The Forgotten German Food Of The GDR | Euromaxx

[@karlas7125]

I love how they pretend like we don’t eat most of this food anymore. This is typical school canteen food. And I‘m 22

[@m.w.6526]

Exactly.

[@georgkilianbraunig5877]

stimmt :D

[@MrDgo4life]

Stimmt

[@Winterhe4rt]

NGL school food was the worst, even worse than Army food really. Literally nothing had any taste at all. I ask myself today how the fuck can you make Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Jagdwurst that tastes like a glass of water? Unbelievable...

[@Mikkogram]

We had that crap until the 6th grade, but just because it was a village and a pretty east-conservative village. The city 15 km away did not even acknowledge the eastern crap food

[@manuel0578]

All of this is still regularly served in our canteens...so none of this has disappeared or is forgotten.

[@MrDgo4life]

Nice, I personally enjoyed it myself. Nice and cheap

[@cioccolateriaveneziana]

Yes, or in bistros, cheaper restaurants, even bakeries if they have some warm dishes.

[@olegjablonsky3495]

So right. And you can tell the ossis, like me, from standing in line for jägerschnitzel or wurstgulasch 😁

[@gorillachilla]

Well they should forget it like the wall and make something fresh and new

[@bingobongo1615]

German here - from the West but often in the East but never saw anyone of these except the Schwedenbecher… And I mean there are Jägerschnitzel of course but last time I ate it in Thüringen it was with mushrooms just like in the West

[@Markov092]

I live in post-Soviet republic. Not far from my home there is cafeteria near industrial area, that used to be much bigger during Soviet era, that works since early 80's. According to my father, who went there for lunch as he worked back then in nearby car manufacturer, it still serves same simple and tasty dishes and has same classic Soviet interior. Place is still very popular during lunch time, many local workers from different companies now go there.

[@danidejaneiro8378]

I still cannot believe that I was alive at a time when Germany’s capital was divided by a wall separating it into two distinct countries. It feels like it belongs only in history books but I remember having products at home that had tags “Made in West Germany”

[@OffGridInvestor]

I have seen multiple things here in Australia with "made in West Germany". I got a bunch of spanners from someone who had a lada. The lada died and their next vehicle ended up running but completely rusted out and left at my uncles farm when he moved. My uncle died and I now live on that farm. Decided to get rid of all the old cars and cleared the pickup out of rubbish and found them in there, "made in USSR" on them but the S is backwards on a few of the spanners and the right way on the rest.

[@jamesr1703]

Me too!

[@cioccolateriaveneziana]

I don't know. I remember visits at our East Berlin friends in the late 1980's. To me as a child, it was like a cornucopia. So many kinds of salami and ham that we didn't have. An incredible selection of cakes in the pastry shops. Everything seemed more colourful to me - perhaps because I was small, perhaps because it had the exciting aura of a "foreign country", but still. In Czechoslovakia of the 1980's, I didn't see such rich selection of goods. On the other hand, we didn't have those drastic shortages like Poland or - according to the footage in this video - East Germany. In Czechoslovakia, basic stuff was always there. It just lacked the colour, so to say.

[@cioccolateriaveneziana]

To me, the sad thing is more what you see today in the East. In every town, you can find an ice cream parlor (usually called Venezia or something similarly generic), some kebab/döner shops, some pizza, maybe some Flammkuchen. Good restaurants are scarce. Most bakeries (Germany has the widest selection of bread in the world!) belong to some chains. They also serve as a substitution for cafés because there aren't almost any real cafés any more. A walk through an East German town is quite sad if you're a foodie or you want to sit down somewhere charming. Sorry to say.

[@betaich]

That's because you were in Berlin, it got special treatment when it came to food and other stuff. They had West Berlin right across the border and wanted to show off what socialists could do.

[@cioccolateriaveneziana]

@@betaich Hm, sounds plausible.

[@skaarphy5797]

@@cioccolateriaveneziana I grew up in West Germany in the 80's. Back then things were different here too, not as generic - as you say - as they are today. It's the McDonaldization of the everything, if that's the right word.

[@cat_city2009]

The "color" is ideology. One of the reasons capitalism triumphed is that it's very good at selling the sizzle more than the steak.

[@Your.Uncle.AngMoh]

In the USSR, that Jägerschnitzel would probably have been made with Doktorskaya sausage. Andong has done a great video on the history of that Soviet "mystery meat".

[@dpt6849]

Andongs name is becoming famous

[@monmouthnj]

No, in the USSR it was made mostly with bread (90% bred crumbs + 10% pig's innards).

[@lkrnpk]

good Doktorskaya is not bad at all, we have the more expensive versions in Latvia which have the original recipe as it should be. but of course if you have a good meat, you'll have a good sausage... but perhaps do not make it in schnitzel kind of way :D

[@bingobongo1615]

@@monmouthnjyep. Soviet Russia had a far bigger issue with getting edible meat on the table (while bread and later alcohol was dirt cheap and plentiful) than East Germany.

