Spreewald: Germany‘s Secret Pickle Paradise

My friend Garry takes me on a trip to the German Spreewald to taste the world's best pickles: The lacto-fermented Spreewaldgurken. Join us on an adventure to the region and stick around to learn how to make pickles at home at the end of the video.
Follow my pickle progress on Instagram:
mynameisandong
Follow Garry Fischmann on Instagram:
garryfischmann
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► Classic Spreewald Style Pickles Recipe 🥒
for a small jar, holding around 7-8 gherkins:
4% hot salt water brine
4 crushed cloves of garlic
1-2 sprigs of dill flower
1/2 tsp peppercorns (optional)
1/2 Tbsp mustard seeds (optional)
2 small bay leaves (optional)
ferment at room temp for 3-14 days; store in fridge
► Lebanese Pickles Recipe 🥒
inspired by the recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem"
for a small jar, holding around 7-8 gherkins:
4% hot salt water brine
4 crushed cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1/2 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 cloves
5 allspice berries
2 small bay leaves
2 pods green cardamom
2 small dried chilies
ferment at room temp for 3-14 days; store in fridge
► MY NAME IS ANDONG
Food is so powerful in bringing cultures together - something I learned when I lived in China. So let's travel, eat, cook, and learn from each other! I am a filmmaker from Berlin, Germany and make weekly videos about cooking and food culture.
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mynameisandong
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mynameisandong

[@flashbash2]

"We almost took a train to Poland right now" and that right there is why I want to visit Europe someday.

[@charlie70605]

ditto

[@tr7zw]

Yea that's kinda how it is over here. Two weeks ago I just got into my car, drove 3 hours to the Netherlands, enjoyed a festival and then drove back. Just a day trip visiting other countries.

[@moicel32]

I thought you make a WW2 Joke lol

[@TheFabigm]

yeah its pretty cool i live in the north of germany and i only need a hour to denmark 4-5 hours to poland and netherlands and so on. in just one day you can drive in a countrie with diffrent cultures and languages

[@HirnsOnPoint]

If you like adventures come to Europe. We have pretzels

[@joshuasadler5429]

Gary is amazing, get him on more!

[@ivanfeofanov105]

That Russian cartoon song from “Bremen Musicians” just made my day!!!

[@ivanlagutov5350]

Honestly same

[@cochabambas]

totally!

[@oivinf]

06:03 "Pickle Radler... What do you call it, a shandy?" (This is the exact correct translation) Andong: " What the hell is a shandy?" lol

[@leibnizlp665]

Its a beer

[@clod8]

David Bahlich It’s a low alcohol, flavored beer. I know it as a radler but British English=shandy

[@ammarahtevla2718]

shandy is beer + lemonade

[@lottatroublemaker6130]

Lovely with beer and Sprite or similar (lemon or lemon/lime soda pop, NOT lemonade as in lemon juice, water and sugar) and lots of ice cubes, of course! With 50/50 lager beer and Sprite or 7Up, with or without alcohol - perfect for a hot day, for a picnic or the beach❗️❣️❗️😋

[@lkrnpk]

@@ammarahtevla2718 so... radler

[@homestudiode]

Matjes Brötchen. Auf jeden Fall klassischer pallet cleanser. Roher Fisch und Zwiebeln, neutraler geht‘s fast nich 😂

[@captainbackflash]

Das stimmt wohl, aber Matjes ist kein roher Fisch. Matjes ist ein noch nicht geschlechtsreifer Hering, bei dem beim ausnehmen die Bauchspeicheldrüse im Bauchraum gelassen worden ist. Der Hering fermentiert sich also durch den Einlagerungsprozess selber. Leider gibt es nur noch sehr wenige Firmen, die so den original Matjes herstellen. Die meisten Hersteller bedienen sich eines künstlichen Enzyms zur Reifung. Daher sieht man auch manchmal Matjes, dessen Fleisch noch rot oder rosa und nicht blass grau aussieht. Die Holländer haben einen sehr guten und traditionell gefertigten Matjes und es gibt noch eine Firma in Glückstadt an der Elbe, die ihn traditionell herstellen.

