Why Germans Love BREAD So Much | Germany In A Nutshell

What do most Germans miss abroad? Their bread! Hannah Hummel explains why people in Germany are so crazy about it, how Germany developed such a huge bread diversity and why so many bakeries are under threat nowadays.
---------------------------
CREDITS
Report: Hannah Hummel/Robert Richter
Camera: Robert Richter
Edit: Robert Richter
Supervising Editor: Ruben Kalus/Niklas Stündel
#Bread #Germany #GermanyInANutshell
---------------------------------------------
CHAPTERS
00:00-00:49 Intro
00:50-01:21 Bread Origins
01:22-01:46 German Bred Culture
01:47-02:49 Bread Diversity
02:50-03:32 Bread Meals
03:32-04:00 German Bread Under Threat
04:00-05:20 Modern Bakeries
---------------------------------------------
Subscribe to DW Euromaxx:
bit.ly/DWEuromaxx_Sub
Would you like to find out more about Euromaxx?
▸Website: dw.com/lifestyle
▸Facebook: dw.euromaxx
▸Instagram: dw_euromaxx
DW Euromaxx brings you engaging insights into European cultures and lifestyles.

[@dweuromaxx]

How important is bread in your country? 🍞😋

[@EinNerd]

🇩🇪very important

[@jillwheeler6207]

Most breads in the USA are factory, tasteless, fluff; bread is a lost art here. 🍞 🧈

[@jopiaspieder1184]

In America 🇺🇸 we love our hot dogs, cheeseburgers, toast and bags so bread is very important here.

[@JJONNYREPP]

Why Germans Love BREAD So Much | Germany In A Nutshell 2230pm 16.7.22 i actually met an olde fashioned baker many years ago.. it used to be important. but, believe me, they churn out any old crud these days. it's the last bastion of civilisation - so if yer shops are churning out cruddy bread then... yer being warned. that wood fired bread looked good, though... probably the only thing we agree on - bread is king.

[@koochooloo007]

In my original country bread and rice are both equally important, but then again it's due to the location being between Europe and Asia!

[@shilarangarajan]

I hope there is a revival of bakeries in Germany. It’s a beautiful part of the culture. I love German bread.

[@untermRadar710]

in the villages we have enough backeries that bake themselves but true sadly in the cities there r to much factory backeries

[@pdenigma9444]

When I was a kid, I grew up eating the typical processed American-style white bread. But when I became exposed to freshly-baked artisan breads for the first time, my entire perspective on bread was changed.

[@dweuromaxx]

In which country did you try these glorious artisan breads? 🤤

[@pdenigma9444]

@@dweuromaxx I'm from the Philippines, but there are plenty of bakers from Western Europe who sell their tasty artisan breads in my country's capital. So I've been exposed to breads from different countries like France, Germany, and Italy.

[@harukrentz435]

@@pdenigma9444 lol fellow ASEAN here! Yes our "bread" SCUKS big time! Thank god ive learnt on how to make bread at home so i can eat the type of bread i want just unfortune my family dont seem to agree with me. 😑

[@YEdwardP]

I lived in Hamburg for four years and after having moved back to Canada, I miss German bread so much. A good Brötchen with some Speck und Käse for breakfast would be so nice.

[@debaschmidt]

I like the new host and her energy is really moving but Rachel is unparalleled ❤️

[@constantinoVino]

Yes Rachel has it's touch of British humor on her videos

[@husarodelrey2159]

Love the new host's energy, but I don't appreciate the vocal fry.

[@wolfgangvan-uber6515]

Did Rachel leave?

[@treggio]

I grew up eating the American-style bread and didn't like it much. Just after living in Berlin for almost a year, I realized how rich, tasty and nutritious bread was. It was an explosion of flavours and easy to find anywhere and at any time in the day. Long live German bread!

[@rosaoddin4338]

Amen!

[@Steve-lr7xu]

Handled the phrase “master baker” very well. Love the new writer’s energy and accent.

[@dweuromaxx]

We agree!👼

[@ashiks.a.4560]

I see what you did their😉

[@harukrentz435]

Man, i wish we have german bread here. What considered as "bread" in my country is sweet super soft "cake" thanks to America and Japan's influence. But real bread is not like that.

[@dweuromaxx]

Don't you call it *wonderbread" over there? 🤔🍞

[@dm-wz8ry]

We have similar stuffs here. Which part of Indonesia are you? I used to live in Surabaya and Komugi has a few of European bread types. I can attest for the taste!

[@julianosvonskingrad7009]

Where are you from, Haru?

