Annabella Peretti, Business, Technology and Engineering: The German Way Summer 2024
I was never aware of what “German” or “Bavarian” food consisted of until arriving here; however, I was pleasantly surprised to try all the food. The food is not drastically different from food in the United States; however, I find that there is more of a concentration in specific dishes or preparation styles. For example, sausage (“wurst”) and pork are HUGE in Bavaria! It is very interesting to see just how deeply rooted their food is into their culture, and it is something I never knew about Germany before.
If there is one phrase I use most, it is “Kann ich bitte ____ haben?” (“Can I have ____ please?”). On the first night of the trip, we were welcomed by our professors with our first taste of Bavarian cuisine at a nearby restaurant. The first plate I tried was the Schweinswürstl mit Sauerkraut, which was a type of sausage with sauerkraut. For dessert, we tried Apfelkuchen und Kaiserschmarrn — two very popular desserts in Bavaria.
Over the course of the first week, we explored even more food options, including Bavarian pretzels, Obatzda (cheese dip), Bratwurst, and Schnitzel. As a resident of South Jersey, I always thought of soft pretzels coming from the Philly Pretzel Factory… I had no idea “Bavarian pretzels” were a staple in their diet! They use pretzels for EVERYTHING – they cut them in half and spread butter or cream cheese, melt cheese, or add deli meat to make sandwiches. I have always been a bagel person, but I never thought to switch a bagel with butter out for a pretzel. It seriously is a game changer, and I am going to try to recreate this back at home.
Because we are situated in a hostel that was slightly removed from the center of the city, we spent most of our time in the heart of Munich, either taking classes at Munich University of Applied Science, exploring Marienplatz, or traveling around the city. Because of this, we never cooked and always ate out. Munich has a great variety of restaurants, including classic Bavarian and insanely delicious Italian places. There are a surprising number of Italian restaurants; in fact, we even went to one place where all the waiters spoke Italian only! Eating out at restaurants constantly was definitely a change from my eating habits from back in the States (especially with all the carbs in their diet!); however, with how active people’s lifestyles are in Munich, it did not affect me as much as I originally anticipated. In fact, the food was much less processed, and I felt as though I could eat more than I could at home – it was great!
Another culture shock moment, coming from someone who has never left the country before: Remember to order still water if you don’t want carbonation, their Mineralwasser (if you just ask for water) is sparkling and comes in different degrees of carbonation!
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