[@Shaker626]

@@bingobongo1615 How are you supposed to feed animals when all the grain ends up in the Kolkhoz's vodka still?

[@acetop666]

I visited East Berlin twice in 1988 in the same week ( one trip official and the other unofficial ) when I was in the British Army During the 2nd we found a pub in the back streets of the Alexanderplatz and had Broiler chicken all washed down with the local beer which was so weak it was like water ! And the staff made a fuss of us because we paid in West German Deutsche Mark ( black market currency in the East) they threw in a few extra rounds of the beer !

[@jeffsmith2144]

I remember going on a BRIXMIS day trip early 70's in Berlin. Had lunch in a back street knipe of meatballs mash and gravy. It was good. Felt a bit wired sitting there in No2's amongst 'the enemy' 🤣. Great times. My forever favourite city.

[@overworlder]

I went in the same year I think. I remember having to change a ridiculous amount of DM for DDR marks and struggling to find things to spend it on. Unter den Linden was grim with functional shops labeled 'Shoes', 'Books', etc. No brands. Winter gloom and mist didn't help. The ground floor of the bookshop was stuffed to the rafters with piles of books on socialist economics. Pass. We ended up in a 'Cuban' restaurant. I remember my main being a pork chop with black beans and pineapple ring from tins, with boiled potato and cabbage on the side.

[@DWFood]

Interesting memories - thanks for sharing!

[@overworlder]

@@DWFood - thanks for noticing!

[@tokre8880]

yeah because you got served the cheap bear .... more expensive beer and beer that was ment for export to the west were by far better but still the regular ones had some vol% so it wasn't like water after all .... I tasted british beer too and still prefer german and sometimes even east german variants

[@RaimoHöft]

Tote Oma... dead grandma... was one of my favourites. Very hearty. 😋

[@dweuromaxx]

"Tote Oma" was really one of the more whimsical names for a dish. 😀

[@carmenfinn7521]

I thought that was a dessert?

[@gerdforster883]

Tote Oma war allerdings kein DDR-Essen, das gab es schon früher. In West-Berlin ist es halt nur irgendwann aus der Mode gekommen, weil es als Arme-Leute-Essen galt. In anderen Regionen der BRD haben sich die jeweiligen regionalen Entsprechungen länger gehalten. Ob Knipp in Bremen, oder Wurstebrei in Lippe. Tote Oma war einfach die Version, die um Berlin herum gegessen wurde. Das Ost-Jägerschnitzel hingegen war tatsächlich exklusiv in der DDR verbreitet.

[@dpt6849]

Yes and a messerschmit passing over during her burial. Ganz schön. 😂

[@kevincarlson7148]

I came across a website that had East German recipes.Some of the names were morbidly hilarious.

[@kevincarlson7148]

If you're ever in San Francisco,there's a great restaurant named Walzwerk.It's decorated with DDR memorabilia and the portions are obscenely huge.

[@lukasnummer1]

That restaurant is now permanently closed.

[@kevincarlson4562]

@@lukasnummer1 Thanks,what a letdown though.

[@ianthomasdooley859]

@@lukasnummer1 that’s a shame - I was going to visit!

[@lloyd4956]

RIP would've loved to try it..

[@tokre8880]

@@lukasnummer1 why tf .... would love to be there one day and taste my grannie's food in a foreign country

[@Diaz2473]

Ketchup, tomato, and pickle juice... “that’s real tomato sauce westerner!”

[@HarryPotter87]

"Ew!"

[@mutecommercials]

Sounds like a prison recipe.

[@manin4568]

@@mutecommercials 😂😂

[@JohnJohnson-fm1gy]

@@mutecommercials it kinda was

[@steffenrosmus9177]

@@JohnJohnson-fm1gy well, it was a prison with 17 mio. inmates

[@holzi4788]

1:33 "Das ist echte Tomatensoße, mein Lieber Wessi" To the people who dont speak German. In Germany, we sometimes differ between "Ossi" (people living in the former DDR region, east) and "Wessi" (people living in the BRD region, west). Both are words used to mock (mostly in a funny way) the other one, because of cultural differences that evolved in those areas and which are sometimes in a (light) conflict.

[@letoubib21]

Ossi? You mean zoni, don't you?

[@tokre8880]

@@letoubib21 no he didn't

[@neilfoster814]

In Krakow, Poland, I love to go and eat at one of the Soviet era "Milk Bar" type cafés. The food is very similar to food of the DDR. Basic, but wholesome and filling, cheap too!

