Bratwursts in Beer Sauce: Stolzer Heinrich

There are quite a lot of recipes for this dish, which certainly seems to be so German; I mean, sausages and beer, c'mon now! The dish is common in Berlin and in the state of Thüringen, usually rendered as "Thuringia" in English, which is located in the middle of Germany. Thuringia's state capital is Erfurt, but likely its best known city is Weimar, the city where Germany's constitution was put together (Berlin was in turmoil) in the aftermath of Germany's defeat in World War One and the fall of the Hohenzollern monarchy; thus, the republic was commonly referred to as the "Weimar Republic." Famous German writers and playwrights Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller lived and collaborated in Weimar for a time in the early 1800s. After World War Two, Thuringia was in East Germany. "Stolzer Heinrich" means "proud Henry," and the base form "stolz" is related to English "stilt" (stilt in German is "Stelze").

Lebkuchen is the general term for spicy gingerbread, but there are types of gingerbread like in the Nuremberg area, where it is often called "Honigkuchen;" that is, "honey cake." Remember, sugar was very expensive for centuries, and it was a product for wealthy people. The common people used honey to sweeten many dishes; thus, "honey cake." There is also "Magenbrot;" that is, literally "stomach bread," as the herbs and spices were considered good for one's digestive system. Actually, in the German parts of Switzerland it has long been known as "Kräuterbrot;" that is, "herb/herbal bread," and herbs and spices have been used as medicines throughout history. Some Kräuterbrot/Magenbrot is sliced like regular bread, while others are in sort of bite size diamond shapes, and I dare you to try to eat just one! While gingerbread is a common Christmas treat (some German areas have it year round), German cultural areas in Europe also have special gingerbread cakes for cooking (minimal sugar is used). It is used to season (typically) dark colored sauces. In this dish, some use dark beer, some use light (colored) beer, some use both, and others use Malzbier, which means "malt beer," and it is dark, but with little or no alcohol, with a 'malty' taste. It is most common in the U.S., the Caribbean and Central and South America, where it is marketed as "Malta." Juniper berries are a common seasoning in some German and other European recipes. They look like dried blueberries and it is best, at least in my opinion, to lightly crack them before adding them to a recipe. They are best known for their use in making gin. Juniper berries can be found in spice shops, and perhaps in some supermarkets in the U.S. They are not an essential ingredient in this recipe, so if you don't have them, I wouldn't worry about it, but no martinis for you!   

 

"Stolzer Heinrich" is often served with mashed potatoes. There are a number of terms for mashed potatoes in German, with "Kartoffelpüree" and "Kartoffelbrei" both being broadly common, but there are also "Stampfkartoffeln," "Erdäpfelpüree" (generally southern), "Kartoffelstock" (generally in Switzerland), and in Berlin, "Quetschkartoffeln" is pretty common). Fried potatoes, "Bratkartoffeln," are also served at times.

 

Ingredients (4 servings):

 

4 bratwursts (red or white)

2 tablespoons butter + 1 teaspoon oil 

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup beef stock

1 cup dark beer (Malzbier is used in Berlin)

3 tablespoons crushed Lebkuchen (or ginger snaps)

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons capers

(optional) 3 juniper berries

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

2/3 teaspoon ground black pepper 

salt to taste, but remember, the beef stock likely has a good bit of salt, and the capers too

Add the butter and oil to a skillet over low heat. Add the sausages and brown them, turning them often. It's okay if they don't cook through, as they will cook more shortly. When the sausages are browned, remove them to a plate, add the finely chopped onion and saute for just one minute, then add the flour to the skillet and stir it into the onion, butter and pan juices; cook for a minute or two to give it just some light brown color and to get rid of the raw flour taste. Now add the crushed/ground gingerbread and turn the heat to medium and slowly add the beef stock, stirring constantly to incorporate and to prevent lumps. Now add the beer (I often use Malzbier) and the bay leaves and the juniper berries (if using), bring to a simmer; adjust the heat downward if need be to maintain a gentle simmer for 2 minutes. Add the ground black pepper and stir, then add the bratwursts to the sauce and simmer gently for 5 minutes, turning the bratwursts to make sure they cook through completely. Add the capers and the lemon juice and cook for another minute. Serve with mashed potatoes.     

WORD HISTORY:

Plant-This word, commonly in noun and verb form, is related to "flat," a word from the Germanic roots of English, to "plaza," a word borrowed from Spanish which had it from Latin which had it from Greek ("place" is essentially the same word, but in French, and it was borrowed by English from French), to "plate," another word borrowed from French which had it from Latin which had it from Greek, and to "clan," a word borrowed from Gaelic which had it from Old Irish which had it from Latin. "Plant" goes back to Indo European "plat," which had the meanings "to spread, to broaden, to make flat, to flatten," and this gave Latin "planta" meaning, "sole of the foot" ("the flat part of the foot"), and this spawned the Latin verb "plantare" meaning, "to push into the ground with the foot," also perhaps further, "to smooth or flatten the ground with the foot;" both leading to the meaning, "to plant." This was borrowed by Old English as the verb "plantian," also meaning "to plant," and this was later shortened to "plant." The Latin verb "plantare" also brought about the noun "planta" (same spelling as the old noun, but a new word) meaning "a young plant, a sprout, a shoot," and Old English borrowed this as "plante" (the 'e' was pronounced in those times as 'ah/eh'), and as with the verb, the noun narrowed to "plant." The meaning of the noun for "place of industrial work," as in, "I work at the car plant," seems to be from the verb usage of "building;" that is, "growing" something, the process and the machinery used for the production, which then transferred to the entire building or complex used for production. The beginnings of this usage is from the late 1700s. Other Germanic relatives of English also borrowed forms from Latin: German has the verb "pflanzen" and the noun "Pflanze," Low German verb "planten" and noun "Plant," Dutch verb "planten" and noun "plant," West Frisian verb "ploantje" (also the form "plantsje?") and the noun "plant," Danish has the verb "plante" and the noun "planten(?)," Icelandic has the noun "planta," but seemingly doesn't have a related verb form (not sure about in the past, however), Norwegian seems to have "plante" as both its noun and verb form, Swedish has the verb "plantera" and the noun "planta" (antiquated?).          

