August 1, 2003, Newsletter Issue #151: Some Facts about German Bread

Tip of the Week

"Landbrot": Landbrot (country bread) is a fanciful term for bread that does not necessarily mean a lot! Forget about the country. This bread can be factory made - and often is. It is usually gray with a somewhat thick crust. Buy it at the bakery only.
"Pumpernickel" is much better. It is "the" party bread for Germans, rather small - round or square- dark, flavorful, healthy, but not inexpensive. Usually served as an appetizer, topped with cheese, meat, mayonaise, vegetables and pickles.
You are generally better of with "Roggenbrot". This bread variety with rye is very dark and tasty. It is an ideal party bread, too, as it tastes great with ham, pickles and cheese. The best quality is available at the bakery. Try not to buy factory made rye bread. It tastes like cardboard.
Now for the "Schrippe" (breadbun): a regional term for a Broetchen (Kaiser roll). Buy them at a bakery, as the factory-made ones available at supermarkets taste horrible (here we go again). The overall term "Broetchen" means ´small bread´. There are varieties, such as "Zwiebelbroetchen" (onion), "Kaesebroetchen" (cheese), or Schinkenbroetchen (ham). Most are very good.
A "Schusterjunge" (cobbler´s apprentice) is a dark bread roll and a typical Berlin specialty. It is usually topped with cheese or goose fat ("Schmaltz"). Inexpensive, but very good. Buy it fresh at a bakery, not in the grocery store.
And yes, we also have toast. This is usually a pre-sliced wheat bread, also known as "Buttertoast" (with butter) or "Vollkorntoast" (full grain). The health benefit of the latter is somewhat doubtful. However, toast is popular and inexpensive. It is sometimes called "Weissbrot", too, but then , it usually comes in a loaf, and is not sliced. It might be more expensive than a regualar toast. You pick :-)

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