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Sore, Wisjer!: German Delicacies
In September Sore WisJer! returned with its sixth edition and a familiar face for friends of Wisma Jerman. Maria Jäckel, a former volunteer at Wisma Jerman, greeted the audience in the early afternoon via Instagram Live to talk about typical German foods and drinks. The casual discussion started out with Maria sharing her experience with Indonesian food and some similarities with German food. For example bakso and leker, two typical Indonesian foods which have their counterparts in German Hackfleischbällchen (meat balls) and Pfannkuchen (pancake). According to her leker tastes just like pancakes but with a thinner texture.
A typical food “for the masses” in Germany is Wurst (sausage). Why “food for the masses”? Because in Germany Wurst comes in a large variety and countless shapes and forms and almost every region has its own Wurstspezialität (sausage specialties). One of the most popular is the Currywurst which originates from the capital Berlin. This typical German street food is a staple among visitors and Germans alike. Usually Currywurst uses bite-sized chunks of Bratwurst, which are seasoned with a curry ketchup, a sauce based on tomato sauce topped with curry powder and/or other spices. This tasty street snack can be found easily at a stationary Imbiss (food stall) or a food truck.
In contrary to the Currywurst, which originates from Germany, another very famous food in Germany, the Döner Kebab, was brought by Turkish imigrants in the early 1970s. Nowadays this delicious street food can be found on almost every corner all over Germany and has since developed a typical German variant which differs from the original Turkish version. When it comes to drinks, Germany is of course famous for its beer. Just like with sausages, there is a huge variety of different German beer, many of them only available in specific geographical regions. With 300 breweries, the region of Franken in Bavaria boasts the highest density of breweries in the world and almost each of them has its own beer brand.
A food talk would not be complete when not mentioning the dessert. Probably the most famous German dessert is the Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (black forest cake). It can be found all over the world nowadays and is often served on special occasions like birthdays and family celebrations.