Baja-Style Mexican Fish Tacos

Presumably tacos have been around for a long time; almost certainly, well before the Spanish set foot in Mexico; after all, wrapping food in cooked ground corn batter is not a terribly difficult concept to figure out. I, myself, figured it out last week. hahaha! While the history of tacos is sketchy, at best, the use of the word "taco" for this famous food is more than a little unclear. Quite some time ago I had a neighbor who was originally from Mexico. He told me the word taco, which actually means "plug, stopper," came to be used for the food by Mexican miners, who wrapped gunpowder in paper for use to extract minerals from the mines. I believe these explosive "tacos" were used more to extract silver, but I don't know that to be a fact. Anyway, the idea of wrapping fillings in tortillas led to the use of the word for the food, or at least that was my neighbor's story. On the other hand, tacos are a great snack, and could the word have been used because they act as a quick "stopper" for one's hunger between meals; thus, "a light meal?" Of course, there could be a simpler explanation proposed by some, that a word from one of the native languages for this already existent food was close to the Spanish word "taco," and so that is the word the Spanish speaking people took as the name for the food.

In Baja, the western part of Mexico, access to the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California eventually brought about fish wrapped in tortillas; thus, the fish taco, a "somewhat standardized" form of which spread to the U.S. side of the border and to San Diego and vicinity, although the tasty dish is much more widespread now. Notice I used "somewhat standardized" form for fish tacos, as with any popular dish, there will be inevitable variations, and so it is with fish tacos. Some people use red cabbage, some people use lettuce, some people use vinegar, some use chili peppers, some use white cheese, and I'm sure there are other changes. I like fish tacos with "Mexican rice,"* often called "Spanish rice" in the United States. 

Ingredients (8 servings):

1 bag shredded cabbage/carrot cole slaw mix 
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 pound cod in 4 fillets, then halve each fillet (8 pieces total)
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup beer, more if needed to thin batter (light color, a Mexican brand if you desire more authenticity)
oil for cooking
corn tortillas 
chipotle sauce **
lime wedges 

In a bowl, add the slaw mix, the onion, the cilantro. In a cup or small bowl, mix together well the olive oil, lime juice, salt and honey. Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix in well. Best if refrigerated for a minimum of a couple of hours. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, the ancho chili powder, the salt, the baking powder and the beer to form a batter. Add enough oil to a skillet to give you about 1/2 inch of oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. Drop a cube of bread into the oil. If the bread sizzles and starts to brown, you're ready to go. Dip the fish pieces into the batter, then let the excess batter drain off. I fry 4 pieces of fish at a time. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds or so. Put a piece of fish into each tortilla, add some of the slaw mixture, then drizzle on some chipotle sauce. Add a lime wedge to each serving.  

* The recipe for Mexican Red Rice (Arroz Rojo) is at the link:  https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/02/mexican-red-rice-arroz-rojo.html


** To make the creamy chipotle sauce, this is the link: https://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2019/02/creamy-chipotle-sauce.html

Baja Fish Taco with Mexican rice...

WORD HISTORY:
Canon-This word has a number of meanings, the most common of which are: "church law issued by religious authorities," which broadened into, "law, principle, rule, guideline, standard accepted as proper;" "a list of people deemed worthy of sainthood;" "the collected validated works of a writer;" "a clergyman living under the principles of certain religious orders and often serving in a cathedral." "Canon" is related to "cannon," the gun, a word borrowed by English. It "seems" to go back to transliterated Sumerian "ginah,"^ which meant "reed," which seems to have been taken by transliterated Akkadian as "qanuh," with the same meaning. This gave Hebrew "qaneh" (same meaning). This was borrowed by Ancient Greek from Hebrew as transliterated "kánna," and also meant "reed," which were used for measurement and keeping things in a straight row; thus, "ruler (the implement);" thus, "a standard." Latin took the word as "canna," with the same meanings, but which then developed into "Church issued decree" ("rule to be followed"), as "canon." "Canon" was borrowed into Old English from Latin, but certainly reinforced by French, which had had the term passed to it from Latin. Latin had developed the adjective "canonicus," meaning, "by the rules of the Church, according to the rules of the Church," and this came to be used as a noun for the "clergyman" meaning ("a man who lives by the rules of the Church"). This passed into Old French as "canonie," and it was either taken to England by the Normans or developed among the Norman nobles in England as "canun/canoun." It was borrowed by English, at first as "canoun," in the late 1100s.     

Cuban Bul: Refreshing Beer Cocktail

This is a popular refreshing Cuban beer cocktail. It is super easy to make.

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

2  12 ounce bottles or cans of light colored beer, like a lager or pilsner
2  12 ounce cans of ginger ale
juice of 3 limes
1/4 cup sugar
ice cubes
pitcher & glasses
lime slices for garnish

Empty the beer and ginger ale into a pitcher. Add the lime juice and sugar and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Fill some glasses with ice cubes and pour in the drink mixture. Garnish with a slice of lime.

WORD HISTORY:
Cinch-This word goes back to Indo European "kenk," which had the notion, "to encircle, to put a ring around something with the intent to bind." This gave Latin "cingere," which meant, "to encircle," which produced the Latin noun, "cingulum," meaning, "belt, girdle, sword belt." This gave Latin-based Spanish "cincha," meaning, "belt, girdle," used in Mexican Spanish for a "a saddle strap or belt for horses." This was borrowed by American English in the 1850s with that meaning. A verb form developed from the noun in the 1860s and meaning, "to fit with a belt or girdle, to tighten with a belt to make secure." By circa 1890, the idea of "securing" produced the verb meaning, "to make certain," and "a certainly, something easily accomplished," for another noun meaning.   

Michelada Cocktail: A Toast To Mexico!

A "Michelada Cocktail" is from our southern neighbor, Mexico. Since before becoming president of the United States, Donald Trump had shown more than a little disrespect for Mexico and its people. Of course, Trump shows disrespect for many people, except Nazis and Vladimir Putin. So, if you decide to visit the White House, put on a Nazi armband; nothing fancy, any old Nazi armband will do, and you're sure to be given a warm welcome, which may even include a "heil" or two.

There are variations to this beer-based cocktail, including the use of tomato juice or Clamato.*


Ingredients (per 10 to 12 ounce drink):

light colored beer like Corona or Modelo
juice of 1/2 lime
lime wedge to rub around glass rim and outer edge
some chili powder mixed with some salt (or Mexican Tajin seasoning**) 
1 to 2 teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
cucumber slice
lime slice
ice cubes

Mix a teaspoon of salt with about 2 tablespoons of chili powder on a small plate (or use Tajin seasoning). Use a large chilled glass or beer mug and take a wedge of lime and rub it over the rim and outer edge of the glass. Dip the lime juice moistened glass rim into the seasoning, making sure to then tilt the glass and roll it in the chili powder mix so that the outer edge of the glass also gets a coating of the seasoning. To the glass add the lime juice, the hot sauce, the pinch of cayenne pepper, the Worcestershire sauce, a few ice cubes and then fill the glass with beer. Give it a stir and add a slice of cucumber and a slice of lime to the side of the glass for garnishes.   