[@sandgroper1970]

Never realised about the breads in Germany. Until I visited, I was staying in a self catering apartment, popped down to the local store to look for some bread, I was so used to the ubiquitous white or wholeness, multigrain sliced bread. Walk in and I was like ????????? So many varieties…. I just moved on to the breakfast cereal isle , more familiar territory…

[@cz2301]

Recently i learned to bake foccacias and ciabattas and its so relaxing making them, like a bread therapy. I was actually inspired by a gen z Brit friend who loves fast motorcycles, games and… bread. What a combination lol but life brings us new discoveries every day.

[@patrickfitzgerald2861]

Well, this was fun. Every time I see Hannah I sort of feel like I've been transported back to the 70''s . . . in a good way, of course! 🥰

[@donna25871]

It’s the part of my German ancestry that appears - my love of bread. Nothing better than an egg and lettuce on a dark rye. And it’s better for your health to eat these breads than the highly processed ones from the supermarket chains.

[@tulip811]

Yes egg on rye bread is so good😍

[@GreedyOrange]

taste wise,i dont agree sadly, aber von der gesundheit hast du auf alle fälle recht :D das ganze weißbrot ist so ein schmutz was nährwert angeht...

[@Gigachad-mc5qz]

Where i live even supermarkets have bakeries with different sorts of bread

[@dragynx]

I learned that for some, Abend Brot essentially means Dinner!

[@dweuromaxx]

Yes, exactly. Many people nowadays eat a warm meal for "Abendbrot" but the term comes from what we described in the video: sliced, dark bread with butter and topped with some cold cuts or cheese

[@MeisterVasqus]

Whats missing imo is more evening bakeries. Getting a nice loaf of bread after work would be awesome, sadly most of them close pretty early.

[@davidclark9086]

There are great bakeries in Germany but most have long since disappeared because of "factory" bakeries that produce the exact same bread as the other "factory" bakeries which are boring at best but are cheaper than the locally owned and operated bakeries. Finding a good local owned and operated bakery is difficult as most are long gone. Because of this, I started baking my own bread with fresh yeast or sourdough starter and locall produced flour. The various breads are great, cheaper and I control all the ingredients.

[@Mtl-zf9om]

Today i learned the German bakery is not any less rich than the French one.

[@theinigosilvastation6232]

I'm so stoked about this!! This is one of the main reasons why Germany as a country and culture is so fascinating and wonderful to me. 🍞

[@dweuromaxx]

We love to hear it!

[@wolfman515]

You can put bread with damn near anything, and it's also great by itself as long as it's good bread. Steer clear of the average every day grocery store garbage, make it fresh yourself.

[@dweuromaxx]

Nothing compares to a freshly baked loaf of bread 🙂

[@Danielseven-ir2mq]

Bread is what makes the meal. Everything else compliments the bread. When there is no bread, people go to war . The blessing of bread. 🌾🌾🌾🌾

[@julianosvonskingrad7009]

Actually, american products like "Wonder Bread" aren't so outlandish in Germany. When I bake a braided yeast bun (German "Hefezopf"), it shares some characteristics with Wonder Bread: Very white, slightly sweet and very fluffy. The difference is: This is considered here as a type of cake. Something to serve on a sunday with jam and coffee. Nothing to be eaten regularily.

[@afternoonsunjeans9180]

youre telling me hefezopf is the american's version of bread!!!?

[@Toddel1234567]

I grew up in the 60's. And I remember very well that my mother brought freshly baked bread from the bakery. It was still warm and it smelled sooooo good. I always got a slice of bread with butter. It was so tasty . I don't need good bread and butter anymore to be happy ;-)

[@anonymous-cx7ng]

Food is the devil it ca make you happy it does the opposite actually

[@quocbaonguyenvu8299]

I love DW euromaxx! Thanks for the video

[@SolarLingua]

I recently started getting into bread baking. It is super interesting and therapeutical and depending on the hydration, you can skip workout... I haven't bought bread from the grocery store for 3 months now. :D

[@untermRadar710]

this is a veryyyy good video ~ greetings from germany❤️

[@terrencepereira169]

Where's Rachel!! I miss her

[@dweuromaxx]

She's not gone 🙂 But if you want more "Meet The Germans" go check out their profile on Instagram. There you'll find more videos on a regular basis.

[@HelgeV.]

As a german living in Cologne my best bread was so far a fresh made bread middleaged style baked with bacon in it. Very Delicious. For daily consume I prefer the "Mehrkorn" in english Multi-Corn Bread. It is good for every stomach.