[@solanjedere]

I'm going to Krakov soon, I would to visit this place, what is the name? thx

[@2002georgezacharia]

​@@solanjedereyou can just google milk bar cafe ..there are multiple ones ..most iconic ones are in the district called nowa huta

[@solanjedere]

Thanks!!!@@2002georgezacharia

[@williamegler8771]

I had Oma' s from both the DDR and FDR. Both were excellent cooks but the food my Oma from the DDR prepared was more basic but still delicious.

[@NorthKoreaUncovered]

Who knew Roosevelt could cook?

[@gautamsarkar3294]

If I remember correctly, fresh tomatoes were not always available in "Hauptstadt der DDR". In West Berlin Jägerschnitzel, always had mushrooms. As a matter of fact, the word "Jäger" in any menu meant that there will be mushrooms in a sauce.

[@BelloBudo007]

That's kind of interesting. 2 things I liked most were the guy saying that the chairs were just as uncomfortable as in the old East Berlin, and Avec Gunther (the cook) changing his mind about emigrating once the wall came down. I think I can relate to Mr. Gunther's philosophy. Doing something because you want to is Freedom. Doing the same thing because you must, is not.

[@x_griffin_x]

The characterization of the DDR as being "isolated" seems strange: just because they didn't have as open or strong of relations with western countries doesn't mean that they didn't engage with or have many ties to other countries. Plus, the DDR was pretty famous for its electronics and some other products, and as many are saying in the comments here, there were many visitors to the DDR from other countries.

[@rod9829]

Stasi approved message 👍

[@kaycey7361]

I agree. Blue star supplied many generators, heavy duty industrial machine to india and imported indian cotton, sugar, cement, spice, food etc

[@pedrob3953]

​@@rod9829 Did the OP said wrongthink?

[@espben360]

Food: the ultimate way to be able to travel, not just from one land to another but from one time to another also!

[@vito_keys]

The jägerschnitzel basically introduced me to German cuisine, and European meat dishes in general As an Indonesian, I did several twists to it . Instead of the pasta and tomato paste, I served it with fried rice

[@MonkeyDRuffy82]

I'll have to try it. Thanks for the tip.

[@jensnimike176]

I was in East Germany many times. The biggest problem was availabilty of foods. The usual answer was "Hamwernich" (we don't have) I only got to try 2 dishes. Goulasch many times and once Hackepeter (raw ground meat) We were scared to eat the Hackepeter so we ordered vodka (Korn) to pour over it😂

[@martintranslations9883]

🤮

[@Heckinwhatonearth]

​@@martintranslations9883steak tartare is a thing. It's super tasty FYI, not sure why you have to be so squeamish. And I've been a vegan for years, smh

[@janmartin1493]

@@Heckinwhatonearth I love Mett and Steak Tartar, but pouring vodka over it sounds disgusting, unnecessary and probably would not even kill all the germs (if there were any) unless you grind it to a sludge.

[@plt927]

Korn ist kein Vodka.

[@janmartin1493]

@@plt927 Well, there is grain vodka which essentially the same as korn.

[@charles_xcx]

Interesting to see how, regardless of circumstances, humans will always find a way to make great food!

[@venuspluto67]

Yeah, that's the oddest thing I hear about the old East Germany: A lot of people who lived through that era and who didn't necessarily appreciate the regime, especially older people, thought the food was better than today's fare that I'm guessing was the food that predominated in the old West Germany.

[@beelz5932]

If I’m remembering correctly, it was revealed in a CIA report that the average diet of a Soviet was more nutritionally dense (with slightly less daily caloric intake, 100 or so) than the American diet. While this doesn’t exactly answer your question, we can infer that, while the west might have had a greater variety of ingredients due to having access to the world market, the Soviets and their satellites might have had more nutritious ingredients albeit with less variety and some scarcity.

[@rsstenger5113]

@2:20 “Even the chair is just as uncomfortable (as back then)” 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@domif.b.7657]

I visited friends in the GDR in the mid-90s and actually enjoyed some of the food (Solyanka = "einmal-durch-die-Kueche-gefegt") and beer ( a lovely dark stout, can't remember the name though ). I don't see most of the dishes as "forgotten" though, but that's just my impression.

[@myeramimclerie7869]

could have been a dark Lübzer, our most popular brand here

[@domif.b.7657]

@@myeramimclerie7869 ja genau, das war es, und so lecker

[@myeramimclerie7869]

@@domif.b.7657 Freut mich, dass es geschmeckt hat 😊 Meine Familie kommt aus Lübz, mein Vater hat früher in den Schulferien die Etiketten auf die Flaschen geklebt 😂

[@domif.b.7657]

@@myeramimclerie7869 durfte er dann auch trinken oder nur kleben :-)

[@philippczeskleba3988]

visiting the GDR in mid 90s? how?

