Budget meals from around the world: Germany
German cooking has a reputation for being heavy and meat-focused, but in reality it goes way beyond that. Lentil soups, potato dishes, bread dumplings, and slow-cooked braises extract maximum flavour from low-cost ingredients.
The Facts
- German cooking goes well beyond schnitzel and sausages
- Eintopf is the definition of budget cooking
- Potatoes are among the most used and affordable staples across Germany
Abroad, German food is often reduced to just sausages, 'schnitzel', and maybe a 'spätzle' noodle dish. In reality there are many other traditional dishes worth knowing about, especially the low-cost ones not usually found on restaurant menus.
‘Eintopf’ has fed German families for centuries. It literally means ‘one pot’ and describes a whole category of cheap and filling soups, stews, and braises from lentils, dried beans, potatoes, root vegetables, barley, and whatever meat scraps are available.
Potatoes feature heavily in German cooking, whether boiled, fried, mashed, baked, turned into soup, or combined with sauerkraut for a dish that costs almost nothing and keeps for days. Sauerkraut itself is one of the best budget ingredients. It’s cheap, shelf-stable, full of flavour, and nutritionally dense.
German budget dishes worth making:
- Linsensuppe : Brown lentil soup with root vegetables and a splash of vinegar
- Semmelknödel Bread dumplings made from stale rolls, milk, and egg
- Kartoffelsuppe Potato soup with leek and carrot
- Eintopf : A catch-all one-pot stew of whatever vegetables, pulses, and meat scraps are available
- Sauerkraut mit Kartoffeln : Sauerkraut braised with potatoes and smoked pork
- Erbsensuppe : German split pea soup with smoked pork and root vegetables
- Himmel und Erde (Heaven and Earth): Mashed potatoes and apples with black pudding or bacon
Sources for inspiration:
- Linsensuppe by Quick German Recipes
- Semmelknödel by Daring Gourmet
- Kartoffelsuppe by the kitchen maus
- Eintopf by German Girl in America
- Sauerkraut mit Kartoffeln by Comfort Food Infusion
- Erbsensuppe by Our Gabled Home
- Himmel und Erde by Quick German Recipes