* "Clamato" is a brand of drink, which is a mixture of tomato juice, clam juice/broth and some seasonings. It is produced by Motts, a Keurig Dr. Pepper company.    

** "Tajin" is a dry Mexican seasoning of lime, salt and ground chilies. It has a spicy, tart flavor, but it is not overly "hot." It is available in many supermarkets, Latino markets or spice shops.  

WORD HISTORY:
Pint-This word is closely related to "paint." It goes back to Indo European "peig/peikh," which meant "to cut, to carve," the notion of which led to, "to carve decorations into an object." This gave its Italic/Latin offspring "pingere," and the idea of "decorate or adorn" broadened further into "decorate with color;" thus came the meaning, "to paint." The participle of "pingere" was "picta" ("painted") and this produced, "pincta," which meant, "a mark painted on a container to show a particular quantity." This passed into Latin-based Old French as "pinte," meaning, "a measurement of liquid." English borrowed the word as "pinte" in the mid 1300s, but it wasn't long before the ending "e" was dropped. By the mid 1700s, the word had also come to be used for a pint of ale.  

Weißwurst, Very Bavarian!

This is something I've periodically fixed over the years, and it's VERY Bavarian! This is a famous plate served in Bavaria before midday: Weißwurst (or "Weisswurst," literally, "white sausage"), pretzel (called "Brezn" in Bavarian dialect),* sweet mustard (süßer Senf) and wheat beer (Weizenbier). Before refrigeration became popular, Weißwurst was served before midday, as the sausages had no preservatives in them, so they needed to be eaten pretty quickly to keep them from spoiling. Similarly for the pretzels, which would begin to lose their soft inside texture after a time. So, the tradition began out of necessity, and it continues to this day.

Weißwursts (German plural: Weißwürste) are typically made with ground veal, some back bacon (German: Rückenspeck), and usually some ground cardamom, mace, onion and parsley, but each sausage maker has their own recipe, and ground pork is often used too, as well as some dried lemon peel and white or black pepper. Weißwursts are packed into natural hog casings and tend to be about 4 or 5 inches in length. They are prepared by placing the sausages in "hot water," where the water temperature remains at several degrees below boiling. The Weißwursts are kept in the hot water for about 10 to 15 minutes. The point made by the Bavarians is that the casing should not split. Why? So they can take the Weißwursts from the hot water, put them on a plate and then begin to remove the casing from the mildly seasoned meat filling. Ah, hey look, if you have any complaints, tell the Bavarians. So, Weißwursts are eaten with the skin removed and accompanied by sweet mustard, another Bavarian specialty. Also traditionally served with Weißwursts are "Brezn" (pronounced as if, "bray-tsn," with the "z" pronounced like the "ts" at the end of "hits"), which is the Bavarian dialect word for pretzel. Of course, you need something to wash this food down, and "Weizenbier" (pronounced as if, "vytsen-beeah"), also termed "Weißbier," is the drink. This is "wheat beer," and in Bavaria it generally is not filtered, so the beer remains a little cloudy, but there are filtered versions, which are, thus, clear.

For Americans, while nowhere near as common as "bratwurst," Weißwurst can sometimes be found in supermarkets or in specialty meat shops, or German/Austrian shops. Imported German sweet mustard can be found in supermarkets or ethnic stores, but there are some domestic products too.** The same with wheat beer, which is now commonly produced by the many local and regional breweries that have sprung up across the U.S. in the last couple of decades or so, but there are a number of German imports available too.   

* Standard German uses both "Brezel" and "Bretzel" as the spelling for the word for "pretzel."

** I'd guess about 35 years ago, I was returning from Germany and there was an American soldier (US Army) on the plane, a common occurrence in those times, as the U.S. had hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in West Germany. He was talking with many people and he was telling them how German mustard was simply the best. He was referring to standard mustard, not the sweet mustard type. He really lavished praise on German mustard, but I must say, I "like" mustard, I don't love it, so I can't really tell you if he was right (back then). I'm much more of a ketchup guy, which may cause some Germans, including my relatives, to faint, as they by far prefer mustard. But in those times, bratwurst was becoming increasingly popular in the U.S.  

WORD HISTORY:
Split-This word goes back to Indo European "splei/spley," which had the notion, "to separate from, to split off from." This gave its Old Germanic offspring "spaldanan," with the same meaning. This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "splatan" and "asplætan," with the vowel sound and the "L" sound transposed, and both forms meaning, "to split, to cut or break parts off from the whole." These forms seem to have then died out in English ("cleave," then spelled "cleven," was the verb used to mean "to split"), and it wasn't until the mid 1500s that a form of the word was reacquired from Low German "splitten," which had the same meaning as the former English words, while Dutch seems to have used their form of the word, also spelled "splitten," at least occasionally, in reference to a "ship breaking up;" that is, "splitting apart" (wooden in those times). Other relatives in the Germanic languages: German has both "spalten" (to split),and "spleißen" (to split, to splice; that is, "bonding two split pieces together"), Dutch has "splijten" (to split), and the related, "spouwen (once spelled "spouden," and meaning, "to break up, break apart, collapse"), West Frisian "spjalte" (split), Old Norse once had the related noun "spjald" (piece of word), and Danish and Norwegian "splitte" (split, divide) seem to have been borrowed from Low German. Swedish has "spjälka" (split, cleave), while Swedish "splittra" (to splinter, to shatter, to divide) "may" be a borrowing from Low German (much contact between the Swedes and Low German speakers in the north of Germany over the centuries).    

Egg in Your Beer, Eierbier

There are many recipes for "Eierbier;" that is, "egg beer." Here are two:

Recipe #1 Ingredients (adjust ingredients for the amount you want to make):

2 12 ounce bottles of light (in color) beer
20 ounces canned evaporated milk or regular milk
4 eggs, beaten
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
whipped cream for topping

This requires a little physical work .... stirring, or even better, whisking. If you have a double boiler, you can use it for this; otherwise, you can put all of the ingredients, except the whipped cream, into a bowl and set the bowl on top of a pot of some lightly simmering water. Heat ingredients over low heat, stir well, and stir continuously as the liquid actually heats through. Continuously stir until foamy and a bit thickened. Remove cinnamon stick and cloves. Serve warm, with whipped cream on top.

