1. Think Deutschland (or Germany to the rest of the world) and people’s thoughts go in
many directions depending on what they are predominantly interested in. For
instance: when it comes to cars one immediately thinks of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and
Audi (and a lot more); travel and tourism leads one to dream of going to visit the
Berlin Wall and countless other natural and manmade attractions outside the capital
including Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg and a lot more. Fashion and one thinks of the
flamboyant designer Karl Lagerfeld, apparel brand Hugo Boss and supermodels
Heidi Klum, Claudia Schiffer and Gisele Bündchen.
And of course there’s food glorious food which Germany has countless contributions
in its every aspect from historical times to the modern day age. Being an enormous
country with ideal soil and climate, agriculture plays a significant contribution to its
output apart from its many exports and imports.
Due to its proximity and border contact to several other European nations, the
cuisine of German varies from region to region. Bavaria, for instance, down south
has several similarities with the food culture of Switzerland and Austria.
One cannot discuss the food and drink of Germany without mentioning sausages
and beer, the former of which is consumed in countless forms in all of the country’s
different regions. The national alcoholic beverage is beer vastly consumed by the
population in pretty much all dining occasions.
Octoberfest is Germany’s most famous event and one of the world’s largest fairs
celebrated late September for over two weeks. It originated in Munich where
millions of Germans and tourists gather for endless nights of merriment consuming
unbelievable quantities of beer together with other traditional foods (mostly meats,
cheese, sauerkraut, bread and potatoes. Tourists scramble to try as many varieties
of sausages (wurst) as they can but don’t come close to sampling the 1,500 kinds
made in the country. Some are made from the usual spiced ground meat to the
more exotic varieties using pig or goat blood, stuffed in animal intestine casings.
A widely carnivorous country, Germans truly enjoy their beef, pork and poultry
including game meats like boar, rabbit and venison cooked in a variety of ways
some becoming national specialties like sauerbraten, a marinated beef or venison
roast using vinegar.

2. Fish and vegetables are also widely
consumed throughout Germany
depending on the region where they
are grown or caught. Noodles,
dumplings and various condiments like
mustard and horseradish complete a
typical meal.
Being a country that takes food
seriously, the Michelin guide has
recognized its passion for fine fining and
awarded quite a number of German
restaurants its highest recognition of three stars.