Typically German, yet little known.
Stereotypes of Germany such as beer, sausage, fast cars, and on-time trains are common. While these are true to a very large extent, there are many things that are so typically German and yet either not associated with the culture or not really known at all. Despite the plethora of meat dishes everywhere, bread is at least as important to the culture, maybe more. Technology and cities are well known in Germany, but the culture is also very bound up in nature and natural things. And while Italy and France are the summer destinations of note in Europe, Germans are consummate sun worshipers able to bask in a tiny patch of light even in the middle of winter.
Bread
Ask someone outside of Germany what food they associate with the country, sausage or schnitzel are most likely to come out of their mouth. Sure there are sausages specific to each town and region but the variety of bread is at least as much or more than the sausage. Bakeries are on nearly every corner here. There are often chains that have a central baker and send deliveries to dozen smaller counter shops across the town. They open early and are full most of the day. A normal bakery will have 3-4 fairly busy workers as well. They are also one of the few places that are open on a Sunday. This tells you how important bread is to the culture.
Linguistically this is pretty obvious as well. There is the concept of the standard roll. Each area of Germany has a different name for their local preferred style of bread roll. “Semmel” is a word I associate heavily with Hamburg(edit: as I have been informed by several people, Semmel is not from Hamburg. I have no clue why I have that association.) and “Weckle” as something from the south. Both of these can refer to the near ubiquitous “Brötchen”, which literally just means ‘little bread’. Different names for essentially the same object. A normal brötchen where I live is about the size of a fist and is crusty and hard on the outside and soft on the inside. It has a single cut across the top. This kind of thing is known by any traveler that has eaten a continental breakfast in Germany. Everything from jelly to nutella to meat and cheese can be put inside of one for breakfast. And these are just the standard rolls. Kaiserweckle are flatter and round with a spiral of cuts. Ciabattabrötchen resemble the Italian bread. And it goes on.
Sandwiches as mostly bread here. As my wife Ali has noticed, a sandwich (‘belegtes brötchen’, or literally ‘occupied little bread’) is mostly the roll with a slice of ham or cheese and maybe a piece of lettuce. The bread is the thing and usually the point. This is a contrast to the American sandwich which uses bread just mainly to keep your fingers out of the mustard. Slices are thin and the piles of sliced meat are high and topped with cheese.
Listen to German expats talk, those that have left Germany, and they complain mostly that they can’t get good bread anywhere. The American bread is too light and full of air as opposed to the solid German types. And with a bakery chain on every corner here each with its own particular recipes of bread, there is pretty much no chance that anywhere else will match the selection. Although not usually a part of the standard set of ideas about Germany, bread is something that is definitely an integral part of the culture.
Love of Nature
Germans are known for their technology and engineering prowess. The autobahns stretch across the landscape and trains speed between modernly rebuilt metropolises. This is the highly industrial vision of Germany. The accent and reputation is used to sell all manner of such things in American television. What is perhaps less known is the integration with nature that the German culture has.
I heard it said once that no one here cared about separating trash and having bottle deposits until it was publicized that not doing so would hurt the forests. Then everything started changing. Eco and saving the environment is now deep into the modern technical culture as well.
As you are speeding along on your high speed train, take a look out the window. Cities and towns are fairly compact and have very definite borders. It is normal for a high rise apartment building to be over the fence from a field that stretches off to the green hills. Agriculture and local farmland is still important to places, especially around Freiburg where the link to nature and the forest is even higher than perhaps elsewhere. The zoning laws help keep the farms and cities from mixing or crowding the other out. The side of effect of this is to keep population densities in the cities high enough for public transport and bike riding to remain viable. The last time I was home, my parents were showing me all of the new construction where there used to be just trees. So no more forest, just parking lots. I can’t even imagine that happening here. At least not without a protest.
Fresh air is something that is seemingly required in all times of the year. There is an obsession to having the outside and inside mixed. I see this as another sign of the linkage to nature that is subtle but common. Due to the density of buildings, gardens are rare. Balconies are loved and adorned with flower boxes. The space alongside trains where no one would want to live is usually converted into garden plots for purchase. Weekends, especially Sunday’s when no store is open, is prime time to go up into the forest and hike or sit outside by the lake. Yes, even in the winter if it is sunny.