In the north of Germany, rock candy is commonly used to sweeten beverages, including tea. I have chosen to just use regular white sugar. This drink uses strong dark beer or stout as the main component. 

Second Recipe Ingredients:

2 pints dark beer (or stout)
4 teaspoons white sugar
4 egg yolks

Heat the beer and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan over low heat until the sugar is fully dissolved. Do not allow to boil. Turn off the heat and allow the beer to cool just briefly. Beat the egg yolks, then add about a tablespoon of the warm beer to the eggs, stirring constantly. There should be no curdling. Gradually mix the eggs into the beer, using a stick blender or an eggbeater. Serve immediately.

WORD HISTORY:
Flour-This word, spelled "flower" until the first half of the 1800s, goes back to Indo European "bhel," which meant "to swell." From this notion also came the meaning, "bloom, blossom," as plant buds "swell" and bloom into a blossom. Its Italic offspring took the "f" sound instead of "b," which gave Latin "flos," meaning "flower," and it's accusative case was "florem." Old French, a Latin-based language, rendered this as "flor" (later the spelling changed to "fleur"), along with the figurative meaning "best of, the finest part of." This meaning came to be identified with ground grain, as "the finely ground best part of the grain," which brought along the word as the name for the ground grain. English "meal" and its ancestors were the original English words for "flour," and "meal" was retained for the "coarsely ground grain." English borrowed that meaning in the mid 1200s, but the word "flower," for "blossoming plant," had already been borrowed earlier. The spelling "flour" seems to have been done purely to differentiate it and its meaning from "flower." By the way, "flower" is related to English "blossom," as they come from the same Indo European root, but Old Germanic retained the original Indo European "b" sound.  

Some Memories of Germany

I thought it might be of some interest to make note of a few things from the times I've been to Germany; the last unfortunately being in March 1995. So keep in mind, my experiences are dated, and they should not be taken for what is or what is not going on in Germany today. I traveled into the old East Germany well back in the mid 1980s (I went to Berlin by train), and on that occasion, I was in Germany for almost 5 weeks, which was the longest of my stays there.

I absolutely LOVE Frankfurt, Germany! It is really such a collection of people from all over the world, not just Germans. It is NOT what most Americans would think of as a typical German city. Something like 90% of Frankfurt was destroyed in World War II and essentially a new city has arisen since the end of the war. It has a very modern feel, especially in what we would call the downtown area, but there are still sections where you can experience the "old" city, where some neighborhoods survived the bombings, or where the Germans rebuilt homes and buildings with as many of the old blueprints as possible. From what I understand, my favorite restaurant, the "Dippegucker am Hauptbahnhof" (Hauptbahnhof=the main train station), located right across the street from the main train station, closed a few years ago. In Hessian dialect in the Frankfurt area, a "Dippe," is a pot, but a little further north of Frankfurt, it is called a "Dibbe."  "Gucker" is someone who "looks or peeks," so thus the "Dippegucker" is a "pot looker," or someone who peeks into a pot to see what's cooking. This restaurant served the best German draft beer that I've EVER had, "Hannen Alt," what Germans call an "Altbier;" that is, ale.* This is a kind of brown ale, not that thick, syrupy dark beer, akin to stout or porter, which many American think of as being typical of German beer (it is NOT really typical, by the way.) The foam clings to the glass clear to the bottom. Gee, I'm thirsty! I've found some American mircobrews that are close to this beer, but not really quite the same, and besides that, there are a couple of very good English brown ales.

The menu at the restaurant was a mixture of German, including Hessian, and international. To me, if you go to another country, you should want to sample the national and local foods, despite any "finickiness" you might have about food. That's all part of visiting another place. Germany is full of McDonalds, Burger Kings, Pizza Huts, etc. (by the way, they ALL serve beer and wine, as it is a way of life in Germany), but why go all that way to get a Big Mac, when you can get that just down the street from your house in America? When in Germany, you've got to try Sauerbraten, a marinated beef roast, and Schnitzel, typically a cutlet of pork or veal, often, but not always, breaded and fried, and served in a variety of ways, the most famous being Wiener Schnitzel, which is Viennese style. Vienna was the capital of the German Empire for centuries. Of course, you can't pass up the tremendous variety of sausages, including something dear to the hearts of many Americans, "Bratwurst!" Further, there is "Currywurst," which is a sausage smothered in ketchup, curry powder, and paprika, very common in Berlin, but in other parts of the country too (in some cases, Germans have now combined the topping ingredients into a sauce, which they just add to the sausage, instead of adding the ingredients separately). In the state of Hessen (Wiesbaden is the capital), apple wine is very popular, in fact, they are known for apple wine, or "Apfelwein," in standard German, but "Ebbelwei", or "Ebbelwoi," in Hessisch (Hessian), depending on where you are from. Americans would call this "hard cider."

Something very strange to Americans is common in German restaurants. On my first trip to Germany, and I believe on my first day there, I was in the "Dippegucker" restaurant at a small table. The place was packed. A guy came in and walked over to my table, where he proceeded to ask me (in German) if he could sit with me at my table. I was absolutely stunned, as that is just inconceivable for Americans. I really didn't know what to say, but I accepted. He sat down and of course found out that I was an American (I don't know about now, but back then all German school kids were required to take at least three years of English. This guy was not a school kid, but maybe in his early 20s). He was visiting Frankfurt from a town just a few miles from Hitler's old villa in Berchtesgarten, if you remember your history. This was in the 1980s, and for those of you old enough to remember, "homelessness" and "street people" were a common site in American cities, and news stories about the problem were also common. Well, it turned out that this guy had seen a story about Chicago on a German news segment. He said, "It is really a shame about Chicago." My first thoughts were, "Oh hell, what happened to Chicago?" The way he said it, so sad and concerned, I thought there must have been a major catastrophe. I asked him what he meant, and he said something like, "Oh, Chicago is really down and out now. Everybody has to live on the streets. It's really terrible!" Well, I chuckled a bit and explained to him that Chicago was a very wealthy city and that not everyone lived on the streets, by far. (I guess I could have said "except Chicago Cubs fans.") It just shows how powerful news is in our lives.

