Status: 01.08.2023 18:26
What is Labskaus made of, what exactly is matjes and where does the Franzbrötchen come from? Many well-known North German specialties have a special history. Useful information and recipes.
Hearty, down-to-earth and filling – that’s what North German cuisine is known for. Typical ingredients of many traditional dishes are meat, fish, cabbage and potatoes. But the menus in the north are more diverse than some think. Lamb dishes and sweet treats also have a permanent place on them. Some dishes are only known in certain areas, others are served throughout the North.
Fish, crab, mussels and lamb
Fish dishes play a major role on the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas. Plaice, turbot, herring and cod, which is known as cod in the Baltic Sea, are just a few of the typical fish that have been fished in the north for centuries. Dishes with crabs (North Sea prawns) or mussels are typical of North Sea cuisine. A special delicacy is the meat of the salt marsh lamb. The salty grass and fresh herbs from the dykes and salt marshes of the North Sea coast give the meat a special aroma.
Further information
A sophisticated mussel stew that Johannes Schröder refines with herbs, curry paste and coconut milk. Recipe
Hamburg panfish and Finkenwerder plaice
The large range of fish from the Elbe and North Sea also shaped Hamburg’s cuisine. The Finkenwerder plaice, named after a district of Hamburg, is very popular and the fish is served with a bacon tip. Another traditional dish is the Hamburg panfish. To do this, potatoes are first fried with onions in a pan (pan), then the fish is added. Typical is the strong mustard sauce with which everything is served. It used to cover up the sometimes rather strong smell of the fish in what used to be “poor man’s food”.
Further information
The cod is only fried briefly, the mustard sauce for the traditional pan dish is refined with white wine and cream. Recipe
Stint and herring: specialties in winter and spring
In many northern German port cities, the street name Stintfang is reminiscent of the small fish that migrates upstream in large swarms from the North Sea to the Elbe and Weser between February and April to spawn – that’s the smelt season in northern Germany. Traditionally it is gutted, fried and eaten whole, usually with fried potatoes or potato salad.
The matjes season starts in mid-May at the earliest. This is young herring that has been matured with salt in wooden barrels. It is typically eaten either in a bun or “housewife style” with a creamy onion apple sauce and potatoes.
Further information
Matjes and shrimp taste particularly good on the home-baked bread. This goes well with rocket salad with raspberries. Recipe
Labskaus – traditional seafarers’ dish
Opinions are divided on this dish, because Labskaus usually doesn’t look like much. To prepare it, salted beef, potatoes, onions, beetroot and vegetable broth are mashed into a hearty mash. The dish is served with gherkins, beetroot, fried eggs and a choice of rolled mops, Bismarck herring or herring. Labskaus is a typical seaman’s dish and dates back to a time when cooking on board ships relied on non-perishable foods such as pickles and cured meats.
Further information
The classic reinterpreted: Instead of corned beef, fine beef fillet is served, herring replaces rollmops. Recipe
Kale: Many different preparation methods
The kale season in northern Germany begins in late autumn and winter. The preparation varies slightly from region to region. In the Oldenburg and Bremen areas, cabbage is traditionally cooked with oatmeal. It is served with Pinkel, a smoked grützwurst.
Further information
Rainer Sass shows how to prepare kale with meat and sausage or as a vegan vegetable dish with fried tomatoes. Recipe
In Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, green cabbage is served with Kassler or cabbage sausage. In the Hanover and Braunschweig area there is Bregenwurst, a lightly smoked Mettwurst. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the popular cabbage is eaten with either Kassler, cabbage sausage or pork cheek. Traditional side dishes are boiled or fried potatoes, and in Schleswig-Holstein also caramel potatoes – small, round potatoes (triplets) that have been caramelized in a pan with a little sugar. If you like, sprinkle the kale with some sugar.
Hearty with meat and vegetables
In the Harz Mountains and the Mecklenburg Lake District, traditionally game dishes are on the menu – deer, deer and wild boar live in the extensive forest areas. A specialty in the Lüneburg Heath is the tender, spicy meat of the Heidschnucke. Schnüsch comes from Schleswig-Holstein – a summery stew with beans that are cooked in milk with other vegetables. The classic is vegetarian, but can also be served with Holstein cottage ham. This specialty is cold smoked.
North German cuisine likes to combine hearty with sweet or sour. For example in the traditional dish of pears, beans and bacon or in the eel soup, which gets its typically sweet and sour taste from baked fruit. There is still disagreement today as to whether the soup originally always contained eel or was called that because everything (Low German aal) was simply cooked with it that the pantry had to offer.
Further information
Smoked fish instead of pork bacon: This is how the popular stew can be prepared tasty and without unhealthy fats. Recipe
Red fruit jelly and Welfenspeise: North German dessert classics
In addition to hearty food, the North Germans also like it sweet: Perhaps the most famous dessert in the North is Rote Grütze, which is made from red fruits such as raspberries, strawberries, cherries and currants and is served with vanilla sauce, cream or ice cream. A popular end to festive meals in Lower Saxony is the Welfenspeise, a layered dessert made from wine and vanilla cream. The yellow and white layering corresponds to the colors of the Guelphs, the dessert was invented especially for the 200th anniversary of the throne of the noble family.
Friesentorte and Franzbrötchen: sweets from the bakery
The north also has a few special baked goods to offer. These include the Friesentorte – a layered cake made from shortcrust and puff pastry bases with plum jam and cream fillings – and the Franzbrötchen. Whether it was the invention of the “Franz’schen Bäcker”, a bakery based around 1825 in Altona, which was still part of Denmark at the time, or whether Hamburg bakers began making white baguette bread during the French occupation in the 19th century Baking and then frying in a pan with cinnamon and sugar is unclear. One thing is certain: Today, the delicious, cinnamon-sweet Danish pastry is available in almost every bakery in Hamburg.
Further information
Pears, beans and bacon, pinkel or Labskaus – North German recipes are tasty, down-to-earth and traditional. more
This topic in the program:
06/18/2023 | 4 p.m