[@ShadeScarecrow]

@@captainbackflash Oh wusste garnicht das orginal Matjes so hergestellt werden. Danke für die Info :)

[@captainbackflash]

@@ShadeScarecrow Ja, die meißten kaufen einfach den künstlichen Mist, ohne zu wissen wie gut Matjes wirlkich ist!

[@sniperdoc8404]

Waaaaaaaaah!!! So was gibts hier in den Staaten nicht!!! Ich möchte mein Fischbrötchen!!!!!!!!! Waaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! T_T

[@hischam7396]

captainbackflash thomas am korrigieren

[@darthplagueis13]

I'd argue that whilst german isn't particularily well-known for great food, it's not known for bad food either, unlike a particular european island kingdom. It's just that food from italy or france is more prominent and well-known but during the few times when someone was actually talking about german food it was mostly positive.

[@Guilherme-nc5li]

I do have a feeling England is so underrated in terms of food. Common, the iteration of Indian food most known in the west started there, worcestershire sauce, shepherd pie...

[@kaisersose5549]

@@Guilherme-nc5li ...welks, lavabread. Some pretty bad food comes from England too. Stuff that I won't put in my mouth a second time. I can't say the same for German cuisine, however. Even when there are ingredients I don't personally find tasty, a I'll still try it.

[@Herobox-ju4zd]

Germans don't put sugar in their whipped cream, that is unforgivable. I can't believe how evil you must be to do that.

[@kaisersose5549]

@@Herobox-ju4zd Like oatmeal raisin cookies that look just like chocolate chip cookies. No matter how good they are, they're still disappointing.

[@philippdrescher6012]

@@Herobox-ju4zd You can put the sugar in yourself, if you need it!? How the fuck would you use whipped cream with sugar for cooking, that's disgusting...

[@ayleenk6238]

I'm dying for some of the subtitles :D Alman alarm = German privacy police :DD

[@X888XtuberXyouX]

Woman : "Na klar" - "yeah sure" Andong translation : " you can bet your hairy ass on it" 😂😂

[@MelikaAsadzadeh]

What does it really mean?

[@nhattuyenvodieu3103]

@@MelikaAsadzadeh Its a slang for germans.

[@lottatroublemaker6130]

Melika A - «Clearly», I think. ☺️

[@ayleenk6238]

Melika A Well, it’s actually really hard to translate. Let’s just say that „alman“ is a way to describe German „Karens“ (beyond gender). :D

[@griffinklein5662]

For as great as Andong is at vlogging I am genuinely surprised he does not have more subscribers. Keep up the great work!

[@vn3138]

He will soon. All those big KZbinrs you see now started at this level too. He has enough for a boom in subscribers within the next year. Thats just my prediction though, since he is very good at what he does.

[@Tropicalpisces]

His vids cheer me up and put me in a good mood.

[@Axeltheimortal21]

I had to double check if I was subscribed I think I subscribed to alot of people but I dont

[@feroci-tay5708]

I can't stop laughing about the English captions. Way too funny.

[@sid1o1]

As a child, I actually liked Senfgurken more than all the other kinds of pickles. But somewhen I stopped eating Senfgurken, because my parents didn't buy them anymore. This video took me back over ten years! I love your videos! You're teaching people some essential stuff about German culture! :D (PS: I'll now be waiting for a Fischbrötchen video)

[@pheenix1976]

This video gave me a pickle craving... I love that your videos aren't just of you in the studio 100% of the time and that you bring in a special guest every so often. Great format. Great content! You can really tell that you're passionate about the content you create.

[@Jordanrayalexander]

The lard bird appears to be some sort of “Mal-lard”

[@Locomaid]

Aaaahhhhh hahahahaah!

