The ode to meat and potatoes

Mutter Wittig interior
(courtesy of the MW site)

The staples of German cuisine are potatoes and meat. The range of cooking creativity applied to both of these ingredients is amazing.

The country has really perfected the art of potato preparation and brought such variety to this simple starchy vegetable! There were 8 of us in a seriously-German and extremely popular Bochum restaurant Mutter Wittig (founded by a former midwife). Each one of us got a different potato accompaniment with a twist (which doesn't include boiled or mashed potatoes): rosti, croquette, fries, etc. Beside 5-7 chicken and / or turkey dishes, the menu lists 6-8 types of steaks and 10 types of pork schnitzels, roast goose and duck fillet. You truly need to be passionate about meat and potatoes to appreciate such variety!

Other traditional restaurants we visited offer similar entrees, in addition to cutlets and meatballs for kids. Usually, my schnitzels and steaks were delicious, but how often can you eat a slab of meat!?

Kamps bakery chain is a live-savior for a family with kids! They have a huge variety of German pastries, as well as great sandwiches and coffee.

Knorr's and Maggi's (and such) powdered pre-packaged sauces, seasonings, dry soups, and bases seem to be beyond popular. I was browsing through stalls and isles of packages trying to figure out where the real food was. This selection is so minuscule in North America and I really hope it would stay this way!

Having spent a few months appreciating Belgian beer and French wines, I feel I am now lost to international beer and wine markets. I wonder how long it would take to train my palate to start appreciating gastronomy, wines, and beers of other parts of the world! Maybe Barossa Valley is the right place to start?

 

Endless rows of stalls with
prepacked sauces and bases from Knorr and Maggi