Pav Explains... Wiener Schnitzel and Other Dishes

Pfännchen in Heidelberg	Typical German bakery

Okay, most people assume Wiener Schnitzel is some sort of sausage dish from Germany, including myself before I got over here. Austrians speak German, and the German name of Vienna is Wien. In German, anything from a town, be it a style of cooking a dish, or even a person, takes on the -er or -erin ending (masculine or feminine). So Wiener Schnitzel is Schnitzel cooked Vienna style - which means a cutlet of meat (usually veal or pork), breaded and fried, served with a lemon wedge and usually some sort of potato.

So following this nomenclature, a person from Hamburg is a Hamburger, and people from Frankfurt, including myself, are Frankfurters. Hehe. I'm a Frankfurter. Speaking of Frankfurters, yes they did start here, and unlike Oscar Meyer's, they won't tear a hole through your soul when you eat them. They're actually quite good, but the bratwurst is king in Deutschland. You can buy them anywhere, and are best served in a brötchen (roll) with spicy mustard.

Germans eat an absolute truckload of potatoes. It is usually between fries (pommes) or bratkartoffeln (sliced, pan fried potatoes), but expect it at every meal. Schwarzwalder Kuchen (Black Forest cake) is also readily available, and will definitely make you a happy camper. German chocolate in general is also very good, especially the darker varities.

It must be a carbohydrate addiction, because Germans also love bread. Bread is usually served at all meals, and some outstanding varieties can be found in Germany. Bakeries are everywhere, offerine a wide variety of fresh brötchen (rolls) and pastries.

A strange thing for many visitors is the German breakfast. This is usually quite boring, just brötchen (rolls) served with butter, maybe some sliced ham, and an assortment of spreadable cheeses and marmalades. While one of my American friends was visiting, and this very breakfast was laid before us, he asked if this was the appetizer - sorry Robbie.

Sandwiches - usually served on a brötchen (roll), which is heavily buttered (I'm talking chunks of the stuff), slices of cucumber, hard boiled egg, some lettuced, and usually ham or a salami - served open faced. You get used to it, except for the butter, that crap's gotta go. The bakeries here are amazing, wonderful breads and pastries, and you can find one about every 20 feet.

There is a dish that we've come to love over here, called Pfännchen. I first tried it in Mainz at a Weinstube because our Mainzer friend highly recommended it. There is a restaurant in Heidelberg that we always eat at, and their take on Pfännchen is the best. It's bratkartoffeln (fried potatoes), pieces of bacon, chicken, spices, served with a fried egg on top. It's a health platter.