[@JuanDavidOrjuela]

Loved the translation of "Ja klaaar!" hahahahah

[@ragnkja]

If you want a more literal translation, it’s “yeah, obviously.”

[@jennifersantos7757]

Voll 😂

[@harshgandhi100]

Andong used "Intense subtitles" *Super Effective* Subscribers in awe and like his videos even more.😄

[@rontavakoli-JD-MBA]

Andong...you are growing on me like fungi. You are awesome in your disciplined approach and execution. keep up the good work brother. Food knowledge is infinite and even a seasoned practitioner (...me!) learns from you. Danke dir.

[@eugen_the_great]

@@merrillgeorge1838 Someone who's appreciating this great content. And who the heck are you kid?

[@luckys1evin]

When you guys got the pickles I internally screamed: "Noooooooooo!!! You also have to get a Schmalzstulle to those pickels!!!" and then you went and got on the most spreewald'ish way possible. Well played. :D

[@nepetalactony]

Damn, this must be the most nationally diverse food channel on youtube. That ending just made me melt.

[@charlie70605]

14:32 - my Polish grand mother in upstate New York used grape leaves in her pickles from a nearby vineyard.

[@emanonmax]

Sooooo you guys did a pickle-nick?

[@lottatroublemaker6130]

They had a Pickle-nic❗️😋

[@Sorajosh]

Nice

[@KallyGullys]

Oh man. Jetzt will ich auch Gurken! Das Ende mit der Gesangseinlage war besonders schön. ^^

[@zerexio]

Two guys in a forest sampling Pickles.. Love it.

[@lalalalalalalala97]

So German here, my grand ma used to do this as well. Here is a great tip, Pickled Pumpkin, my grand ma did this it was insane. if you are doing pickles do one jar of Pumpkin you will thank me later.

[@Mosesthegreatdude]

I will always remember Spreewaldgurken from watching Good Bye Lenin in my high school German class.

[@MelissaJetzt]

I like how at 2:26 you translated "Na klaaaar!" as "You can bet your hairy ass on that." 🤣

[@Kate13to13]

Seit deiner Co-op mit Malwanne suchte ich deine Videos durch und erfreue mich an deinen Rezepten! Klasse, mach weiter so, ich bekomme Heimweh nach Tscheboksary an die Wolga bei eurem schönen Lied :)

[@koffeinx6738]

Ohne Vanessa hätte ich ihn auch nicht gefunden. Richtig gut

[@alexus6237]

Ich hasse es wenn man unter englischsprachigen Videos in einer anderen Sprache schreibt.

[@MontrealPyrotechnics]

"Do you want to a sip of your grandpa's breath?" Omg 😂 😂😂

[@kyoungbloodverbov9891]

I never write comments on KZbin, but this is pure genius! Great video guys!

[@ugh_dad]

I've never wanted to hang out with 2 people on youtube more than this, you guys are awesome!

[@dominikchi-nesisch935]

Hi Andong, Happy birthday! I love your videos! How about a video about the best falafel in Berlin? Would really appreciate it! See you at GoAsia!

[@franzlubeck9669]

I've been to the Spreewald when i was a little kid and i acctualy remember a lot of places seen in the Video. Brings back a lot of good memories and the pickles where also very tasty. Thanks for shareing this.

[@tiredoftheliesalready]

More than the pickles, I want to boat on this little canal or whatever it would technically be called. My goodness, this is the kind of place I dream of living (and visiting)...modern amenities cannot replace nature for me. Whether it is because I am a Native American, or because I grew up in the country most of my childhood, I cannot say -- all I know is that I feel most at peace and at home in such places. But goodness me, I want those pickles and the lard bread too 😍😋

[@robertheusmann671]

i can just imagine how weird this has to look to people from other countrys. haha love your videos by the way, always a good time.

