Germans like to wish each other a Guten Beschluss (Happy Closure) or Guten Rutsch in the last few days of the old year. Right at midnight on Dec 31st, this wish turns to Alles Gute im Neuen Jahr or Prost Neujahr (if you still have a drink in your hand).

It is only 6 p.m. here in Germany, but we can already hear the first firecrackers going off. From my bedroom window I can see a little light show on one of the neighboring balconies.

New Year’s Eve is the time to celebrate in a noisy way. This is when we call family and friends to wish them a Guten Rutsch;  we eat, drink, and are merry.

New Year’s Day, on the other hand,  is more of a quiet day and Germans like to have their Ruhe and they want to start the new year in a quiet manner. Some might visit family and friends, but in general, New Year’s Day is not a party day. Germans like to sleep in on that day and take it easy. Shops are closed, TV channels compete in showing blockbusters, and by evening time, some Germans complain already about having to go back to work the next day. Arbeit – what a dirty word!

Most Germans claim to work to live. It is a pity to read and hear they have unsatisfying jobs, some only live for the weekend and many focus mainly on their annual holiday. Granted, not everybody has a plush job or a full filling one, but to focus one’s happiness only on weekend or time off from work seems a harsh way to live.

I claim I live to work. I love my working days, my off days, my very busy ones, and I also appreciate the slow ones. I could not go through life seeing work as a nuisance. Work is a blessing!

Laziness may appear attractive but work gives satisfaction.

– Anne Frank –

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

In this edition of German Words Explained we take a look at three traditions associated with New Year’s Eve.

Raclette is originally a traditional Swiss dish made from cheese.  A large piece of cheese is put near a fire and is brought to melting point.  When the cheese is soft and about to melt, a layer is scraped of and eaten with bread.

The modern raclette is an electrical table-top heater.  Small dishes are filled with chopped-up vegetables, eggs, sausage rings and other small pieces of food and then covered with cheese.  These are then placed under the element of the raclette.  Many raclettes have a metal top where meat or bread can be fried, some even have stone tops for cooking steak.

Foundue is probably the most well-known outside of Germany, also being a traditional Swiss dish.  Originally made by melting cheese and often wine over a flame, many people in Germany use the same form to heat cooking oil on New Year’s Eve and cook small pieces of meat in it.  Others melt chocolate instead and dip pieces of fruit in it.

Bleigießen is definitely not to eat, it is a tradition that families carry out on New Year’s Eve.  They buy small packets of lead – often together with a special spoon.  The lead cubes are placed on the spoon and held over a candle so that they melt.  Once the lead is molten, it is dropped into cold water where it sets into a new form.  The trick is then to decipher what the form means for each person for the coming year.

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

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The Christkind is a figure in Germany that brings presents to the children on Christmas Eve, especially in southern parts of the country.

Until the reformation in the 16th century people in Germany did not give each other presents at Christmas, instead the children received their presents from St.Nicholas (Nikolaus) on 6th December.  Martin Luther, however, opposed the catholic saints and apparently introduced the idea of giving presents on 24th December.  These were brought by the Christkind, who is often depicted in white and similar to an angel.

It is said that it comes in through the window and leaves presents around the Christmas tree while the children are out of the room.

Even though the Weihnachtsmann is ever more present, especially in the media, people still ask children “what did the Christkind bring you?”

To hear a simple explanation and a short discussion in German, listen to the podcast:

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Surroundings, a new quarterly English-language lifestyle magazine, caters to discerning readers in Frankfurt and its environs.

the most recent issue

The magazine indulges its English-speaking readers with invaluable information and resources on their unique surroundings. The publication not only aims to integrate and expose these readers to the rich cultural and recreational offerings that our area has to offer, but it also engages its readers with enlightening articles, beautiful photography and eye-catching graphics.

Featured articles profile important and influential personalities, explore interesting places and events and aim to de-mystify seasonal and cultural topics.  Other regular features entertain and inform readers with articles on amusing anecdotes of life in the area, neighborhood exposes and local cuisine and recipes. The interests of young English-speaking readers are addressed in an entertaining children’s section.
Surroundings gives its readers the unique opportunity of seeing the Frankfurt area from a native’s point of view and offers new perspectives to all those readers who are interested in further exploring the area they call home.

It is available for sale at various book stores and international press news stand locations throughout the region, e.g., Frankfurt International Airport (Relay/Hub Convenience: Level 0, Area A); Bollinger Bücherwelt im Camp King, Oberursel; The British Bookshop (Frankfurt); Friedberg (Relay); Hanau train station (ImPressed); Mainz train station (Relay) and others.

As I had promised in yesterday’s post, I am back to report about our trial dinner for Krautspudel. I had made the minimum portion (half the recipe)  just to give it a trial run, and it is all gone!! Believe it or not, I am on my second batch of already, making it once more!

Before you start with the Krautspudel….:

Have Kammfleisch (regular pork chops) browned a bit and two cans of Sauerkraut (drain juice, add water to pot, beef/vegetable soup cube, 4 Tblsp of sugar, cloves) ready and heated before starting with the dumpling. Let it simmer until your dumpling is ready to be put in.

meat and Sauerkraut simmering

Ingredients for the Krautspudel:

500 gr flour

1 package of yeast

a good dash of salt and sugar

260 cl of milk

80 gr of butter or margarine (melted)

Instructions:

Place flour in bowl leaving a dent in the middle

Crumble package of dairy yeast or add dry yeast (package) into the middle

Add milk and melted butter/margarine, salt and sugar

Mix well

Let sit for 30 minutes in a warm spot (oven at a very low temperature will do)

When the dough has approximately doubled in size, it is ready for the final part.

placing the yeast dough into the pot

Place a cotton cloth on top of the Kraut and meat (make sure its sides are not overlapping onto the hot part of the burner – cut down to size). Place raised dough in the middle of the cloth, spread it out a bit if necessary, and cover it at medium heat for 20 minutes. Do NOT lift the lid while cooking.

The meat and Kraut will be tender and soft by then and the dumpling will be done. Of course, during those 20 minutes, while your Krautspudel is cooking, you should prepare the gravy. Any packaged brand will do – but my mom’s secret ingredients were: some ketchup and sugar. This will make all the difference!

having to wait... peaking through the glass lid

After watching this steamed lid for twenty minutes, smelling this wonderful food, and fixing the gravy on the side, we were ready to consume.

As a matter of fact, the second Krautspudel is in the making right now. We will have it once more late this evening…. As we say in Franconian: You can eat yourself deppert and damisch on this one.

If there is anything I omitted, please let me know.

Making yeast dumplings from scratch is on the way out in western society. Let us keep this wonderful dish with easy-to-get ingredients alive. All it requires is some local meat, some local cabbage, yeast and flour. The cost of logistics is kept low in regards to our environment as well. Sustain yourself on local food.

Enjoy this precious recipe.