German cities and towns are full of small hotels, as well as the better known (and much more expensive) "brand name" hotels, like Sheraton, Hilton or Holiday Inn, or their own German "brand name" hotels, the names of which escape me at the moment. If you go in summer weather, air conditioning is NOT always common in the smaller hotels, or at least it wasn't, keeping in mind my dated experience, but when checking on a room, you should ask about air conditioning. You'll almost always find a small refrigerator stocked, with what else, BEER, Coke (back then, usually in small bottles!), maybe some apple juice, and some cold sausages. Again, I'm sure the fancier hotels have much more elaborate foods and beverages available in each room. Of course, these items are not free, and they can be quite expensive at times. Hotel rates almost always include breakfast, "Frühstück," which is what we usually refer to as "Continental breakfast," whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. Anyway, it varies from place to place, and again, I'm sure the big hotel chains offer much more, but the smaller hotels typically offer fresh baked rolls (often like what we call Kaiser rolls), some type of brown bread (rye), sliced cheeses, sliced cold cuts (Aufschnitt), maybe some cheese spread in small containers, jam, butter, and maybe honey. German breads are not usually like ours. They are substantial, that is, they are heavy, not the squishy sandwich loaves that we have, although Vienna bread is somewhat common, and most Americans are familiar with that. You'll also have pitchers of orange juice and apple juice, and milk, tea, and coffee on the table. It varies from place to place, but you might have soft-boiled eggs available, and I almost always saw breakfast cereal in the small boxes, although I never ate it. Some places serve you parts of the breakfast, while in others, you go to a large table or tables, where you select the items you want; that is, buffet style. And most places had fresh fruit available, typically apples, which is like one of the national staples.

If you think we have been paying high gasoline prices for the last few years, Germans have always had high fuel costs. Their cars tend to be small, and unlike many Americans, they are not tied to using them constantly. Public transportation in various forms is readily available, and Germans use it, pretty much no matter their social standing. Street cars, trains (both short distance and long distance), and buses are very common, efficient, and reasonably priced. Train stations are common for short distance trains, and you can buy a ticket without much hassle at all. There are like ATM-type machines (we have similar in Cleveland), where you can insert your money, and get a ticket for just about anywhere in a metro area. If I remember right, for long distance trains; that is, out of the immediate metro area, you do have to go to a ticket window. With "terrorism" a threat in Germany, too, some procedures may now have changed since my trips over there.

While this is a generalization, Germans in the south, including Austria, are much more similar to Americans in their demeanor. They are very friendly and gregarious, and what we would call "chummy." As you go above the middle of Germany, the further north you go, the people's characteristics do change. North Germans tend to be much more reserved and laid back. Sometimes, Americans have mistaken this as a dislike for Americans, but most times, it really isn't. They act this way with other Germans, too. If you go way up north, around Hamburg and Bremen, for instance, people seem to be downright cold, but again, it is just their nature in that part of the country. While Berlin is in the north, people there tend to be a whole different sort. They are more friendly, and even they think people in Hamburg are kind of "cold." I guess you could say, "a cold hamburger." (Okay, no nasty remarks!)

Well, I mentioned my trip from the old "West" Germany into "East" Germany in the mid 1980s. Actually, I was going to (West) Berlin. In case you were unaware of it, West Berlin was a city that was surrounded by the Communist East Germany. It was like an island, if you will. I went by train, leaving from Frankfurt and heading north, if I remember right, to Hamburg, where I spent a few days. The old border between east and west was not far from Hamburg. I got the train from Hamburg to the little town of Büchen, which was the crossing point into East Germany, and where East German armed guards (I'd call them soldiers) came on board and asked for passports and travel visas. (East Germany, in spite of belonging to the "Worker Paradise," desperately needed money, especially the then West German Mark, or even more so, American dollars, so they charged every passenger a special travel visa fee, just for the "right" to travel through East Germany. I don't remember the exchange rate, but it was only equivalent to a couple of dollars (I had West German Marks). Nothing about the "decadent West," when it came to western money. They could have taken lessons from some of our money grubbers, "Get the money! Get the money!") Anyway, the guards would ask you why you were traveling and how long you were going to stay. Guards in towers along the track had machine guns pointed at the train, and there were miles and miles of barbed wire strung along the track. The East Germans ran the barbed wire along the tracks like for a mile or so inside their territory, to prevent one of their own people from running and jumping on a train bound in the West German direction. Incredible!!! Americans who never experienced this kind of thing first hand can't even imagine. Watching it on the news just didn't do it.

Of course, Randy, never one to EVER pick a good time for ANYTHING, chose this time, when East-West tensions were heating up due to a scandal in the West German government, where some officials (called "moles") had passed on info to the East Germans. Both sides were showing extreme caution, and checking many things thoroughly, although with German travelers, more so than Americans. I was in Berlin for about a week, if I recall, and when I went back to Frankfurt, the route was different, going down near the Czech border, before heading west. There was an Ethiopian guy on the train in my compartment. Each compartment could hold 6 to 8 people, and there was a middle-aged German couple sitting opposite me, a German man sitting next to me (like maybe mid to late 20s, from near Stuttgart), and this Ethiopian man, probably in his 20s, sitting next to the German couple. When we got to the border, now to cross into West Germany, the West German armed guards came on board. They checked passports and whatever West German citizens carried back then (maybe they had passports, too.) Well, when they got to the Ethiopian, they asked him questions (he didn't speak German or English, but French). The young German guy next to me spoke pretty good French (from what I could tell), and they used him to communicate with the guy. Just a little history first, Ethiopia was in the Soviet orbit at that time. While he was Ethiopian by nationality, he had gone to school in Moscow, and had been issued a Soviet passport for his trip. As I mentioned earlier, there were heightened tensions between East and West Germany over espionage, and all of this combined to make life miserable for this young man. They made him open his luggage and they proceeded to examine EVERYTHING!!! I'm not joking here, they even examined his toothbrush! The poor man just felt humiliated, but that's what it was like back then. They were finally satisfied, and the train moved on, and I was glad to get back to Frankfurt, the "Dippegucker" restaurant, and a tall glass of Altbier. "PROST!" (Cheers!)

More in Part Two ...

* It is called "Alt," or "old," referring to the brewing style of old, which uses top-fermenting yeast.

 

I didn't have an actual photo of Altbier from my time in Germany, so I took this photo at home. Altbier and Wurst ... 