[@stefshady85]

YEAH - Spreewald in da house!!!!! :D too funny to hear you talk about places I've been to soon many times myself...ein bisschen Heimat tut immer gut! ;-)

[@violinistk4]

You can go as low as 2% brine which would result in 1.5% salt content, otherwise, it will be too salty to consume. There is no need in sterilization once you have your first batch. Just use some of it in your next one and you can be sure that it will never be spoiled. At 25-29 C you'll need about 2 weeks and no more than 1 month. 21-25 C is more like 3-4 weeks. Noma's book recommendation of 5-7 days is not enough for proper eastern-style pickle.

[@Jod3lay]

I was laughing so hard seeing you two guys having so much fun over pickles!! Now I'm craving for one too!

[@dennis33]

15:35 - Thanks for the flashback of my childhood! 😄 And great vid like always! 👊

[@jirorobo1261]

“Like the breath of my grandpa” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@RabbitEarsCh]

My German teacher was from East Germany and he always told me I should get some Spreewaldgurken, because there's no other pickles like them. Looks like he was right!

[@a_karch]

I didn't not expect my favorite childhood song in the end 😭 Some things are just timeless

[@Tropicalpisces]

Danke Andong. I am of German heritage from USA .. you are a joy to watch. What a fun personality you have. Thank you for all the joy in your videos.

[@materac440]

Greetings from your Polish neighbour!

[@mynameisandong]

Cześć my friend! :)

[@starrybear4957]

Imagine just boating and you come across 2 dudes just eating pickles...... BEST.DAY.EVER

[@HappyNBoy]

I love that Gary has a British English accent and Andong has an American English accent.

[@vm6756]

I watched a few of your videos, and after this one, I realised you are from Berlin. I'm not German, but I live in Berlin for about a year and a half. Although I am vegetarian, I really enjoyed your videos. The passion for food you have is priceless. That one about smoothest hummus...man, I knew there must be a way to making it better. Also, black hummus is on my list now. I'm doing very good hummus, but after your video I'm gonna use the recipe. Thank you. Keep going with videos. I'm now interested to go in Lübbenau, not just because of the pickles, but place itself. Btw, do you have a restaurant in Berlin or something?

[@battiekoda]

Ok, so I'm literally one second in. I just got done watching a video on asparagus, and this was my next suggested video by the algorithm, (it knows me so well), and I was just: "Yep!!!! Will do, please and thank you!" Pickles are my love language....

[@battiekoda]

Now I feel a need to travel.......... Picklequest!!!!!

[@lewismaddock1654]

Two guys take a boat ride through the woods to enjoy pickles... Nothing wrong with that.

[@kzonedd7718]

Moooooom! Some guy who talks like he's from the US, but claims he's German STOLE the Dutch Herring sandwich! He says it's GERMAN! :-P

[@LucyBeefan6]

Reminds me of my childhood, when my grandparents were making pickles :) Amazing video btw! ♥♥ Love from Slovakia!

[@Echo_blu]

OMG, you always crack me up! I love your sense of humor and videos. Thank you for sharing your pickle adventure.

[@swedishbloke]

I’m in the pickle mile part of the video and I just got pleasantly surprised. Just some quick backstory. I’m a swede and I’m moving to the biggest island here next year (Gotland) which speak a unique dialect of Swedish. There’s what I like to call “Visby gotländska” which is what you speak in the biggest “city” named Visby. There’s also what’s called “syd gotländska” which is the way the southern part of the island speaks (fun fact, someone speaking syd gotländska can almost flawlessly communicate with Germans). So to the point, I recognised the pronunciation of the a few of the words as gotländska.... Thank you for reading this unnecessary comment that took way longer than it should have to write Have a nice day

[@lucidfox.]

Was soll dieser KZbin-Logarithmus? Jetzt ziehe ich mir ne Reise in den Spreewald rein um zwei Typen dabei zuzusehen wie sie sich Gurken reindonnern. GEIL!

