheese), rösti (a dish of fried potatoes), or leckerli (honey and
ginger cookies).
The Swiss also love healthy foods, influencing the creation of many healthy
dishes such as muesli.
Cheese Production in
Switzerland
Swiss Fondue
Austria and their Food
• Austrian food shows culinary reflection of an ethnically mixed people
who, during the many centuries, have exchanged culinary know-how
with Turkish, Swiss, Alsacian, French, Spanish, Dutch, Italian,
German, Bohemian-Moravian, Hungarian, Polish, Croatian,
Slovenian, Slovakian, Serbian, and Jewish cuisine
• Vienna is the main reason for Austria's food diversity. Vienna was
Austria's main marketing location and meeting place for foreign
affairs.
• An Austrian meal can have as little as two courses, or as many as
seven, varying on the importance of the meal.
• Austrians share the same love for meat as the Germans do and are
actually the founders of the well known Schnitzel and all its varied
styles.
• Austrians are also extreme dessert lovers. One of the most loved
desserts is vanillekipferl, which are crescent-shaped cookies coated
in confectioner's sugar.
Austrian Schnitzel
Quiz Questions
• 1. Up to how many courses can be in an
Austrian meal?
• 2. What countries consume more alcohol
than Germany?
Answers
• 1. Up to 7 courses
• 2. Czech Republic and Ireland
Links
 http://www.enotes.com/food-encyclopedia/germany-austriaswitzerland
 http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Cooking%20by%20Country/Germany
.htm
 http://world-food-and-wine.com/swiss-food
 http://www.sallybernstein.com/food/cuisines/austria/