German Cuisine~

German Cuisine

There are many different types of German food but there is most famous German foods called “German Ham Hock with Sauerkraut” in Germans “Eisbein Mit Sauerkraut”.

This is very traditional German meal. The eisbein is a picked, smoked and then slow roasted, served with a heap of fresh and fermented and picked white cabbage and boiled potatoes.

Ingredients:

·         smoked ham hock/s (I used about 1 1/2 lbs, but larger pieces can be used)

·         Sauerkraut (I used about 3/4 of a 1 qt /946 ml glass of Sauerkraut)

·         1 large onion, chopped

·         1 large carrot or several baby carrots, chopped

·         3 allspice berries

·         5 pepper corns

·         1 bay leaf

·         4 tsp salt

·         6 cups water, or as needed

Directions

Add all ingredients including the Sauerkraut into pot. Pour enough water over the ingredients to cover the meat. Bring everything to a boil and let it simmer until the meat becomes soft and cooked. This took about an hour for the 1 1/2 lbs. Season the Sauerkraut stew to taste and divide it onto plates. Add some of the meat and serve it with cooked potatoes and mustard, horseradish.

Another famous meat food of German is called “Schweinshaxen”

Schweinshaxe is a roasted ham hock, especially popular in Bavaria. It is usually marinated or pre-boiled in a caraway seed and garlic brine, roasted until the skin is crisp, and served with mustard, horseradish, and pickled chili peppers. The Bavarian version is often served with potato dumplings and red cabbage, or with sauerkraut and potatoes.

Ingredients: 2-3 pounds pork shank

Seasoning: 2 tablespoons caraway seeds, 1/2 head garlic, salt and pepper

Directions: Boil hind pork shank in a pot of water with caraway seeds, garlic, salt and pepper, covered for one hour. Use just enough water to submerge the shank in the pot you are using and season water sufficiently. After one hour, let shank cool down to room temperature.
Cut skin horizontally, approximately 1/2 inch apart, and roast at 374 degrees of 90 minutes. Raise temperature on 425 degrees and crisp skin approximately 20 minutes. Serve traditionally on a wooden platter, warm, with kraut salad, country bread, pickles, horseradish and Bavarian mustard.