[@arunpc8789]

Very informative. 🙂

[@FelipeMejiaMedina]

50% of why I go to Germany every year is basically to eat bread.

[@kvetadaigneault7037]

Good bread is a staple in the kitchen but unfortunately hard to find, and when you do find it you don't mind driving a ways for it because it is so worth it

[@dweuromaxx]

Very true!

[@rainerwoykos9421]

It would be nice if you didn`t buy bread from discounters Lidl Aldi and co. or you would recommend from supermarkets. Much of it doesn`t taste good at all because it`s cheaply made. It only ruins the good reputation of German bread. It is better to buy bread from the bakery even it is more expensive there.

[@Nils.Minimalist]

👏

[@BLURTHEGHOST]

Now I'm getting hungry🤤

[@richardwallace6313]

best bread I have ever had was in Heidelberg at the Gasthaus Backmulde. and apparently backmulde is an archaic German word for a type of bread-baking pan. if I recall correctly, this hotel is owned by a bakery.

[@dweuromaxx]

@Richard Wallace A so called *Backmule* is a bread or kneading trough!

[@richardwallace6313]

@@dweuromaxx consistent with what a few German friends told me, though all said backmulde is an archaic word (but perhaps not among bakers?). also, though I make bread, I am not sure what a kneading trough is; I and everyone I know who makes bread at home uses a floured counter or board to knead dough. I have to look up kneading trough.

[@chrisolson3240]

Soft, dense and warm bread is the best.

[@ameyaathale1224]

As an Indian living in Germany, I too miss German bread when I'm not in Germany.. 😂😂

[@Willxdiana]

i prefer indian naan

[@ameyaathale1224]

@@Willxdiana sweet. Where are you from? 🙂

[@Willxdiana]

@@ameyaathale1224 us. But Italian and French breads are good. Indian and central asian bread as also good. But european sell over price breads. I like asians bread more. Feed a whole family and looks good. Tastes good as well. This is just european public relations

[@johannesm.gutenberg1705]

3:26 I've never seen anyone this happy while eating Abendbrot

[@korinaviado3333]

Bread is life 😍 those looks lecker!!

[@jackiesstories2038]

"Abendbrot" is also a more 'german' version of saying 'dinner'

[@user-se2mh7qx5o]

So many great bakeries there

[@egistogarcia8791]

Ich habe den Kanal gerade erst kennengelernt und finde ihn sehr gut. Er ist interessant und informativ. Kennen Sie einen ähnlichen Kanal in deutscher Sprache?

[@user-uj2qj3oc1o]

interesting!

[@markriffey8899]

I'm so envious. I live in the "bread basket" of the U.S.A. and what's available to me in my supermarket is complete garbage.

[@dweuromaxx]

Sorry to hear that! You need to make a pilgrimage to Germany 😁

[@restlesstraveler2]

I use these great videos to teach English in adult education classes….and coaching. Lets Germans see and understand how other cultures see them. Thanks!

[@robertskolimowski7049]

Polish breads aren't too shabby either👌

[@rsstenger5113]

I rarely get bread from "cost effective" supermarket. I preferred bread from the bakeries. However, if I'm in a rush or couldn't find any bakery nearby, I'll get the bread from the supermarket which has it's own "bakery" corner. 😇

[@johnsonyip1127]

3:03 As a compulsive correctionist i have to say that a more fitting translation would be the other way around so "pause bread" as "bread pause" would mean "brot pause" but its "pausen brot" which is basically the bread for the pause and its not the pause for the bread but the other way around. now drink a s hot everytime i wrote bread or brot

[@dweuromaxx]

😁

[@KelbenArunsun]

BERND!!! Best bread on german tv!

[@dweuromaxx]

Is there another loaf of bread on German television we've forgotten? 😉

[@kameelamareen]

Im a Jordanian living in Germany and thta first fact got me shooketh

[@barrybookmaker7433]

Where is Rachel ? 😟

[@dweuromaxx]

Still with "Meet The Germans" but you'll find more videos on a regular basis on Instagram 🙂

[@barrybookmaker7433]

@@dweuromaxx thanks 😊

I could have watched a one hour video about this.

[@hwantoro8916]

I love bread!

[@davewatson3833]

Maybe they like it because they actually have decent, edible bread, unlike in the US.

[@mritchie85]

I like pumpernickel thanks for Lidl and Aldi for bringing a taste of German gastronomy to my life.

[@dweuromaxx]

😘

[@mritchie85]

@@dweuromaxx I soo want to emigrate to Germany, weissbier, wandervogel wunderbar!