[@robertrichter5949]

Oh yeah! The GDR was very isolated. I don't understand. I have a cooking book from the GDR with recipes from other countries in europe. But I think, some ingredients were sometimes or often difficult to get. Long ago I have eaten a Jägerschnitzel. It's time for it. Also a school remembering.

[@Mikkogram]

Most of the dishes died away because it just didn't taste good. Some dishes taste good enough to stay regional. The tomato sauce is just disgusting. Noodles were washed with water to make them bigger and blend.

[@Yolduranduran]

Yes, this food does not look appetizing to me.

[@thomasschafer7268]

Yes. But frog legs or stickfish

[@ronnyche2929]

nah man, most fof these dishes are still regularly serverd in many canteens and homes

[@waynebruce24893]

@@ronnyche2929 that's because it's cheap and provides the day's calories, not because it's good. East German dishes provide only what one *needs* (calories and macros), the Communist way.

[@MirkoC407]

That is a matter of preparation. And especially today, when the food is made with good quality ingredients by a motivated chef it is really tasty. Without love and effort and using the cheapest ingredients available things will taste bad, no matter where on planet Earth you get them served. I'm West German so I don't know the potentially awful originals from the economy of scarcity. But don't blame the recipe for the quality of the ingredients. I never ate East German food in Berlin though, probabyl because you need to know where restaurants like these survived between all the other, mostly non-German restaurants in the city. So I probably should remember the Volkskammer for my next Berlin trip. But during my stays in other cities like Dresden, Halle and Gera I tried East German food and it usually was good.

[@danirezaeva3934]

you can still get some of these dishes at the butcher in lunch hour in eastern germany!

[@Winterhe4rt]

As a former east germn kid I never in my life heard the term Grilletta. xD All the other stuff mentioned here I know of.

[@xmeruem1475]

Same xD

[@PIasmaZombie]

Wie hat man denn die grilleta sonst bei euch genannt, oder gabs die bei euch gar nicht ??

[@kinngrimm]

Looks quite like a Bulletenbrötchen, Fleischpflanzern in einer Wecken. Not much of a differance i would say.

[@camilla-atkayk.9680]

Es heißt Grilletten! Steht doch in riesen große Buchstaben auf dem Schaufester. 🤔 Also "Grilletta" hab ich auch noch nie gehört.

[@zalba5710]

Ich kenne das auch nicht xD (Thüringen)

[@HoBBySOLDIER1]

Junge so ein richtiges Jägerschnitzel ist schon was feines...if you grew up with this kind of food it just comforts you even now a days

Wow...i spent some days in DDR...in 1987...i remember Ketwurst and grilleta...a little bit rare flavour ...but interesting... Nice video...

[@b.elzebub9252]

2:20 Lol. That dude looks like he was about 5 years old when the wall came down..

[@james64ibm]

I was forced to eat Jägerschnitzel in primary school and I can say with confidence that it is a salty abomination. The other foods are an acquired taste, but generally palatable.

[@oggurke]

The Jägerschnitzel was one of my favorite school lunch meals, but the top one is still Buchteln (a sweet yeast dumpling) with vanilla sauce.

[@RaimoHöft]

Jägerschnitzel und Tote Oma... my favorite dishes in school. The food was actually quite good. But I didn't like all the sweet meals served on monday or friday much.

[@MissMiauz]

I can't stand Jägerschnitzel either. Maybe it somehow tastes good in that restaurant, if they use high quality sausages. But in Kindergarten it was terrible, like almost every dish they served there, except for the Puddingsuppe.

[@MissMiauz]

Moritz Waldmann Well, Omas food is the best, that's just how it is. :) In Kindergarten just everything tasted horrible and that's the reason why I can't eat certain things even now, because I'm still grossed out by just thinking about it

[@Danisachan]

Nope most school canteen food was delicious to me. The elder ladies who cooked for us were really great. What I hated were some of the sweet dishes (as someone mentioned here) especially "Hefeklöße mit Heidelbeeren". Yuck. But "Tote Oma" and "Jägerschnitzel"? Yum! 😋👍

[@LordDavid04]

I had Solyanka and Jaegerschnitzel when I visited Berlin back in 2016.

[@laurentdevaux5617]

So much butter in the sauce ! Are you sure there was so much butter in East Germany ? Just to give an idea, I went in St Petersburg in spring 1993, and I still remind most of the shops were still empty and that find a restaurant that could give you a proper meal was quite difficult...

[@MonkeyDRuffy82]

Yes butter was no problem. Also, it never looked as bad as it did in the USSR. There were shortages, but never empty shelves. Well, I can't remember.

[@henryseidel5469]

Indeed you should travel to Russia again to see what has changed since Putin is in office.

[@LordDavid04]

I ate at that restaurant! Had the jaegerschnitzel. Baloney/Mortadella meat, crumbed, served with the tomato sauce and undercooked pasta spirals so it has the crunch.