[@giamania1]

loved the ending part with The Bremen Town Musicians song! very nice vid!

[@chrisisteas]

Thank you Andong and Gary. This is one of my favourite videos along with the Hainanese chicken video that also features Gary. I have watched both of these videos plenty. They have become a form of comfort media for me.

[@johnny39302]

my ancestors immigrated from the Spreewald (Lohsa) to Texas in 1853 and we still make garlic pickles to the old recipe. thanks for the video!

[@bastig333]

I dont know why but since this dropped I came back to the video from time to time until now

[@vitaly6312]

This is the best food KZbin channel on the planet. I hope you get a show or something soon. С днём рождения!

[@shafiqazmi2963]

Germany looks like a lovely place. Hello from SINGAPORE

[@derleumedia]

Ich liebe den Spreewald. Tolles Video!

[@rearmouse1928]

Amazing singing and a lovely interesting video - as always.

[@AlexGvinder]

За песню из бременских музыкантов на каноэ особенно лайк!!))

[@theGirlMachine666]

Бременские музыканты! Gänsehaut bekommen am Ende, weil ich es so geliebt habe damals :D 💕

[@lemonZzzzs]

Same! xD

[@Stojce_]

the song at the end brought me back to preschool, amazing

[@user-hm9mj1hc3j]

song name please

[@judosnubben]

Guys..you both are nuts.. with that said... thanks for all nice repotages....!!

[@alvinspasta8842]

Duck: sees bred Also Duck: Target spotted, heading in for interception!

[@ShivSilverhawk]

Hey! Great video! Thanks for bringing back great memories of when I was camping in spreewald. Those pickles really are to die for! My favourite kind came in a big bucket an they were without skin, kind’a sweet tasting. Now I have a weekend project:D

[@manuelribeiro7218]

I can't believe you only have 120k subs, the quality and just professionalism incredible, keep it up. Really been here for a while and still the first video I see when I open KZbin and it's there.

[@Delivator]

Yes. Thanks for the recommendation KZbin. That was amazing!

[@StopDropandLOL]

Man I love that train station it's so beautiful.

[@johnuferbach9166]

The one in the beginning? That the (pretty new) berlin central station, its really pretty cool imo :)

[@StopDropandLOL]

@@johnuferbach9166 Yes sir, I've always had a fondness for structures encased in glass.

[@L1LL38R0R]

What a wonderful, dreamy, fun and kind friend you have! I wish people took me on pickle-journeys...

[@miharu667]

I am so addicted to these videos!! Hi, Oklahoma in the house! Also. That song about being friends was hilarious.. I laughed way harder than i should've. Your videos inspire me to eat better. So glad i found your channel.

[@FareSkwareGamesFSG]

"You can bet your hairy ass on that!" I'm dying, I don't think that's what "Ja, klar!" literally translates to, but lmfao.

[@pb7199]

I never thought I would enjoy pickle content so much but lately I've been making pickled cucumbers, carrots and radishes and honestly? I fkn love pickles.

[@CaseMentMusic]

You guys have great chemistry, this was a great watch.

[@naperville_landscaping]

this is the absolute best channel on youtube. it's not even close!

[@MrDgo4life]

First heard about Spreewald and its pickles years ago when I saw Goodbye Lenin. Went to Germany last year and saw a Spreewald Tour poster in Alexanderplatz and bought a ticket on day one there. Went there the next day around Lübbenau and it brings great memories to see my favorite youtuber also appreciate Spreewald too. Also visited Kloster Zinna and Lückenwalde too nearby.

[@SundaysSound]

Deine Videos sind einfach super. DIese "Germany's"-Reihe hab ich erst neu entdeckt und bin begeistert, wie geil du der Welt zeigst, was Deutschland an Spezialitäten zu bieten hat.

[@rasmusrg2004]

Nice Video, you could have explained why the Spreewald is known for their pickles. Like how they grow. Just some more background info.