[@mritchie85]

@@iii___iii Better than the typical British fayre

[@franktechmaniac7488]

Due to customer demand, many artisan bakeries began to produce unusual types of bread such as potato bread and various wholemeal varieties in the 1980s. This developed into a kind of competition for more unusual varieties. Many different varieties in small batches are not manageable for small bakeries. The industry therefore helped them with premixed dry doughs. This led to a loss of real variety and ended in a large number of industrial breads to be sold all over the country. +2000 of the 3000 bread types consist if industrial doughs with fancy ingredients. The bakery industry may be proud of this, but it's a disgrace for real workmanship. Starting making my own sourdough bread only 9 months ago it's already better than everything I could buy in my area.

[@user-or6yn8pm3c]

I noticed good bread is cheap in Germany compared to the US

[@djlightbolt]

“Brotzeit” could have been mentioned~

[@geesus77]

Vocal fry is hard here.

[@tatjana7008]

When we didn't have time to go to Mensa in my university, everyone packed out their prepared lunches and were unhappy they have to eat bread again. I asked why they eat it if they don't like it, and the answer was : its cheap and easy to prepare. I think they got sick of it after eating it 3 times a day for whole life. My German neighbours in dorm always eaten either pasta, potatoes or bread and its the same at home, so they were wishing a little bit diversity in food. But nobody wished to spend much time to cook something different 🤣

[@momtofu7077]

Don't forget the liquid 🍞 there! Love it so much with wide variety as well😋😙✌

[@dweuromaxx]

Very true :)

[@XEinstein]

There is no variety at all in German beers. It's all just pilsner due to the Reinheitsgebot. If you want variety of beers Belgium is the place to go.

[@constantine11]

​@@XEinstein Belgium is dividing. It shouldn't even exist

[@duygumordogan]

We as Turkish have plenty more breads but we just cant or dont get them in UNESCO. : Wheat originated from Karacadag southeeastern of Turkey and spread throughout the world

[@arnodobler1096]

Turkey certainly has a wide variety of breads, but not in comparison to Germany. One reason for this is that we grow many different types of grain, not just wheat, but also rye (in the north) and spelt (in the south), and every master baker has to create his own bread to become a master.

[@jannesdreier2181]

How can u talk about our bread without talking about butter? XD nice video :D

[@dweuromaxx]

Next time! 😋

[@claiborneeastjr4129]

I heard Hannah speak English and at the time (at Castle Eltz) I thought she was English as her English is perfect! Now I hear her speak perfect German! So she's obviously quite fluent in at least two languages! She's also very beautiful , sexy, and a delightful hostess! Plus a charming, vivacious personality!

[@dweuromaxx]

Thank you Claiborne, we will pass on the compliments :) and Hannah is actually Scottish 😁

[@aryaaswale7316]

Maybe the decline has more to do with people being able to travel further than before? So the number required went down

[@MsBisnu]

They have no option other than bread, but in India a lot of option available. Rice, roti, pulse and many more.

[@asdfjklo-xg8xk]

:D nah we import alot of italian cusine especially spaghetti and other types of noodels :) and we have potatoes !!! :D ^^

[@railkrishana5071]

Wow so beautiful my friend 🙏 India 🇮🇳🙏

[@kinngrimm]

Why? simple, its delicious. The super markt bread in plastic packaging often is just abysmal, not worth carrying the name.

[@SenorJuan2023]

Turkish bread is FANTASTIC!

[@dweuromaxx]

It really is!

[@Sheepheadz]

I don't know if you've noticed but bread is kind of a staple in almost every nations diet.

[@dweuromaxx]

@Go4Pro Most Germans simply love 😍 their staple..🍞

[@dm-wz8ry]

@@dweuromaxx People wouldn"t understand until they meet the Germans that claim Brot is the best German food. Or when a non-German (read: I) got a mean stare from a friend for choosing square American Toast at the supermarket because of the shape. He even offered to pay for a loaf of bread at the next-door bakery.

[@MS-dp2qg]

I would like to ask that lady, if she studied at Bonn university, she looks familiar

[@Jay-in-the-USA]

....because we have the best bread 😁

[@SoCalFreelance]

Love me a fresh cut sourdough bread sandwich with turkey, salami, and Gouda or Havarti cheese. 🥪😋

[@user-kk8hq4dm8k]

Who doesn’t love bread!

[@Rutra_Sob]

Pausenbrot ist at 9 o'clock not 12

[@m.junaidmahmood4209]

Locally procured ingredients is a good buzz word these days. Sometimes its used with the word Organic as well. Only what matters is the technique.

