{"id":11375,"date":"2019-12-29T11:00:30","date_gmt":"2019-12-29T11:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=11375"},"modified":"2019-12-28T22:17:00","modified_gmt":"2019-12-28T22:17:00","slug":"whats-for-dinner-with-german-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/whats-for-dinner-with-german-christmas\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s for Dinner with German Christmas?"},"content":{"rendered":"

German Christmas has a lot of interesting traditions<\/a>. But when it comes to\u00a0Essen<\/em>… We are just not that traditional about it, it seems! Where other cultures have traditional Christmas dishes, like the French b\u00fbche de No\u00ebl<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or Venezuelan\u00a0hallacas<\/em><\/a>, the Germans don’t. While we make dozens and dozens of Weihnachtspl\u00e4tzchen<\/em><\/a> (Christmas cookies) and other sweets<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>to cover the entire festive season, there is no grand dish that quite encapsulates “Christmas”! So what do Germans eat for Christmas dinner? Let’s find out!<\/p>\n

The Top 5 German Christmas Dinner Dishes!<\/strong><\/h2>\n

First of all, Germans tend to not have their main dinner on the 25th, but on the 24th, which is known as\u00a0Heiligabend\u00a0<\/em>(holy evening)<\/a>. It’s when Christmas presents are unwrapped, too, usually after dinner.<\/p>\n

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Kartoffelsalat mit Bockw\u00fcrstchen und Senf<\/em> (Image by budget travel accommodation at Flickr.com under license CC BY SA 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

According to an\u00a0Umfrage\u00a0<\/em>(survey),\u00a0Kartoffelsalat mit W\u00fcrstchen<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(potato salad with sausage) is the most eaten Christmas dinner in Germany. Yes, really! That simple! The\u00a0Kartoffelsalat\u00a0<\/em>is often already made the night before on the 23rd, so that it tastes even better on the night itself. The W\u00fcrstchen\u00a0<\/em>are simply warmed up on the night itself.<\/p>\n

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G\u00e4nsebraten<\/em> with Kn\u00f6del<\/em> and some Gem\u00fcse<\/em> (vegetables) (Image by a.fiedler at Flickr.com under license CC BY SA 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

But a lot of people also make it more complex! On number two is Weihnachtsgefl\u00fcgel<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>(Christmas poultry), such as a\u00a0Weihnachtsgans\u00a0<\/em>(Christmas goose) or\u00a0Entenbraten <\/em>(duck roast). Though it is a lot of effort and requires some skill to get right. It may be served with anything, like Reis <\/em>(rice) or Kartoffeln <\/em>(potatoes).<\/p>\n

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Raclettepf\u00e4nnchen <\/em>(Raclette pan) with Raclettegrill<\/em> (Raclette griddle) (Image by Ty Nigh at Flickr.com under license CC BY 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

Coming in third is an easier dish that does not require somebody to constantly be in the kitchen –\u00a0Raclette\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>(raclette). With its little pans and large variety of ingredients to cook, the French mealtime is a gem\u00fctliches<\/em> (cosy) meal. It also tends to take a lot longer than a regular dinner, considering the cooking of each little pan takes a while, too. So that’s also nice for a\u00a0Weihnachtsessen<\/em>, where you can relax and catch up with your family and friends!<\/p>\n

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A little bit of a deviation from the pork, but close enough: Wildschweinsteak (boar steak) (Image by trombone65 at Flickr.com under license CC BY ND 2.0)<\/p><\/div>\n

The fourth-most liked dish is another German classic:\u00a0Schwein\u00a0<\/em>(pork)! Whether it’s a Schweineschnitzel <\/em>(pork schnitzel) or a\u00a0Schweinebraten\u00a0<\/em>(pork roast),\u00a0Schwein\u00a0<\/em>is a popular German meat. While it also takes quite some time, it is a lot easier to prepare than the\u00a0Gefl\u00fcgel<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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K\u00e4sefondue (cheese fondue) (Image by angela pham at unsplash.com)<\/p><\/div>\n

And finally, there is\u00a0Fondue<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>(fondue). Like\u00a0Raclette<\/em>, this Swiss dish is a\u00a0gem\u00fctliche\u00a0<\/em>way of celebrating Christmas dinner. Sitting together around a pan, while dipping forks equipped with various ingredients in hot cheese or oil makes good conversation happen!<\/p>\n

As you can tell from these favorite dishes, the Germans don’t have very strong traditions themselves. Two out of these top 5 dishes are from a different country, so it shows the Germans are not very strict and traditional when it comes to their Christmas dinner. But what matters to them is that it is\u00a0gem\u00fctlich<\/em> and allows to catch up with family! With\u00a0W\u00fcrstchen\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0Kartoffelsalat\u00a0<\/em>at the top, the idea seems to be: Less work in the kitchen, more time sitting together at the table and enjoying the\u00a0Gemeinsamkeit\u00a0<\/em>(togetherness).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

German Christmas has a lot of interesting traditions. But when it comes to\u00a0Essen… We are just not that traditional about it, it seems! Where other cultures have traditional Christmas dishes, like the French b\u00fbche de No\u00ebl\u00a0or Venezuelan\u00a0hallacas, the Germans don’t. While we make dozens and dozens of Weihnachtspl\u00e4tzchen (Christmas cookies) and other sweets\u00a0to cover the…<\/p>\n

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