[@hellebarn]

Informativ, super aufwendig und auch lustig. Du hälst echt dein Niveau. Respekt und danke für das Video !

[@richardmangelmann4975]

I just loved the people in the back laughing at 10:20

[@guenthermichaels5303]

Nice one..informative and entertaining..Just discovered your channel. Cheers from a 64 year old aus Toronto. Tip for you... Save the pickle juice when pickles are finished...Boil the pickle juice and add boiled (peeled) eggs to the juice in jars..after 1 or 2 weeks you have the best pickled eggs....not so sour..delicious...

[@nikolayandreev2010]

Лучше моей мамы никто никогда не сделает огурчики. А малосольные вообще сказка=)))

[@user-2499]

'Zwei bitte, könnten wir zwei haben bitte' hahaha das war irgendwie süss von dir

[@beef6268]

You need to go to Spreewald again and get linseed oil from the linseed-windmill in Straupitz! That's a true classic of the area.

[@skeptic2832]

My grandmothe rmade the best "Salzgurken" She only used small cucumbers from the garden, well water and sea salt. My mother, on the other hand, made the best "Senfgurken" with ripened (yellow skin) cucumbers,vinegar, salt, sugar, mustard seeds and spices. Thanks for bringing back old memories.

[@jml9200]

most underrated channel on yt

[@joank6582]

You and Garry ARE AWESOME. Thank you for your awesome videos. If my husband and i ever come to Germany we would love to meet you .

[@adamchurvis1]

Damn, Andong! I never thought of using FLOWERED dill! That makes perfect sense because once it flowers it becomes so much more pungent. My complaints about my own dills have been "not enough dill flavor." You're my new hero, dude!

[@Prashanthmuthu]

Thanks 👍 for the video Andong it reminds my wonderful trip to Spreewald 😀

[@AtaTheAwesomeness]

You two are perfect together, so funny haha

[@popefacto5945]

The currant leaves are for tannins (which add to the crunchiness). Grape leaves work quite well. They're what I use because I have wild grapes in my back garden. You can even use oak leaves in a pinch.

[@julianrachele757]

Immediately clicked on this. God tier content as always Andong

[@Circuitspark]

Every time my grandparents would take my to germany to visit relatives I'd ask to go to spreewald, those pickles are amazing.

[@iw5744]

I actually LOVE German food! Sauerkraut, pickles, bratwurst, rouladen, frikadellen and reibekuchen, are just a few of the things I always have to eat when I'm there. Of course, all this is washed down with a few bottles of alt. I'm a big pickle fan, Andong. Loved this vid. It was great! Take us on a sauerkraut tour at some point, Dude. 😀

[@frankthetank1894]

Frikadellen is danish tho

[@iw5744]

@@frankthetank1894 and they make them in Sweden too. Regardless of their origin, the Germans do make lovely Frikkies. 🙂

[@micha_theater]

@@frankthetank1894 Just because they have them on Scandinavia too does not mean they are originally from there.

[@frankthetank1894]

@@micha_theater frikadeller is Danish so yes

[@peterlustig6888]

@@frankthetank1894 It isnt danish. There is no clear origin for the Frikadelle.

[@bikernieks]

You can add cherry tree leavs and/or black/red currant leaves, yeas, the Soviet school of pickling :D

[@kidsarecheese9198]

the pure chemistry between these guys almost feels rehearsed

[@TheKeranor]

This is the kind of video where I have to scroll down a bit to like - only to find out I already did that. Happened 3 times.

[@petramomotoso4361]

Looks tastyyyyy💐 Danke für s teilen😊😀 Love your videos always, thank youu

[@NickVennlig]

More of your friend Garry. What a fun guy!

[@JanetSmith900]

I’m doing something right if I found a video about a journey to pickle heaven. 😍😂

[@larsvonlennep6405]

Thank you for this video :-) found you here by chance and you've provided such a fun time when watching :-)