Today is the last episode of our German Words Explained podcast, which has now been going for 160 episodes.

We talk about the topics that we covered, and in particular about the Käseigel. Back in June 2007 Maria promised to make one and 158 episodes later here it is:

Ein Käseigel

To finish off the series, we explain the word Wunderkerzen.

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I had almost forgotten this retro food until Graham mentioned it. As a child I only got to admire this at other people’s festivities such as New Year’s Eve or some other occasions such as adults’ birthdays, etc. Like many other children, I did not care for cheese, and so I only enjoyed looking at it.

When Graham mentioned the Käseigel on one of our podcasts a couple of years back, I eagerly volunteered to make one for a podcast take. Well, it has taken me two years just to keep my promise. But now I have not only made one Käseigel, but three within a week!

The very first one – kind of like a dry-run on how to make Käseigels – I had kept in the cool stairway, only covered by a plastic wrap. Both kids, after having passed it on their return from school, asked me suspiciously what kind of thing this little monster was out there. Last night my daughter asked me to make one to take to her Humanities class this morning to celebrate the coming winter break.

Here it is, the infamous German Käseigel (literal translation: cheese hedgehog):

Käseigel (pronounced: Kä-se-i-gel)

All you need to create such a 70s-looking appetizer is:

* any kind of melon for the base

* Gouda cheese ( a one-pound packet will make two Käseigels)

* fresh fruit such as tangerines, grapes, etc. (a can of mixed fruit cocktail will also do)

* party-picks, available at most supermarkets

For a kid-size version, half of a big apple may be used.

The Gouda needs to be cut into bite-size pieces, speared with fruit and cheese alternating – to your liking.

The longer I look at this photo, the more this appetizer looks like a celebrated Gaul’s head gear (see Asterix and Obelix’s Birthday – The Golden Book from Amazon de).

Truly German is a podcast that talks about the news in Germany. Sometimes this will by national news, maybe political, but we will also be covering some local topics.

We want to have some fun at the same time, so part of the podcast is our Länderquiz - in which our contestant has to guess in which Bundesland three different news stories took place in.

Will Maria win herself a T-Shirt this week?

The topics are:

1. Election results
2. Döner reward for voters
3. Hessen to relax smoking laws

The quiz covers the following stories:

1. Manga fans meet up
2. Diplomats gather at Schloss Horst
3. The 356th Onion Market

Listen to the episode and contact us if you’d like to have a go yourself! Click here