[@robplazzman6049]

LordDavid04. Mmmmmmmm, sounds lovely.

[@steffenrosmus1864]

Vomit

[@rhughes1795]

@@steffenrosmus1864 Gibt es mir mundgeruch?

[@solanjedere]

As italian I can say is not "undercooked", it is properly cooked as a pasta should be, the crunch is not only for taste but also for a slower digestion, so you don't feel hungry one after after eating. And of course, the taste is way superior. We call it "al dente".

[@tokre8880]

@@solanjedere al dente is the only way to make pasta.... everything else are crimes against humanity..... greetings from east germany

[@asgertonsberg2457]

I don't know about you, but I love the Jägerschnitzel.

[@xavierwarren9799]

So I see why they interviewed this man, seems wise. He felt the same way I feel about the U.S. currently. Serve all that to me I'll try it for sure !

[@nlpnt]

"Broiler" was a linguistic anomaly, usually the West was a lot more into English loan words than the East.

[@bluemoondiadochi]

i lived just across the street for months, in the big student apartment complex, at time of doing my master nternship in Berlin. i so wanted to go there and try the food but i didnt have the money, i was really on end with money. i would go to the market that's across the parking lot and get some saurkraut, potatoes and blood sausage (it's a good and cheap supermarket!) and cook for myself. that, or instant chinese soup. something baked for weekends.

[@franktechmaniac7488]

1:05 back then in East Germany it would have not been fried in clearyfied butter, since butter was scarse and expensive as well. 3:33 when I worked in Dresden in the mid 1990s my older colleagues from the told me, that Soljanka was made from sausages that were overdue for some days. 4:54 I hate this "not everything was bad back then" Ostalgie. 99% of the East Germans ran over for the D-Mark, bananas, western cars, freedom and else but forgot to earn what they desired.

[@Frohds14]

Panierte Jagdwurst hat auch meine Oma gemacht (hat gut geschmeckt, ich bin aber inzwischen Vegetarier) und die ist nur selten aus Hessen rausgekommen, für Tagesausflüge nach RLP, NRW und BY. Im Osten ist sie nie gewesen. Fisch-Soljanka ist absolut lecker und auch keine Erfindung der DDR, sondern eher eine Spezialität aus Pommern und Preußen. Letscho hat man als Urlaubs-Andenken mitgebracht, wie im Westen die italienische Tomatensoße, die kombiniert mit Haschee zur westdeutschen Variante der Bolognese wurde. Man hat halt gekocht mit dem, was man hatte. Und ob man's nun Ketwurst oder Hotdog nennt, ist doch wirklich alles Wurst/wurst. Übrigens hat man auch in Westdeutschland nicht immer alles jederzeit zur Verfügung gehabt. Ich bin auf dem Dorf in Hessen groß geworden. Wir hatten einen kleinen Supermarkt vor Ort, in einen größeren musste man 15 km fahren. In beiden gab's im Sommer keine Orangen oder Mandarinen. Heidelbeeren, Brombeeren, Himbeeren, Pilze usw. hätte man dort nie im Leben angeboten, denn das konnte man wild pflücken oder hatte das im Garten. Mittwochs konnte es schon mal sein, dass die Bananen aus waren, denn geliefert wurde montags und donnerstags. Frische Ananas musste man bestellen, Litschi, Physalis usw. kannte man gar nicht, nicht mal Auberginen gab's, Kürbisse schon gar nicht. Unsere vermeintlich große Auswahl heute ist auch nur Augenwischerei. Warum brauche ich 5 verschiedene Sorten von banalen Cornflakes, 6 Sorten Vollkorn-Knäcke oder 7 Sorten Kaffeesahne. Kaum jemand schmeckt da nen Unterschied. Dafür ist durch Supermärkte und Discounter und industrialisierte Großproduktionen das Angebot an traditionellen regionalen Wurst- und Backwaren weniger geworden. Früher konnte man noch sagen, die Jagdwurst von Metzger A schmeckt mir besser als die Jagdwurst von Metzger B. Da sie immer und jederzeit zur Verfügung stehen soll, kaufen A und B sie jetzt beim selben Produzenten ein und machen sie nicht mehr selbst. Dasselbe hab ich in der Gastronomie, wo dank Convenience-Food auch viel vereinheitlicht worden ist. Die DDR hatte das schon in den 70er und 80er-Jahren aus Devisenmangel, wir haben's heute Gesamtdeutsch wegen "Geiz ist geil" und "so isses halt bequemer". In meiner ehemaligen Uni-Stadt z.B. gibt es inzwischen doppelt soviel Studentenkneipen, wie zu meiner Studienzeit, aber wesentlich weniger Auswahl beim Geschmack. 80% der Kneipen bekommen ihr Essen vorgekocht aus ein- und derselben Großküche bei mir um die Ecke, die auch dem Besitzer der Kneipen gehört. Trotzdem werden manche Stein und Bein schwören, dass die Lasagne in Kneipe X besser schmeckt als die in Kneipe Y.