[@malte5140]

The most important german sentence: "Nein, wir haben noch Brot zuhause"

[@wajahat044]

Mr. Ulbricht is "Masterbaker" . seems weird to me. 🤣

[@frenchyman19xx]

in D gibt es das beste brot der welt. es gibt nichts besseres als frisches brot mit frischer butter Oh lala . ich muss aber zugeben dass ich auch ein liebhaber französischer baguette bin. ^^in D there is the best bread in the world. there is nothing better than fresh bread with fresh butter Oh lala . i have to admit that i am also a lover of french baguettes. ^^

[@_Ysaw]

What is sliced bread? Wheat bread?

[@dweuromaxx]

Pre-sliced white bread, usually :) (often called 'toast' in Germany)

[@RadioNul]

I miss French boulangeries

[@rehmanmirza9564]

very so sweet 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@hannahbecker2309]

My ma makes homemade sour dough bread😃 and it is yummy😁

[@Zweiihandre]

I want to taste german bread now

[@rogueninja6927]

meanwhile naan🥰🥰

[@p.h.3987]

Nobody eats bread at 12 o'clock!!!

[@dweuromaxx]

not me doing it right now

[@markh3376]

Oh what! 3,000 of bread's 😳

[@dweuromaxx]

Mmmhmm!!

[@achmadtete5182]

Ich weiß nicht, ich bin Indonesier..

[@s.b.7924]

Being a German American that explains a lot! Yum.....

[@Carolf1213]

I miss

[@gluteusmaximus1657]

" every good aristocrat should have a bread in his coat-of-arms" Martin Luther, if i remember correctly.

[@cz2301]

When i lived in Japan, there was a tiny bakery shop near my uni, in the mountains near Tokyo, where there were only 2 persons working. The baker and a clerk. They would open around 4pm and bake a fixed amount per day and when it sold out they closed for the day, which means they could be open for one or three hours. Very small, stress-free business. On the same note, it reminds me of a hairdresser in a rich, quiet neighborhood near the center of Tokyo, where the guy was also a contemporary painter and he would display his large paintings in his tiny shop display and be open whenever he had an appointment. Love their work culture.

[@shastasilverchairsg]

I'm Asian, and I love bread too. In fact more than rice sometimes. If you put a gun to my head and forced me to choose between bread or rice for the rest of my life, I'd probably choose bread.

[@dweuromaxx]

Do you like German bread too? :)

[@mrmarkl328]

I like German sausage

[@richardwallace6313]

don't actually need yeast or sourdough. there are many quick breads, such as Irish Soda Bread.

[@sushi777300]

Is Rachel gone? 😟

[@dweuromaxx]

Of course not! :) But show some love for our presenter ❤️

[@sushi777300]

@@dweuromaxx Love. That wasn't meant to be unappreciative just a little fearful for Rachel 😅

[@joeltgs100]

enough brot

[@joseph40ninjas88]

Break bread for sure

[@rosaoddin4338]

America is a wealthy land however bread can not begin to compare to what us commonly found in Deutschland. Even the bread in USA specialty bakeries is a poor relation to the bread in Germany.

[@SmilingScythe]

Germans just have this incredible knead to make bread.

[@dweuromaxx]

😅

[@gulyascredo]

For the dying out part, I can't say for sure but in France there's no such problem, because after I tried supermarket baguette for once, I decided that I'd rather starve to death than buying those again. Not only baguette, croissant is typical as well, namely, as soon as you are out of the French border, your croissant shopping is going to get catastrophic :) Vive le pain français.

[@Steeler-wg5zo]

even if it's an Austrian 'invention'.... Augut Zang in the 1830s...

[@livengoodjames7406]

I have always been under the impression that Germans loved their meats (sausages, snitzels, Hamburgers, etc.) and gravies. When I think of Germans and bread, I think of 'liquid bread'.🙂

[@danielmiryt2]

There are breads, and there are fake breads, you can't compare.

[@Felix-ld3hn]

great video, but Why do Germans Love BREAD So Much? question left unanswered

[@dweuromaxx]

There are several reasons: as almost anywhere else in the world, it's always been an mportant food stample. And since everyone region had or still has their own recipes and bread types, it is deeply integrated into people's everyday life. There's a another video about German bread from our series "Meet the Germans" and on DW Food there's a whole video on how German bread is made step by step. There you'll find some more answers 🙂

[@achmadtete5182]

Das blonde Mädchen ist hübsch