F&B

The taste of Deustchland

While the connotation 'European Cuisine' unequivocally conjures up the usual suspects- Italian and French, unknown to the gastronome, German cuisine offers an array well beyond the traditional imagery of beer and sausages, combining earthiness with a zing of zest, finds out Neeti Mehra

An Epicurean yearns for change when confronted by the mundane simmering on his dinner plate. A conundrum faced by many a menu planner, who bends over to please his guest and deftly replaces aubergines with artichokes, but within the same iron clad recipe. With world cuisine waltzing into the Indian hospitality space, Germany offers a respite from the tried and tasted.

The culinary parallels

Drawing parallels between Indian and German cuisine, a stark commonality emerges - the existence of regional cuisine. The Lubecker Marzipan (Lubeck), Dresdener Christollen (Christmas Cake from Dresden), Spreewald Gherkins (Spreewald), Black Forest Ham, etc are atypical examples. And the influence of food percolates from the uniqueness of its culinary neighbours - western Germany next to France is an excellent wine-producing region, southern Germany with its Italian connection is known for its unique pasta while north Germany is accustomed to fish specialties due to the Scandivanian influence. A gastronomical journey through the country, hosted by the Central Marketing Organisation of German Agricultural Industry (CMA) revealed a smorgasbord of German food waiting at the threshold to enter Indian menus.

Meats and sausages

Incomplete without allusions in sufficient proportions to its meat and sausage specialties, the country has around 1,500 odd recipes dotting its interiors. The critical factor to their taste is the unique blend of spices, marinades and additives, consisting of paprika, mushrooms, pistachio, eggs, and even fruit. Conveniently sized batch packs can be easily procured by companies that prepare them like Nesse, and infused into local preparations in Indian kitchens. Bruhwurst (scalded sausages) - made from beef, veal, pork or poultry and Kochwurst (cooked sausages), prepared from pre-boiled meat are typically German. In meats, preserved sausages or salamis and ham specialities which can be cooked or smoked are the regional traditional specialities. Uwe Griesbaum, export manager of Obere Metzgerei, a company that has been producing smoked ham from the Black Forest region since 1749, feels that the Indian consumer is ready for different flavours. This world-famous ham gets it distinctive flavour from smoking over the indigenous pine wood.

Of grapes and barley

Any German food fiesta is incomplete without German beer, characterised by malty, aromatic and lightly hoppy bitterness in varying degrees. A little known fact of Germany's most famous export is that its origin is sowed in religion, and was a drink of the monks.

Today, the German landscape is dotted with over 5,000 varieties of beers brewed in 1,500 breweries, with approximately 1/5th found in the southern region of Bavaria, and have earned an apt moniker in this region- 'liquid bread.' Adding to folklore is the revolutionary food purity law passed in 1516 which is relevant till date - only barley, malt, hops and water were allowed in the beer-making process, making German beer unique. Micro breweries in a region brew specific beers, such as the Alt Bier or the dark beer of Dusseldorf, is not found in Bavaria, where smoked beer is found in sprawling beer gardens with stupendous views.

Today, F&B managers across India have warmed up to the Oktoberfest. Earlier they were pairing German food with Indian beer, but with companies such as Krombacher eyeing the Indian market, the entire experience can be authenticated. Werner Theuring, consulting brewing engineer, says that the trick to identify good beer is by the compactness of the foam that keeps the beer from oxygenating and becoming flat. "All German beers are additive and preservative free," he adds, resultant positives of the purity law.

Also growing in popularity in India are Schnapps (German for 'gulp'), a clear grain spirit or a distilled spirit, the most famous being the Kirschwasser made from late-ripening black cherries, and used in the ubiquitous Black Forest pastry, that derives its name from the same region in Germany. From the vintner's book, German Rieslings enjoy an exalted status worldwide. Today, digestives such as Underberg, wines and sparklings from the Herres Group and even energy drinks like Effect are knocking on doorways to enter the Indian marketplace.

Dose of daily bread

Germans take their bread and cereal specialties seriously, like the Indians. Their daily dose will appeal to the Indian palate, with the winds of change shifting toward health food and wholegrain varieties that the country is so famous for. The country enjoys the distinction of being one of the biggest and most diverse suppliers of breads in the world. German bakeries and delicatessens dot each curbside, and topping popularity charts are breads that include wheat and rye breads, dark rye and mixed grain, whole-wheat and special breads with oats, barley and corn, and even onions and nuts. Specialty breads, such as Pumpernickel and crispbread are considered a connoisseur's delight. The repertoire includes snacks or finger foods, with 1,200 different recipes of rolls, salt sticks, muesli bars etc, made by companies such as Intersnacks specialising in potato crisps and salty snacks, Hahne (breakfast cereals) and Kondima, (raw bakery material) and Pema (wholegrain breads).

Vegetarian wonders

While meat lovers unite under Deustchland's umbrella, a lesser-known fact is like Indians, they are fond of their pickles, relishes and mustards, in a different avatar. Pickled cucumbers (in various sizes), cabbages (red and white), carrots, peppers and cauliflower, gherkins, and horseradish steeped in mild and sweetened vinegar or brine and flavoured with aromatic spices and seeds are atypical. Germany's most famous pickle - Sauerkraut (fermented shredded white cabbage) - doubles as a vegetable accompaniment to be served in hot and cold dishes, and is laden with lactic acid and vitamin C, with companies like Rich Hengstenberg specialising in preparing it.

Spätzle literally translated means 'little sparrows' in Southern dialect, and consists of tiny noodles or dumplings made of flour, eggs, water or milk, salt and occasionally nutmeg. Potato dumplings - a staple fare of the Bavarian masses, is today present with many delicious variations.

Dairy dealings

The representative of Germany's dairy industry is the German Milk Queen, Maria Wimmer, who comes from Bavaria, the country's leading dairy region. This region offers a mindboggling 400 cheeses of more than 1,000 different tastes!

German cheeses are renowned for their complex aromas and refined tastes, marked with consistency, taste and quality, which include: hard cheese, sliceable cheese, semi-soft cheese, soft and specialty cheeses featuring walnuts, mushrooms, garlic herbs and other similar ingredients.

Bavarian Blue Brie (Blauschmimmelbrie) - with a delicate blue-veined creamy centre and velvety-ripened skin, Brie -a classic 'after dinner' cheese, and Allgäuer Emmentaler - a hard cheese recognised by its nutty flavour, it is high in protein, and develops large holes or eyes. And companies, such as Allgäuland and Zott, producing milk and dairy products, follow methods that preserve the unique alpine regional flavour.

The sweet tooth

The veteran gastronome cannot dispute the country's alliance to a wealth of sweetness- right from the Black Forest Pastry to Ginger Bread (Lebkuchens) and Marzipans. Lebkuchen were first baked in Germany in the city of Nuremberg in 1395, an offshoot of the spice trade, while Marzipans made from sugar and almond skin and oil is used as a stuffing as well as Christmas fare. Confectionery, biscuits and cakes from this country highly regarded - be it chewy wine and fruit gums, jellies, pralines and fruit pastilles. Companies such as Frankonia (sweet diet products and chocolates), Kuchenmeister (cakes and confectionery) , Gummibears from Haribo are looking to tap the Indian marketplace, given the demand for these products.

Bringing in international cuisine to the domestic audience requires drawing on knowledge and introducing alien tastes to an unapprised audience, bringing out the best in both worlds.