[@awibs57]

My partner spent part of his childhood in West Germany, moved away, and returned for uni after the wall had fallen. After seeing this episode, he is berating himself for never seeking out East German cuisine. In uni he was living on the west side of Berlin and would occasionally cross town, be creeped out by the profoundly depressing and uncomfortable feeling of the soviet bloc buildings, and cross back before too long without ever really experiencing the culture. He cannot believe he didn't know about the different names for things while living so close.

[@fkboyStalin]

ah yes, what's creepier, big buildings, or people having no homes, omg big buildings is scarier(ignore that capitalists built biggest building in world)

[@henningbartels6245]

That is sad and somehow typical as well. Last time I went to Potsdam I had small talk with a woman from the Western part of Berlin who was the first time in Potsdam and amazed ... though it is just a 15 min train ride.

[@sixstringedthing]

Is it traditional for forcemeat schnitzel to have big chunks of the breadcrumb coating missing because the cook clumsily turned it over in the pan using a carving fork instead of tongs?

[@tokre8880]

with tongs you put more pressure on the coating wich can cause it to fall of ....... that's why many people prefer to use forks (me too).

[@grewdan58]

I much enjoyed watching this video. I had to run it back to find the name of the restaurant, Volkskammer das design restaurant and then found the owners name, Aurick Günther. I wish I had seen this video two months ago so I could have eaten there when I was in Berlin for Christmas. Now I will just have to make another visit!

[@mandalor-8315]

I worked for an East German restaurant great experience and GREAT Food and Beer!!!

[@johannapfelburg6286]

3:02 what's the special occasion that Kim Il Sung's photo is placed on the window?

[@dweuromaxx]

East Germany and North Korea had both a diplomatic and a trade relationship. Person cult was part of everyday life in the GDR - The other person is of course Erich Honnecker.

[@emirvmendoza]

@@dweuromaxx But did Honecker's portrait also appear on a North Korean shop?

[@dweuromaxx]

@@emirvmendozaThis photo of the store display was taken in 1984 when Kim Il Sung visited the GDR. If you are interested in the topic, this DW article might interest you: p.dw.com/p/2qtxH

[@carltomacruz9138]

Ahh yes, I remember that the North Korean embassy in Berlin operates a hotel in its compound up to now.

[@emirvmendoza]

@@dweuromaxx Thanks for the link. YT never notified me when you commented this.

[@BubbBlubbii]

most germans still eat those on a regular basis and those restaurants serving these dishes still exist in a big quantities

[@bingobongo1615]

You mean East Germans? Never saw any of these except the Schwedenbecher on a menu… And yeah Jägerschnitzel exists everywhere but its a very different dish compared to this.

[@randomexcessmemories4452]

I'll have to visit this place when I go to Germany! Sounds both fascinating and delicious!

[@badman5509]

Too bad I didn't know about this restaurant the last time I was in Berlin. What's even sadder is that I'll probably have forgotten about it again the next time I'm there.

[@cowsmuggler1646]

Noodles and ketchup, wonder why it was forgotten.

[@brucetownsend691]

I have visited Germany in 2012 and loved it. The food was really good. These DDR dishes look like something only a mother could love.

[@tokre8880]

I know but they taste though

[@m3gAnac0nda]

U have no idea of what ur'e talking about.

[@Brick-Life]

3:02 Kim Il-sung and Erich Honecker poster. Both the leaders of real Korea/Germany

[@kevinbyrne4538]

1:54 -- ragout fin 3:26 -- lecsó / letcho 3:30 -- solyanka

[@danihesslinger7968]

Definitely nothing typically former GDR - had all of that in my childhood, and never lived there. The names already tell us about the origins. Other dishes may have ben renamed for "political correctness" or whatever, but they are all part of traditional, though sometimes regional, cuisine

[@kevinbyrne4538]

@@danihesslinger7968 -- These dishes are central / east European dishes ?

[@danihesslinger7968]

@@kevinbyrne4538 Partly, but not all :-) As the name says "ragout fin" is French, Solyanka Russian. Letcho Hungarian, and "Jägerschnitzel" is - to my knowledge- a variation on an Austrian dish. Food has always been subject to historical developments - wars, famines, foreign regimes ... The only thing that you probably would not have found in Eastern Germany is the very special cuisine of southern Germany, but even we in the North do not really master that. Never forget, that when Germany was split into two parts after the war, we already had hundreds of years of changing socio-cultural influences :-)

[@kevinbyrne4538]

@@danihesslinger7968 -- Thank you for your reply. I learned something. :)

[@danihesslinger7968]

@@kevinbyrne4538 Oh, Kevin, I did not mean to "teach" - I am just a 71-year-old hobby cook 😃

[@maestrovso]

No matter how authentic the dishes are, you need Stasi informants to complete the GDR dining atmosphere.