Sun Worshipers
Think of the sunny spots in Europe. Italy, Spain, Greece and the south of France probably come to mind. There is a good reason for that. There is tons of sun there especially in the summer. Germany is not known for its sun. Freiburg is well known in Germany as the sunniest place in the country. This is statistical measure you understand of hours of sunlight per year. Ok, I haven’t lived anywhere else in Germany for more than a few months, but I would not compare the sunniness we have here with Italy.
Winters are cold and windy and can be dark and dreary in Germany. This means that any sunlight is precious. You see this in the summer and it isn’t so noticeable. Yeah, it is nice out so people are out enjoying being outside (see Love of Nature above). It seems normal to be out when it is actually warm out. A lot of travelers, especially students, only see this time of year while they are backpacking through. When it starts getting cooler and darker is when it gets far more noticeable. On a cool windy fall day at a temperature that would make an Italian run for their coat, you will often see Germans in short sleeves sitting outside at cafes. It gets really noticeable as the shadows creep down. The tables in the shade are abandoned and only those in the sun have people. This remains true in the depths of winter, just add a fleece wrap to keep the chill off. Sunlight is still to be savored.
A Germany travel guide for budget travelers : Budget Travel Adventures
March 8, 2013 @ 8:25 pm
[…] is the land of bread. Bakeries are on nearly every corner in the center of the city and still fairly common in […]
Germany gets dark in the winter - Grounded Traveler
November 28, 2012 @ 10:25 pm
[…] really remember being like this in the US. Maybe this is part of my cultural adaptation. Germans love the sun and will sit in a small patch of it at a cafe in the depths of winter like a cat, just basking in […]
Dogs in Public in Germany » Grounded Traveler
May 18, 2012 @ 8:35 am
[…] Public in Germany 18 May, 2012 Despite the industrial and technological bent of society, Germans love nature and animals. This includes dogs, which are often treated better than children in public. This is […]
November 25, 2011 @ 11:58 am
Great! The first time that I feel an American has actually understood our culture. I mean, especially with the “love of nature” you described, many Germans became Vegetarians. Another big part of the population (including me) has reduced the consume of meat to like once a week. (for me this partly caused by the ridiculously high beef-prizes and the pork everywhere. I hate pork, I wish we had more beef like in the US). Anyway, this said it annoys the hell out of me when meeting foreigners (especially Americans) telling me, my country is the country of sausages … I mean, even if historically that might be true – it really hasn’t go a lot to do with the life of many of us. Whereas, without bread … you won’t find a single German person who doesn’t love our bread … even if maybe they don’t like the amazing black bread (you should get used to it, its good for you 🙂 ) – which is rare, anyway – they will still adore brötchen.
there is only one thing I’d disagree on. I’ve been born and then raised for 19 years in Hamburg, now I moved to Freiburg. Anyway I am 99% sure that we do not use the word Semmel. Noone in Hamburg, I know, does. I have always thought that to be a pretty bavarian/southernish term. Well, you probably have a good reason why you associate it with Hamburg.
November 25, 2011 @ 1:01 pm
Hey, thanks for the comment. Yeah, someone else mentioned that Semmel is not Hamburg. i have no clue why I associate it with that area. Especially if it is bavarian, as I have spent very little time on that side of the border. I should change that in the article to keep from confusing people.
There are still a lot more sausages in Germany than in the US. You go into a butcher and an entire case is dedicated to sausages or sliced sausages.
November 10, 2011 @ 11:29 pm
So true on all counts! Even after seven years in Texas I miss the crunchy Broetchen and different kinds of dark break that are not “fluffy” as you so aptly put it. I found some places that sell imported dark bread (Schwarzbrot) and even two that sell a different kind of Broetchen – I splurge on both! And I do miss nature here in the dessert that is West Texas, but I love, love, love the constant blue skies and sunshine. It drives me nuts that there are so few places where you can sit outside and enjoy a coffee or drink when the weather would be so perfect for that… but no, here everybody wants to get out of the sun and into the air-condition. Crazy!
