I have been receiving many email from readers, most of them asking for specific expat lifestyle here in Germany.They are all very eager to know the daily Expat lifestyle from doing groceries, school system, raising kids and even how do we sleep, German style!

One of the question I´ve received is “what do we eat over here?”

” What is a typical German Food?” or basically a Bavarian meal?

Well, Germany is very international and there´s no doubt it has all the international ray of foods available in variety of restaurants. I can only share my own experience though. From almost 6 years living here; I´ve gotten myself acquainted with Bavarian foods.

Did Germany change my food preference? Yes. But still, I cannot live without rice. I am Asian so it´s in my blood. I cannot survive eating only these dark, hard breads. They have hundreds of different breads here but I just cant digest them all.

Well,I lived in Bavaria so I am more exposed to Bayerishe foods. (or Bavarian ).Although, there are some really typical Bavarian dishes that stands out,like sausages, Knödel, Schnitzel, Gülasch and salads with lots of Essig (or Vinegar).”Essen” is the German word for food and Lecker is the equivalent for something tasty.I don´t take photos of each meals but these are the types of food I have found here in Bavaria.We don´t normally eat out but sometimes it also good not to cook!

We have a nearby Asian store where I can find ingredients such as Jasmin Rice, Tofu, spring rollss and native sauces and some noodles that I love to eat.

Bavarian restaurants are also called ” Gästehaus“, and most Beergardens have a similar menus. Famous combination is with Bratkartoffel or fried potatoes, there´s also the one with potato salad and french fries. Name it they do potatoes in all their glory! I think I have eaten so much potatoes here than in my previous lifestyle!

Of course, everything goes well with a glass of wine or beer and they will definitely shout “Prost!”

Germans typically eat 3 times a day.Breakfast ( Frühstuck), Lunch (Mittagsessen) and Dinner ( or Abendbrot).Bread is golden here. Almost everyone eat bread anytime of the day, including the delicious pastries .I observed that since they loved shopping at weekend markets to get fresh fruits and veggies. For us, we have fresh baked breads or Brötchen every Sunday.

Children´s menu are also available in many restaurants. The normal choices are Currywurst with fries, chicken Nuggets with salad or Kinder Schnitzel with other side dishes. Portions here in Germany are large so I never finished it. I always share my food with my daughter because I hate wasted food.

Sometimes we have gathering in the garden with the neighbours and this is what our Potluck looks like.

Another famous Bavarian dish is the “Spätzle“. It´s like a noodle but taste like a pasta. I dunno exactly but its like that.

So there it is. German food is okay, its not that complicated, nor intimidating. It is expensive to eat out so for me, a homecooked meal is always a better choice.My stomach had it´s own share of Gastronomic journey so now I realized that food is a vital part for integrating in a new culture. Plus, in Germany, they normally always eat with knife and fork.They say ” Mahlzeit, or Guten Appetit! ” before eating.

In the end, I still can´t survive without rice. After 3 days of eating only bread and other things, I can´t never be full enough.

Do you have any favourite German dish?How was it?

Until then, Tschüss.