WORD HISTORY:
Dear-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, but it goes back to Old Germanic "diuraz," which "presumably" meant something like, "precious, valued, beloved." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "deore," which meant "precious, beloved, valuable, costly." This then became "dere" before the modern form. The noun form for a loved one developed from the adjective circa 1400. The adverbial form, "dearly," goes back to Old English "deorlice," and meant "preciously, worthily." The other Germanic languages have: German "teuer" (expensive, costly, but also beloved, dear, although this meaning is less common nowadays), Low German Saxon "düür" (expensive), West Frisian "djoer" (expensive, costly), Dutch "duur" (expensive, costly), Icelandic "dýr" (expensive), Danish "dyre" (expensive, costly), Norwegian "dyr(e)" (expensive) and Swedish "dyr(a)" (expensive). 

Flemish Beef And Beer Stew

Flanders is the northern part of multicultural (Latin, Celtic and Germanic) and trilingual Belgium (Flemish/Dutch, French and German are all official). The language of Flanders is "Flemish," a dialect of Dutch, and it is therefore closely related to English, Low German, German, and Frisian. In more recent decades the term "Flemish" has been replaced more and more with "Dutch." The people of Flanders are called "Flemings," so if your family name is "Fleming," there is a chance that at least that part of your family tree traces back to Flanders, although that is not a certainty, as not all family names "Fleming" relate to Flanders. Belgium is known for its beer, and the stew I'm covering in this recipe uses beer as one of its main ingredients.

For a brief sketch of the history of the overall region, this is a link to my article on the subject. The history is very complicated, but my article should give you a little understanding:  http://pontificating-randy.blogspot.com/2010/07/german-question-part-twenty.html  

As with all popular recipes, there are variations to this recipe, often determined by the use of regional beers in Belgium, or the addition of carrots, or mushrooms, or of another herb, like tarragon, but the basic recipe seems to be pretty firm. I only tried this recipe once, but it was at least fifteen years ago, and where I got the recipe, I'm not sure, but since I had it jotted down on paper, it may have been from some television show.

The amounts I'm using will give you a basis for how to make a larger amount.

1 1/2 lbs. beef chuck, bite size chunks
2 slices bacon, chopped
2 large onions, sliced or chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped (this was not in all recipes, but it was in the original recipe I used)
tablespoon or so of flour, enough to coat the beef
3/4 tablespoon dark brown sugar (if you only have light, use light, the "brown sugar police" won't get you)
1  12 to 16 oz bottle of brown or red ale *
1 to 1 1/2 cups of beef stock
1 teaspoon of thyme
2 medium leaves
1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard ("Ah, pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?" Actually I make my own.)
1 tablespoon of cider vinegar
salt and pepper (use in two phases, first some mixed with the flour to season the beef, then later when all other ingredients are added, add a little more to the pan)
1 tablespoon of parsley

Coat the beef in the flour mixed with some salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven (I guess this is because Flemish is a dialect of Dutch .. okay, settle down, I'm just kidding) saute the bacon until the fat is rendered, remove the bacon and set it aside. Brown the beef in the bacon fat (you can pour off some of the fat, but it is only from 2 slices of bacon to brown 1 1/2 lbs of beef), when the beef is pretty will browned, add the onions and let cook until they begin to soften, then add the garlic and let cook until it also softens. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the parsley, the brown sugar and the vinegar, but include the bacon. Bake at 350 for about an hour, then add the brown sugar and vinegar, stir and let bake another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Add the parsley and stir right after removing the dish from the oven. This is often, but not always, served with fries. Of course a glass of beer is mandatory, or the "beer police" WILL GET YOU! Then again, if you have more than one beer, the REAL police may get you.

* I checked several recipes and all but one used brown or red ale, but the one used light (in color, not calories) regular American beer. Of course, if you want to try to be authentic, you can pretty easily find Belgian beers nowadays, or American made Belgian-style beers. I love brown ale, so this kind of dish must have been invented with me in mind, albeit that I read somewhere that it was invented in like 1380, or some such date, but hey, they anticipated me. The United States now has lots of small craft brewers which make all sorts of beers once only generally available through imports, and that was if you could find them, or afford them. I prefer to support American made products, especially if they are from companies that pay and treat their workers decently. I'm not against a special treat of an import once in a while, so if you buy a Belgian import for this recipe, I'm fairly certain you won't trigger the "Great Recession, Part Two," or cause a gigantic leap in the trade deficit. English brown ales are excellent, and German Altbier is even more so, in my opinion. The German term "alt," is simply the English word "old," but it doesn't mean the beer has been sitting around since the turn of the century, but rather that it was brewed in "the old style;" that is, with yeasts fermented at room temperature, not at a chilled temperature. Ale is simply a type of beer, just like lager, stout, or pilsner.   

WORD HISTORY:
Leek-The ultimate origin of this word is unclear, but it "seems" the only forms outside of the Germanic languages were borrowed from Germanic (some Slavic languages have forms, as does Finnish ^). Some "suggest" its origins are from an Indo European word, the meaning of which was then developed into the name for the plants in Old Germanic. Besides the word itself, it is also the second part of English "garlic." Old Germanic had "lauka," which was a general word for "leek, onion, garlic, chive" (all from the same plant family). This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "leac," with the "e" and "a" originally pronounced separately, and with the same general Germanic meaning. Later the "e" sound alone prevailed and the spelling became "leek," and the meaning narrowed to the more specific plant, as English had its own word "garlic," but English relinquished its own compound form "enneleac/ynneleac" in favor of "onion," a word borrowed from French ("chive" was also borrowed from French). The other Germanic languages have: German "Lauch" (leek), ^^ Low German Saxon "Look" (leek), West Frisian "knyflok," as the second part of a compound (garlic, leek), Dutch "look" (leek, garlic), Danish "løg" (onion), Norwegian "løk" (onion), Icelandic "laukur" (onion), and Swedish "lök" (onion).

^ The Slavic tribes often had lots of contact with the Germanic tribes long ago, so this is certainly possible. Finnish, a non Indo European language, borrowed words from both Germanic and Slavic sources.

^^ Some of the other Germanic languages still use compounds with their respective forms of "leek" for the more specialized plant meanings. For instance, German uses its word in compounds for two of the other plants: "Schnittlauch," meaning "chive" and "Knoblauch," for "garlic," but the word for "onion" ("Zwiebel") was borrowed from Latin, and besides the former English compound for onion, English too used a form, "cipe," borrowed from the same Latin word, but these forms were replaced by "onion."

