Specialities From The Former German Democratic Republic
The cuisine of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) differed in several ways from the cuisine of West Germany and today's united Germany.
East German cuisine was strongly influenced by Russian, Hungarian, Bulgarian and other Eastern European countries from the 1960s on. East Germans traveled abroad to these countries on holiday, and soldiers coming to East Germany from these countries brought their dishes with them. A typical dish that came to the East German kitchen this way is Soljanka.
Another dissimilarity was the lack of certain spices in the GDR. Oregano, for example, was totally unknown, and the price of garlic and Worcestershire sauce reached extremes. Lemon juice had to be replaced with vinegar and instead of capers, marsh marigold buds soaked in brine were used. While cooking with wine (as is typical in the wine-growing regions of Franconia and Hesse) was known, the lack of good wine on the East German market reserved this for special occasions. For these reasons, Ragout fin (commonly known as Würzfleisch) became a highly sought-after delicacy.
East German cafeterias had a unified cuisine. Over the entire country, cafeterias in companies and schools served the same food. They were commonly run by the national trading organization (Handelsorganisation - HO). Dishes on the menu were picked from a list of about 300 dishes that tasted almost the same everywhere, since the recipes were standardized. The lack of supplies and the pressure of cooking for large numbers of people gave rise to several typical East German inventions, such as Jägerschnitzel - large and thin slices of Jagdwurst, covered with bread crumbs, pan-fried and served with tomato sauce and noodles; it should not be confused with Jägerschnitzel in western Germany, which there means a normal Schnitzel served with dark mushroom sauce.
An effort has been made to preserve this cultural East German heritage, and a collection of East German HO recipes are available online in German.
Read more about this topic: German Cuisine
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