[@solanjedere]

hahahahhha

[@throwback19841]

You mean Yelp reviewers?

[@Heckinwhatonearth]

Most people were informants themselves. Spoke up openly against communism? Your neighbours would report you, a blacked out gaz showed up in the middle of the night, and best case, you'd be interrogated for days, maybe tortured, worst case, never seen again. Your neighbours would get a small reward. Mass reporting innocent people or people who weren't liked for the reward was very common.

[@rnman99]

I went to East Berlin twice and had Grilletten and Ketwurst. Wasn't bad. The beer was pretty good too. Went to the Restaurant Moskau as well. That was an experience.

[@torbenm2375]

A cuisine that developped from shortage. Yeh, can be great.

[@wanderowa]

Many French, Italian, Chinese, etc. food had been developed from shortage which today are expensive in restaurants.

[@letoubib21]

'T seems they've learnt from the infamous, Nazi German *_Eintopfsonntag . . ._*

[@harrisonc985]

As an american, that jeagershintzel looks like a deconstructed veal parm but with vodka sauce instead of marinara and a side salad. i wannaa try it.

[@marlasinger1276]

what's that soup and toast thing called again? looks good.

[@robLV]

I'd love to check out the volkskammer!

[@Natadangsa]

They demolished the building

[@h0pesfall]

As a german I'm glad about the translation because I don't understand them 🤣🤣🤣

[@jonathanpanlaqui1855]

These dishes were favorites among people since the days of East Germany.

[@rodvarmo]

Omg I'm from Costa Rica and was in Dresden for a year. I ate a lot of jagerschnitzel and did not know this was eastern German

[@julianosvonskingrad7009]

Real Jägerschnitzel is real meat with a spicy mushroom sauce with 0 ketchup or tomatos. And of course without pasta, but with perfectly cooked potatos.

[@tokre8880]

@@julianosvonskingrad7009 that is not "Real" Jägerschnitzel it's "Western" Jägerschnitzel .....

[@domgluhwein]

I live in Thuringia... all of this is common in any canteen or restaurant lol

[@TheBearAspirin]

Miss the East German restaurant Walzwerk in San Francisco. A victim of the covid quarantine.

[@thomasschafer7268]

Find recipes and cook by yourself!!!

[@guycalabrese4040]

Thüringen is my favourite eastern part. Why? The most fantastic dog ever was invented there, in Apolda. The fantastic Dobermann! 😍

[@steffenrosmus9177]

Yep, really tasty with dumplings and gravvy😂😂😂

[@guycalabrese4040]

@@steffenrosmus9177 Are you chinese? 😆 If you you want to eat dog, eat a breed called "Chow chow" - they're bred for eating

[@EdMcF1]

In the early 1980s in England, there was a 'joke' 'What has 10,000 legs, moves very slowly and eats cabbages?' 'A Polish meat queue.'.

[@bengunns]

East Gernany has Worcester sauce? wow i didnt realise that, i love Worcestershire sauce especially on fried eggs and bacon.

[@DWFood]

@BenGunns *W*sauce has actually become established throughout German cuisine as a seasoning for fricassee or ragout fin. Only the correct pronunciation is still a bit of a problem here...😉

[@remaguire]

My wife is from West Germany and when she was around 20, she lived in West Berlin. Once in a while, she went with friends to East Berlin. She told me that if she entered a restaurant and got in line with the "Ossis", the manager immediately saw they weren't East Germans and pulled them out of the line and sat them immediately! Probably didn't want to infect the East Germans with capitalist ideas!

[@cat_city2009]

This is beautiful. 20th Century socialism had many deep flaws, but I think their attempt at creating a new and better society is admirable.

[@apl175]

Used to get some of this at an East German restaurant in San Francisco - Walzwerk. Unfortunately no more due to the pandemic.

[@cowsmuggler1646]

No need. Western food has become like that. The pasta sauce, they reduced the spices and onions. And garlic. So it is tastes like ketchup. And I tried a couple of pizza and they tasted like pizza made with ketchup too. You either pay through the nose or get some watered down DDR stuff nowadays. Show shall ism has come to America.

[@sophiakrause3944]

North🤝East germany: being underrepresented and underrated in videos about german food and culture

[@DWFood]

We're happy to shed some light on them both 🙂 check out our report on the north Germany's legendary fish sandwich here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIGzc2CQorhsi80 🐟

[@sophiakrause3944]

@@DWFood watched it before and it was good. It was also more of an overall state ment since both regions get rarely any attention in most videos about Germany on you tube

[@zZ38PYB50guA9PUuDhAI]

There are some North Korean dishes that we don't know.. why do I feel Germany and Korea is similar.. I wish Korea can unite soon too and North Korean dishes could be preserved.

