More Christmas food?

[Haltickling]

Now that X-mas is over and everybody is replete, I feel safe to post a few culinary customs from my home country.

Unlike in the States, our presents don't come from Santa Claus. The so-called "Christkind" (Christ Child, sort of an angel) brings them on Christmas Eve. But most children are far too impatient to eat a full Christmas dinner before this happens, so we usually have only a light snack that evening. Most popular are Wiener Sausages ("weenies") with potato salad, or our Bavarian White Sausages with sweet mustard and salted pretzels.

The real feast happens on Christmas day. Traditionally we have goose instead of turkey, served with potato dumplings and red cabbage:

http://www.studentenwerk-oldenburg.de/bilder/weihnachtsgans.jpg

In some areas, another favorite is larded roast deer, usually with "Spätzle" (short, thick, home made noodles), mushrooms, and cranberries:

http://www.kaisers.de/Kochstudio/Rezepte/953a3a8d43831f835076bed72b8853e7.0.0/Rehruecken_mit_Pfifferlingen-1.jpg

Instead of pumpkin pie, we have a piece of "Stollen" (cake with raisins, almonds, and caramelized orange/lemon peels) or just a few home made cookies (e.g. Zimtsterne, "cinnamon stars"):

http://www.cariskitchen.com/images/94ig%20Original%20Dresdner%20Stollen.jpg

http://punktde.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/a_kultur/bilder/plaetzchen/gebaeck2.jpg

Yummy!!!

[isabeau]

i never had duck, although i would love to try it. and i've seen stollen but never tasted it either. great pictures Haltickling

isabeau

[Knox The Hatter]

Hal, those look like wonderful meals. I've always loved spätzle, perhaps a bit too much. Especially good with the red cabbage in a schnitzel dish...

My parent's are very lucky- there's a tiny schnitzel restaurant of six tables or so, owned by a husband and wife from Prague near their home in Florida. The food is world class, and I go there every time I fly down to visit.

German cuisine's a treat.

[Hiryu]

Ooooh, drool, drool! That stuff sounds and looks delicious! Gaw darn! That makes me hungry!