The last thing I expected to really get hooked on in terms of food, when I first moved to Germany, was bread. Having lived in many countries I was used to a great variety of bread, mostly flatbreads. In my arrogance - or call it ignorance - I was sure that while Germany had some great bread-types – think of the pumpernickel, others were overrated – for me the pretzel!
In just a matter of weeks of moving here my lack of enlightenment about Germany’s staple food was banished forever. And I promised never to do injustice to a true German pretzel again!
That was over 26 years ago and since then, just like it is for the Germans, bread has become a staple food for me. Over the years I understood that bread in Germany is more than just a food - it is a part of the German culture and makes up a very important part of the German diet. Germans enjoy a variety of brot (bread) and brotchen (bread rolls) for their Frühstück (breakfast), where bread is often accompanied with other favorites, such as butter, eggs, sausages and cold cuts and cheese, during snack-time they happily bite into a Pausenbrot (sandwiches) and Abendbrot is often a simple and light affair as Germans usually eat a hearty lunch. The evening meal will often, like breakfast include a bread of some kind and a variety of sausages / cold cuts, cheese, pickles and other vegetables. Those pretzels, they are the most common breads at festivals and fairs, and when they come out of hot ovens they taste simply heavenly with a good cube of cold butter and coarse salt.
Germany produces more varieties of breads than any other country. There are over 300 varieties of dark and white breads and over 1,200 varieties of rolls and mini-breads (Brötchen & Kleingebäck). Each region in Germany has its own specialties and variations. While in Northern Germany, dark and heavy breads such as multi-grain rye breads, are preferred, lighter white breads made of wheat are favorites in southern parts of Germany.
Rye is the most common type of flour used, either on its own or mixed with other types of flours like wheat or spelt. In actual fact the all time favorite bread here in Germany is the so called Mischbrot (31.7%), which is made of a mixture of wheat and rye flour. What surprises me however on second place is toast bread
