Though breakfast is an important meal, traditional German breakfast foods usually involve no or very little cooking. A German breakfast is a typical continental food consisting of bread, cold cuts, eggs, and a hot drink like coffee or tea.
Eating breakfast on a weekday is usually quick and fast, with only a bread roll with toppings or eggs and a hot beverage. However, a traditional German breakfast spread is enjoyed on weekends. A good German breakfast might also include white sausage, fried potatoes, sweet rolls, and smoked cheese.
1. 9 Delicious German Breakfast Foods
1.1. Bread
Bread is kind of the main star of German breakfast foods; they are usually whole grain bread, a bit dense with high fibre content, and made with a sourdough base. There is a variety of German bread to choose from that comes in various shapes, colours, and textures.
Each German bread is unique, with a mix and match of grains sprinkled with sunflower, pumpkin, or poppy seeds. Depending on the grains used, like wheat, oat, rye, maize, or millet, you get white, brown, or even darker bread.
1.2. Eggs
Eggs are also a significant food item in a German breakfast. Hard or soft-boiled eggs are preferred over scrambled eggs or fried eggs, and sometimes the occasional poached egg, too. The boiled eggs are served in an egg cup and enjoyed with a pinch of salt.
German egg salad is a dish that comes in handy during easter when eggs are handy. Etisalat, or egg salad, is a sweet, creamy, refreshing combination of German eggs, apples, pickles, capers, mayonnaise, and spices.
1.3. Sausage
Slices of cold-cut meat go well with the bread and bread rolls. Ham, turkey, and salami, along with tomatoes and cheese, make an excellent German breakfast. However, breakfast sausage is as famous as the slices of meat, with an assortment available.
1.4. Cereal
Cereal, muesli, oatmeal, and granola are a quick and on-the-go breakfast in Germany. They are wholesome and unsweetened, usually with milk, fruits, or berries. Sometimes honey is added as a sweetener or a spoon of yoghurt called quark.
Muesli is a mix of grains, oats, seeds, dehydrated fruits, and candied berries, soaked in milk overnight or had as a porridge. Cereal mix in Germany is exceptionally healthy, with high fibre content, and so is very filling in nature.
1.5. German Apple Custard Cake
Apfelkuchen is one of the traditional sweet dishes that brings back many memories. Apfelkuchen is a no-frill cake made by topping the cake batter with apple slices and custard. The apple slices are sometimes coated in cinnamon powder or sugar for flavour.
The baked cake is covered in a thin coating of jam or marmalade with powdered sugar, nuts, or a dollop of whipped cream. A traditional method is to use short-crust pastry; however, this is much more of an apple custard pie than a cake. The outcome is a creamy, heavier dish and a crumbly, dense cake.
1.6. Bauernfrühstück or Farmer’s breakfast
Farmer’s breakfast can be considered the heaviest of all German breakfast foods. It can be a hearty German breakfast and a good-filling lunch or dinner served with a slice of bread. It is more of a rustic peasant food and a good method to use the leftovers.
The joy in making Bauernfrühstück is that there are no hard and fast rules; you can fry the potatoes, sautee them in onion and bell peppers, chop in the leftover ham, sausage, or bacon, and add whisked eggs in the end, stir in the mixture so that the egg cooks.
1.7. Semolina Pudding
German Semolina Pudding or Griesbrei is a sweet dish that is easy to make and digest. Generally a dessert, this pudding is also had as breakfast and is also very similar to the German rice pudding or Milchreis.
For a basic version of semolina pudding, all you need is milk, semolina, and sugar. Mix them on medium-high heat for 15 minutes until the mixture firms up and the healthy pudding is ready to eat.
Eaten as hot or cold, you can customize it as per your taste with apple sauce, cinnamon, vanilla, butter, a variety of fruits, syrup, or cocoa. For the vegan option, you can opt for coconut milk or soy milk, which gives the same creamy consistency with added goodness.
Adding a pinch of salt helps to mellow the sweetness and bring out the flavours.
1.8. German Waffles
Waffles are a popular German breakfast, soft, buttery, and usually round or heart-shaped. The ingredients are pretty much the same as a traditional waffle. However, the toppings are typical to the Germans, like apple sauce, cherry sauce, powdered sugar, whipped cream, maple syrup, ice cream, or seasonal fruits.
German waffles are a treat to have any time of the day as a snack, a dessert, and a special breakfast that lifts your mood.
1.9. Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate or hot cocoa is a common substitute for morning coffee or tea. The German way of drinking is way more bitter than the rest of the world. But the amount of dark chocolate simply lifts your mood in the morning.
The German dark hot chocolate is mostly spiced with cinnamon and sometimes with cloves or cardamom. A dash of dry ginger powder, red chili, or pepper helps it spice up the winter morning. It is rich, luscious, and thickened with a bit of cornstarch, deliciously filling.
2. Final Note
German food, in general, is plain and rustic, and the bread is wholesome and nutritious. German breakfasts are quick, on-the-go food with no frills. German families make sure to buy fresh bread every morning; freshly baked warm German bread rolls with nut butter or chocolate sauce are breakfast foods that level up your spirit.
However, weekends or holidays call for a whole traditional German breakfast food spread with friends and family. Waffles with a gorgeous golden crisp edge and traditional German pancakes are also enjoyed during holidays.
Last Updated on March 18, 2024 by Parina Parmar
