What to eat Berlin? culinary specialties and gastronomy

Berlin's cuisine, designed to withstand the cold, is rather rich. You'll find plenty of dishes with sauces, particularly pork, and side dishes often featuring sauerkraut or potatoes. Typical dishes include Kasseler Rippen (smoked pork ribs),Eisbein (pork shank), Bouletten (minced beef dumplings), Schnitzel (breaded cutlets of Austrian origin), Sauerbraten (beef simmered in a sweet-and-sour sauce) and Rollmops (pickled herring). Not forgetting Königsberger Klopse (meatballs with caper and anchovy sauce), which originated in Russia but became very popular in the GDR. Weihnachtsgans or roast goose is a Christmas classic served with cabbage, potatoes and Teltower Rübchen(caramelized turnips).

There's also Kohlroulade (cabbage rolls) and goulash, which although of Hungarian origin has made its way to Berlin. Potatoes, meanwhile, come in Bratkartoffel (fried potatoes with bacon), Knödel (potato dumplings sometimes also containing bread and meat) or Kartoffelpuffer, rösti-style potato pancakes often accompanied by smoked salmon and sour cream.

In Germany, breakfast(Frühstück) - often a hearty affair - includes cheese, cold meats, eggs, müesli, bread(brötchen), butter and jam. Between 12 and 1pm, lunch(Mittagessen) is traditionally a hot meal. Finally, at 7pm, dinner(Abendbrot) is served, usually cold. It consists of salads and slices of cheese or cold meats. Although tourism has lengthened the dinner hour a little, Germans usually eat early and few restaurants serve beyond 10pm, although the many street-food stalls (kebabs, sausages, burgers, etc.) will satisfy even the hungriest of night owls.

With almost a third of its inhabitants of foreign origin, Berlin is one of Europe's most cosmopolitan cities. Not surprisingly, there is a very large Turkish community, but also a large number of citizens from Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Arab world, Iran, Vietnam and China. Restaurants here offer specialties from all corners of the globe, as well as dishes that Berliners have appropriated to the point where they have become emblems of German cuisine.

One example is the doner kebab, which is said to have been introduced to Berlin in the late 1960s. The recipe is Turkish. In itself, it's very similar to our "French" kebab, with its marinated meat - traditionally lamb, more often veal or chicken - rolled in a patty. The big difference is often the much larger portions and, above all, the price: often less than €3 in Germany, as opposed to at least €5 in France. The Mustafas Gemüse Kebap in the offbeat Kreuzberg district is said to be the best kebab in Germany, if not Europe.

Currywurst, another "exotic" Berlin specialty, is also one of the German capital's culinary icons. Created in the 1950s, this recipe consists of a grilled sausage, topped with a sweet-and-sour sauce made from ketchup and curry powder, and served with French fries. Around 70 million are sold every year in Berlin.

As in the rest of Germany, pastries are dear to the hearts of Berliners. There are, of course, many multi-layer cakes, strudels and fruit tarts, not to mention a few local sweets. The typical Berliner Pfannkuchen is a sugar doughnut filled with jam or chocolate, while the delicate Berliner Luft is a white wine mousse topped with raspberry purée. Berliner Käsekuchen is a kind of cheesecake on a shortcrust pastry base, while Berliner Napfkuchen is a local variant of kouglof. Other pastries include Mohnpielen, a poppy-seed pudding, and Liebesknochen, a chocolate eclair.

German coffees are generally served with milk(mit Sahne) and are rather light. Ask for an espresso if you want something stronger. Locals are big coffee drinkers, often sipping it with a slice of Kaffee und Kuchen. Germans also love hot chocolate, often served with whipped cream, not forgetting tea. As for cold drinks,Apfelschorle is a mixture of apple juice and sparkling water, often consumed instead of water at mealtimes. In fact, Germans prefer sparkling water (Sprudelwasser) - for which a fee is charged - and it's very rare to be offered a carafe of water in a restaurant.

Unsurprisingly, Berliners, like Germans in general, drink a lot of beer. Berlin even has its own specialty called Berliner Weisse. Made from wheat, this slightly tart beer is served in large, rounded glasses with a touch of raspberry syrup to sweeten the taste. Otherwise, beers are divided into several categories and served either bottled or on draught(vom Fass). Weizenbier (white beer) is either filtered (Kristall) or unfiltered (Hefe). Becks is the brand of Pilsner (low-fermentation lager) most popular with the young, while the older generation prefers Berliner Pilsner. In some restaurants, you may come across the name Kölsch, a Cologne Pilsner served in long, slender 20-cl glasses. Other beers are served in larger quantities, 33 cl minimum, the norm being 50 cl for a Weizenbier.

German wines, often from the Rhine Valley, are also renowned. Choose whites over reds, which are of uneven quality. Riesling, in particular, is often excellent (ask for "trocken" for a dry Riesling, otherwise it will be sweet). At Christmas markets, Glühwein (mulled wine with cinnamon and various other spices) is a must.