[@Gigi-oc5kc]

Not only the food, but the East Berlin dialect has disappeared as well

[@itsnooooofun]

Ich wohne in Ostberlin und habe ehrlich gesagt nie wirklich einen Unterschied zwischen Ost-& Westberlinerisch gehört

[@Gigi-oc5kc]

virginwodka 😢

[@m.w.6526]

Not true

[@brucemarsico6]

Who wants it? Time goes on. The country is now reunited over thirty years. I would think that the food is of better quality, better taste. No more German Democratic Republic.......

[@Diggnuts]

Solyanka is so good!

[@marlit8443]

My sister still cooks Soljanka now. It tastes good.

[@iarba]

nostalgia is a hella of a drug

[@tokre8880]

as well as decadency, stupidity and ignorance

[@tokre8880]

stupidity and ignorance too ;)

[@emirvmendoza]

0:23 an escalloped schosaucer?

[@CSLucasEpic]

This reminded me of a little restaurant in Buenos Aires called "Peron, Peron."

[@joeysworldsewer]

As a cold war buff I have always wanted to check out Berlin and see some of the remnants of the era

[@WanderingRationalist]

Why not just have subtitles?

[@martinn.6082]

I'm pretty sure that Ketwurst doesn't mean ketchup on Wurst, but that it's a joke on the hot dog. Dog becomes cat, which becomes Ket.

[@moritzanthes4447]

"Chausseur sausage" - 🤣 - stay ma a little bit on the teppich. Sonst genau mein Sound!

[@runner0075]

Maybe not the most delicious meal, but I would really love to try all that dishes because it's part of a culture and an age.

[@cowsmuggler1646]

Substitute ketchup for tomato sauce in all your dishes and you have it.

[@plt927]

The Jägerschnitzel had a full recipe, go for it. For Soljanka what you need is: 1-2 glasses of Letscho, pickles with some juice, leftover pork steaks and sausages from BBQ, or whatever sausage you're able to find in your fridge (Salami, Doctorskya, etc), some corn if you're fancy, spices, water. You can add a spoonful of sour cream when it's on a plate, eat with some baguette (or rolls that you cut like a baguette)

[@BatCaveOz]

Dude at 2:38 looks like he keeps his family in his cellar.

[@ralphdavis9670]

This makes spam look like Kobe beef.

[@Tosse901]

Man....thank god most of this is forgotten :D

[@sarcasmo57]

I want to try one of those steamed clams.

[@MassimilianoBoveri]

I¨m absolutely a westerner,but this is interesting,and by the way in my very personal opinion food has nothing to do with politics!I was 1 time in East Berlin,good memories!!

[@emiliobello2538]

I’d like to go to an East German restaurant

[@ginafromcologne9281]

There is a channel called Salami TV, where a great character cooks and enjoys typical East German meals! :D

[@tarjei99]

It looks quite a lot like Norwegian cafè food.

[@LucasTOrz]

Food have no boundaries

[@letoubib21]

Sure they have. Just take the famous, German *_Weisswurstäquator_* or the not less famous, Swiss *_Röstigraben . . ._*

[@AaronfromEngland1989]

Some of it looks good

[@lloyd4956]

This food looks amazing!!! Be proud of it.

[@cowsmuggler1646]

Ketchup and noodles, real amazing.

[@tokre8880]

@@cowsmuggler1646 it tastes better than it looks tbh

[@trolltv1282]

In Poland there was Jaegerschnitzel made from polish mortadel

[@lotnegative]

I'm only 21, so I am lucky enough to only know Germany as a united country. My parents are both from West Germany, so I haven't had these dishes at home. I did however have some of them as a child in canteens and restaurants at tourist spots in East Germany. All I can say is that I found every single one of them horrible, especially the Jägerschnitzel. They just don't taste good, that's why they are being forgotten about by younger generations.

[@PrettyGoodLookin]

Prison Food or worse. The taste of Oppression.

[@Nicecatholicgirl]

Is there any Czech/Polish influence in East German cooking?

[@Strongnurgling]

This actually look better

[@kristofhegedus5346]

That was anything but lecsó at the picture. They changed it a lot. The main diferrence by looking that they used tomato sauce

[@Brainwashed101]

"Even the chairs are just as uncomfortable"

[@DWFood]

😅 do you have personal experience in this matter too?

[@bkanoid]

I’m in Canada - I was raised with pork schnitzel. We couldn’t afford veal either!

[@skip123davis]

i was a usaf german linguist back then. the eastern propaganda was so convoluted: "the berlin wall: keeping freedom IN!"