Frankfurt-am-Main, Germany

(September 12, 2016) Just a note: I published this in early 2010 and some of the information, especially regarding immigration, is now outdated, but I chose to leave it as is. Back then I made a note in this article (note *), that I would give explanation to who or what is a German, which, thereafter, I proceeded to do in a series I called, "The German Question." Originally I thought I would do about half a dozen articles on the subject, but, as I often do, I got carried away and I did a basic history of the Germans in their various "forms," and the series went from a half dozen articles, to more than 150!!! The series drew many, many thousands of views from all over the world, and it was so popular, I have re-run it a couple of times since. My first paragraph below quickly became outdated, when I began writing "The German Question."  

Much of what I intend to write here will be from firsthand experience or recollection, and I have no intention of writing a history of the Germans, nor a travel guide for those inclined to visit, as there are many great books and online sources available in great detail for these subjects. I will try to give some historical background on various subjects, if for no other reason than to provide a perspective for the topic at hand.

Frankfurt am Main (pronounced like "om mine") means Frankfurt on the Main (River). It is frequently called this extended name because there is another Frankfurt in Germany, just east of Berlin, and to differentiate, it is called "Frankfurt an der Oder;" that is, Frankfurt on the Oder (River). Frankfurt am Main (hereafter I'll use just "Frankfurt" in this article) is the city of the famous "Frankfurter," or what we commonly call hotdogs or franks (the abbreviated version of frankfurter) in the United States. German areas beyond Germany itself, including Austria, much of Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Alsace, and South Tirol,* all have sausages of different shapes, sizes, and flavors, and they are sold everywhere! To my knowledge, it was in the United States that putting a sausage inside a split bun became popular, as in German areas the various sausages are typically served separately on a small plate with a dab of mustard and a roll. My German relatives look on a bit perplexed when I get ketchup with mine. They seem to think I'm strange...ah...I'll leave that statement alone. Actually, Germans do eat ketchup with one sausage dish called "Currywurst," a recipe they picked up from Turkish and Middle Eastern foreign workers after World War Two. It is simply a bratwurst type sausage (usually cut into bite-sized pieces) with ketchup and curry powder on it, although after it gained more popularity, the ketchup and curry were often already pre-mixed and simply squirted on. While certainly not uncommon elsewhere, they are especially known in Berlin.

Frankfurt is located in the German state of Hessen, often referred to as Hessia or Hesse in English. It is THE financial hub of Germany. I've often thought, even many years ago, how much we could learn about public transportation from the Germans, and especially Frankfurt, which offers so many ways to travel around the area: light rail, street cars, buses. Germans use trains, including what we call "light rail," much more than most Americans do. The trains are efficient and well maintained, or at least they were in the many times I was there, although I haven't been back to Germany since 1995. If you want to take local light rail in Frankfurt, you don't necessarily have to stand in line to get a ticket. You just go to one of the many self-serve machines, check out the map to see your route number, insert the proper fare, and out comes your ticket.** Frankfurt is my favorite city of all. Why? Maybe because it reminds me of many American cities, with lots of tall skyscrapers ("Wolkenkratzer," or literally, "cloud scrapers" in German), but it also has something of "old Germany" still in existence, too. The city was absolutely devastated by Allied bombing during World War Two, but the Germans often found former architectural prints and rebuilt parts of the city based on these old records.*** Frankfurt was the city where many of the German emperors of the old German Empire were elected, and then a bit later, the emperors were even crowned there.****

Frankfurt also is a huge transportation hub, and the Frankfurt airport (Flughafen is the German word for airport, and, incidentally, all German nouns are capitalized, thus the capital "F") is one of the busiest airports in the world; perhaps even the busiest. On a couple of occasions I remember the plane I was on had to circle the city waiting for permission to land, as there were so many other planes ahead of mine. The airport is connected to other parts of the area, including downtown Frankfurt, by rail. The Frankfurt railway station (rail station in German is Bahnhof, and the Frankfurt station is called the "Hauptbahnhof," or "Main Train Station") is an absolute delight, with lots of little shops, and you can get a train to go just about anywhere in Europe from there. Of course, if you're traveling more local, like to Wiesbaden, which I'll guess is about 25 miles away, you can also depart from the Frankfurt rail station. I traveled between Frankfurt and Wiesbaden many times.

Downtown Frankfurt has a shopping district that is closed to motor vehicle traffic during certain hours (only late night and early morning can vehicles enter to clean up trash or make deliveries). This area, called the "Fussgängerzone," (more or less literally "foot goer zone," or "pedestrian zone") is lined with shops, large and small, and in good weather, it is not uncommon to see musicians playing various instruments or people with some acrobatic skills hopping and tumbling around, although always with a cup available for "donations." (Hey, they've got to make a living, and they aren't manipulating prices or trying to lure anyone into risky investments, and you don't have to give if you don't want to.) In Frankfurt this pedestrian zone has the name the "Zeil." The shopping area is very busy, even at times, well into the evening. Frankfurt is a major European convention city, and many convention attendees can be seen looking for souvenirs in this area. Not far away from the shopping area is the Frankfurt Zoo, and my love of animals has taken me there on numerous occasions. At various places around town you might also see open displays about sexual books, magazines, "devices," or "places." They aren't necessarily hidden on back streets or alleyways, and to my knowledge, no German has turned into a pillar of salt because they are there. It is also not uncommon to hear a guy out in front of some "establishments" calling "Peep show!!! Come in and peep!" For those unaware, they aren't selling recently hatched chickens.

My visits to Germany mainly took place when the United States had a major military presence there, although we still have some military facilities located in Germany, but far, far fewer than during the Cold War and the immediate years following its end. The Frankfurt/Wiesbaden area had lots of Americans (military personnel, their families, and tourists), and hearing (American) English was not at all uncommon, and all German shop clerks, waiters, waitresses, and hotel employees could speak English on a range of fair to excellent. I assume it is still the case, but Germans (then "West" Germans) were required to take either two or four years of English in school (I just forget).^ One German hotel manager I became friends with many years ago told me a funny little story. He was born near the end of World War Two in an area that became part of the Soviet-dominated part of the country, but his family escaped to the West and settled in the Frankfurt area. He is retired and lives in suburban Frankfurt. Anyway, he studied English in hospitality school. He got a job at a Frankfurt hotel. The hotel was frequented by many American servicemen and women, and many, many American tourists. He said, "I was young and cocky. On my first day, we had several Americans check in and out, and I had understood them very well, so I told my boss, 'I want to handle the check in for the next American who comes in.' The boss gave his approval. The next person through the door was an American...and he was from Texas." I started laughing as soon as he told me this. He said, "I didn't understand one damned word that man said!"

