Old Customs in Germany

Some German traditions are still alive all over Germany.

 

Breakfast: For breakfast, Germans usually eat rolls and slices of bread topped with sliced meats, cheese, jam, honey or chocolate spread, normally Nutella. They enrich their breakfast with different various types of bread and with tea and coffee. For a energy-rich breakfast Germans also have boiled eggs, yoghurt, curd yoghurt, fruits, cornflakes and muesli.

 

Lunch: In Germany, it is traditional to have lunch at a very early time (between 12am and 1pm). The lunch is the most important main meal for Germans and consists mostly of potatoes, vegetables and meat.

 

 

,,Kaffee und Kuchen”: On Sunday afternoons, the German people usually have ‘Kaffee und Kuchen’. Kaffee und Kuchen is a popular tradition and describes the time in which friends and family members have coffee and cake. It is a break from everyday and enables young and old grow even closer together. The variation of cakes depend on season. For instance, in summer there are freshly baked plum or strawberry cakes, and in winter there are fruit loaf and fruit bread.

 

Abendbrot: At 6 pm, Germans often have their Abendbrot. The Abendbrot can be compared with the breakfast. It is a cold dish, as well, and serves various types of bread with sliced meats, cheese, jam and sometimes with a soup or salad. Contrary to the breakfast is that the Germans have tea, such as herbal or fruit tea, to Abendbrot.

 

The reason why German people have breakfast, lunch, and Abendbrot so early is that they start their day very early. Thus there is no food from 10 pm in some ‘Gaststätten’ (‘ similar to pubs’).

In the last few decades, there changed a lot. The effect of other nationalities and cultures influenced the life style of the German people enormously. So, many Germans have their main meal in the evening, now, and the German breakfast turned into the American one with a lot of muesli and cornflakes. Of course, the old customs are not replaced completely but they are affected by multiculturalism  and also influenced by busy workaholic life style. Nowadays, things must go quickly and fast food become an essential part of German eating habits.