November 10, 2011 @ 11:39 pm
Thanks Sabrina. Approved by a German. 🙂 How do they import Brotchen? Uncooked I guess. Since here it seems that they go stale within hours in the bakery.
Yeah, the US is not great at having outdoor community space. I can’t say about Texas, but I know in NC there wasn’t much. One mall has a pedestrian area with tables outside and a few places in strip malls with tables. But the space is usually near a road so not as pleasant as might be here. It is, I think, both a side effect of the car culture and the climate.
November 11, 2011 @ 9:48 pm
I hear you on the stale Broetchen. Wonder why they go stale so quickly. The few places I found here actually have in-house bakeries within a smaller supermarket, so they are fresh. Not quite like in Germany, but close enough when I feel like I need fresh bread. I usually wet them a little, pop them in the oven, and then they’re even a little crispy.
Same here with outdoor seating. Very few are actually nice and most are toward a street. Oh well, you take what you can get.
November 13, 2011 @ 2:01 pm
I think some of it is the lack of preservatives, but the idea that they are just tossed in a big pile at the bakery could have something to do with it too. You definitely can get dinner rolls in the US. Usually they are the bake-yourself style. They are smaller than a brotchen, but similar in a way.
October 30, 2011 @ 2:39 am
I love bread and I don’t think I’m eating nearly enough here after reading your post! =)
October 31, 2011 @ 9:18 am
Well start sampling more. Find your local bakery and just start pointing at the various things in the case.
October 28, 2011 @ 11:58 pm
Absolutely love the bread in Germany! I wish we had more good bakeries in the US, I really like the idea of stopping by every day to get my bread. I have also heard the French complain about not being able to get good bread in the states too.
October 29, 2011 @ 10:19 am
Yeah, I can imagine the French doing that too. Though the (very) few French bakeries I have been in, the selection is more sweet and pastry-like. In Germany it is much more utilitarian. I agree that the US needs more, though we probably don’t need more easy/tasty calories. Not to mention, how would they overcome both Dunkin Donuts AND Starbucks as draws.
October 28, 2011 @ 11:05 pm
Great observations, especially the bread. Before shifting to German, we asked for some hints on what the expect in our daily life. Someone advised us to forget your taste of Australian bread and embrace the German breads. He was right. We love the German bread. It is a art form.
October 29, 2011 @ 10:17 am
Indeed an art form, though watching the girls sling bread at the corner bakery in town, I do remember that I am in Germany. It is art sold in bulk and in classic German work-form.
BTW what is Australian bread like?
November 9, 2011 @ 11:52 pm
The Australian bread has gotten more flavourful in the last few years. It wasn’t so long ago when there were really two types of bread, white and wholemeal. These days, more gourmet style of breads are appearing. Bear in mind that gourmet usually mean a bread with more seeds or one that is crustier.
November 10, 2011 @ 11:34 pm
Is the Australian bread pretty light and airy or more solid like Germany? American bread, even a whole wheat one will crush to half its size under a carton of milk. I have the sense that even the white bread here might survive.
November 11, 2011 @ 12:22 am
Exactly the same problem in Australia. My father in law is extremely particular on how the grocery bag is packed when checking out. The bread must, at all cost, be on top of the bag, or even in a bag all by itself.
November 13, 2011 @ 1:54 pm
And yet it is amazing how often baggers just don’t do that. One wonders if they are actually malicious or just don’t notice/care.
October 27, 2011 @ 12:41 am
I just road tripped across the States with my friend from Germany and she complained about our lack of good bread (which I agree). She also complained about how much we use air conditioning until she landed in the south… then she understood why we can’t always open the winders here b/c you might suffocate 🙂
October 27, 2011 @ 10:28 pm
Ha.. good to show them why air con is needed. You really just can’t do much without it in the south.
There are good breads in the US, just takes a lot of work to find them and they are far between.
October 26, 2011 @ 11:04 pm
Seriously, the bread is amazing!! We eat so many pumpkin-seed rolls it’s unreal. 😛
October 27, 2011 @ 10:27 pm
Yeah? I keep seeing those as well as the pretzels covered in seeds. It just doesn’t seem so appetizing. I’m still kind of a white bread sort of person. So Baguette, Ciabatta or similar are what I go after. Especially when belegt.