As Germany recovered from World War Two, especially by the late 1950s and the 1960s, they began to experience a labor shortage. Thousands of foreigners went to Germany looking to find work. Many of these people came from Turkey, but also from a variety of European countries (I once knew an Italian from Taranto who had worked for several years in Germany, and then came to the U.S., where his sister was already living). At first the Germans welcomed these folks who often took jobs at the lower end of the employment system. Gradually a problem arose, as the flow of foreigners continued, with many men having gone "home" and returned to (then West) Germany with their families. A culture clash was inevitable, and as mainly Turks moved into some neighborhoods, Germans moved out, eventually leaving whole parts of some cities, including Frankfurt, as basically Turkish neighborhoods, with Turkish shops and other businesses dominating those areas, and Turkish being spoken in place of German. This brought about a nasty reaction from many Germans (including some foreigners being beaten or killed), and I just don't recall everything that has happened over time, but there was an effort to put severe restrictions on immigration from certain countries, but eventually there was an attempt to get foreigners living in Germany to learn German. Where all of this stands at this point, I really don't know. I haven't heard lately, but if I remember right, by the late 1980s, something like 25% of Frankfurt's population was non-German.

Frankfurt and much of Hessen is noted for apple wine, or hard cider (called "Apfelwein" in standard German, but "Ebbelwei," "Ebbelwoi," or "Appelwoi" in Hessisch, the particular dialect of Hessen, and the dialect of my relatives there, but even it has sub-dialects, depending upon location, and thus the various renditions for "Apple Wine"). My hotel friend mentioned above, told me how he loved to go home in nice weather and sit outside with a bottle of this fine product and "get feeling pretty good!" It is available in some American import stores, or in wine sections of some supermarkets, although I'd guess the availability is often limited to large metro areas. Of course it is sold throughout Frankfurt and is standard fare in food establishments there. Further, traditional Hessian foods are hearty, with lots of pork used as a main course, or in recipe preparation. One of the better known Hessian specialities is "Kassler Rippchen," cured pork rib. Another specialty is "Zwiebelkuchen," or "onion cake," which is a flat cake topped with onions, eggs, sour cream and bacon. One of my favorites is "Backes Grumbeere," which is in Hessian dialect, not standard German, and is a potato dish cooked with lots of onions, bacon, pork shoulder, white wine, some seasonings and cream or sour cream.^^

Of course, when many folks think of Germans, they think of beer! And it is sold EVERYWHERE! Some shops even have little side windows for walk-up take out orders, including beer. Go to McDonalds or Burger King in Germany, beer is on the menu! (Please, please! If you go to Germany or any other country, don't go to the American food places there. You can patronize them on just about any street corner here in the U.S. Try the local foods and beverages. If you want coffee, okay, go to McDonalds or Burger King, although they'll have German coffee, which is much stronger tasting than most American coffee, and I'd say with more caffeine. Buzzzzz!!!) [A word history is after the notes]

* I'll get to explanations about "who or what is a German," somewhere along the way in this series, as it is highly relevant to history.

** How much of this may have changed since I was last there in March of 1995, I don't know. Since that time, however, Germany has switched to the "Euro," the form of money agreed upon and used by many European countries. Formerly Germany used the "Mark," its own money. Today, if you travel within the countries that use the Euro, you needn't go through currency exchange. When I was a kid, and I'd guess up until sometime in the early 1970s, the "Mark" had a fixed exchange rate of four to the dollar, thus making a Mark worth a quarter in American money. When many national currencies were allowed to "float;" that is, find their value versus other currencies by "free market" principles, the rate varied, as is now the case with the Euro.

*** This reconstruction using old records was not unique to Frankfurt, but was used extensively by many heavily damaged German cities and towns after World War Two.

**** Most people have heard of "the Third Reich," the Nazi term for Germany under their rule, but the old German Empire was the "First Reich," if you will. Most Germans tend to refer to the original empire as dating back to Charlemagne, although others date it a bit later. Charlemagne was the French rendering of his name, as his (Germanic) Frankish name was Karl, and he indeed spoke Frankish. He was crowned emperor in 800 A.D. and was such an honored and revered figure that his name was rendered in Latin as "Carolus Magnus." The French version was "Charlemagne," and the German "Karl der Grosse." All of these mean the same thing, "Karl (or Charles) the Great." There is a display of pictures of all of the German emperors in the restored building where many of the emperors were crowned in Frankfurt. If I remember correctly, his picture is displayed as the first German emperor, although he was not crowned in Frankfurt, but in Rome. So the "First Reich" dates from 800 until 1806, when it was dissolved by Emperor Franz II after Napoleon's successful invasion of Germany. The "Second Reich," was the German Empire created by Bismarck and lasted from 1871 until the end of World War One.

^ After World War Two, Germany was divided into occupation zones (American, British, French, Soviet). The British occupied the area up around Bremen/Hamburg and the North See (interesting coincidence that this is where the Anglo-Saxons left to sail to Britain and found England), and the Americans had a large swath of central/southern Germany. So much of western Germany was exposed to English on a daily basis. There was even a television station in English.

^^ The standard word for "potato" in German is "Kartoffel," but there are many regional dialect terms, including "Erdapfel," literally "earth apple," and the above "Grumbeer," which is used in some parts of Hessen. The "beer" part, pronounced somewhat like English "bear," means "berry," but I don't know what the "Grum" part means. Remember, this is not standard German, but dialect, and when I asked some German college students studying in Cleveland if they knew what "Grumbeer" meant, they both answered, "No." (One was from southwestern Germany and the other was from the Dortmund area, if I remember correctly.)

WORD HISTORY:
Tug-This word traces back to Indo European "deuk," which meant "to pull, to pull along (lead)." The Old Germanic offshoot was "teukh," which meant "pull." This gave Old English "teohan" also meaning "pull." By the 1200s, the modern spelling began to emerge. The noun seems to have developed in the 1500s, but it wasn't until the early 1800s that the more common modern usage of "a small boat used to pull larger vessels" came about. German has the related "ziehen," meaning "to pull, to tug" (the "z" is pronounced as if "ts," as in the end of "hits."). Interestingly, the English developed noun form came to be used for a boat that tows a larger vessel, but the German form, "Zug" (the "u" pronounced to rhyme with "food," and the "g" pronounced like "k") came to mean an engine for a train; that is, a vehicle that pulls a number of rail cars. So the idea of "pulling/towing" is still much alive in both languages. (Actually, "Zug" is also used just as the general German word for train.)