This oriental red lentil stew with Cumin (click here to jump to the recipe) is in some ways representative of modern German cooking. Which seems contradictory at first sight, but:
First of all, it´s not just a stew, but a true Eintopf (One-Pot). You only need one pot for preparing it, no pan, bowl etc..
Then, its main ingredient is lentils. Lentils have been around, and very popular, for thousands of years. In some regions of Germany, they have been even more important in the general population´s nutrition than any type of grain.
A “new” lentil soup
On the other hand, the lentils that Germans have traditionally been eating were, and are, brown lentils. But I am sure you know that very basic lentil soup with potatoes and carrots. Germans like to add some slices of Bockwurst (very similar to hot dog sausages), and parsley. You probably have that in your country, too – and like us, you can probably buy it canned. So let´s not talk about that.
Red lentils have not been around long in Germany. I remember seeing, and eating, them for the first time in the late nineties. My uncle had cooked them. He is from Iran, and probably even brought those red lentils with him from one of his visits there. By now, you can easily buy them in Germany. They usually are among the organic foods. Which tells you that, although widely available, they are still regarded as “exotic”.
So why, then, do I say that Red Lentil Stew is representative of contemporary German cooking?
How can a foreign dish be representative of German cooking?
One reason (apart from those I stated earlier) is that many Germans see healthy nutrition as one of their priorities. The inflation we are going through at the moment has made it impossible for many families and individuals to keep up a desirable standard of nutrition, and many have even before not be able, for instance, to buy organically grown vegetables, fruit etc. exclusively, or mostly. The number of people who are able to do so has massively decreased since 2020. So many do their best to eat healthy on a budget. Lentils are perfect for that. Due to their high content of aminoacids and fibre, you don´t need much to fill your stomach! At the same time, very different to “worthless fillers” like pasta, they contain lots of vital nutrients. Especially their iron content is remarkable (8mg per 100g).
Diversity in German cuisine, both old and new
The other reason is that German cuisine today is, in fact, very international. There has always been much diversity in German cuisine, to such an extent that I would say there actually is no one “German cuisine” since it differs so much regionally. But even more diversity came with the Guest Workers – workers that were encouraged to come to Germany for industrial work from 1955 to 1973, many of them understandably let their families join them after a few years and decided to stay. Later, quite a lot of them started their own businesses, especially food related. While Germans were sceptical at first, the culinary additions are now very much appreciated!
Additions from Italy…
The first guest workers, and also the last, were from Italy, so Spagghetti and Pizza became widely known and have now been for decades everyday options in German family cooking, as did Lasagna and Minestrone.
Other workers came from Greece, Yugoslavia, Turkey and Spain. I don´t really know why there is no Spanish food that has become popular in Germany, even Spanish restaurants are not that frequent; I´m sure that the reason is not the quality of Spanish food, though!
… other European countries…
Anyway. Greek and Yugoslavian restaurants were everywhere in the 1980s, as were Italian ones. While the Yugoslavian restaurants seem to have disappeared or become rare (perhaps because of the two wars there in the 1990s, but I don´t know, really), Italian and Greek restaurants are still very popular in Germany. And so is Turkish fast food. If you ever travel to Germany, there is no way of getting past Döner! You should definitely try it – or if the food stand is Lebanese- or Egyptian- owned, there will be Falafel, which I also highly recommend (but not in Berlin). Sometimes you will get them at a takeaway-only food stand, sometimes at a small restaurant. Both will be good, but the sit-down option is likely to offer a broader choice of meals.
Within the last thirty years, immigrants from the eastern mediterranean as well as all parts of Africa have influenced German cooking as well as the street foods and groceries available in Germany. You will particularly notice this in cities like Hamburg, Munich, and, of course, Berlin.
… the Near East, and Eastern Asia
Chinese and Vietnamese food is also widely available and very popular. Though, if you are Chinese or Vietnamese, you will notice that it´s not very authentic – but then, I suppose we share that with most other countries outside of Eastern Asia…
Needless to say, American fastfood chains have spread all over Europe, including Germany. By far the most popular ones being McDonald´s and Burger King, but you can also find Subway, KFC, and Dunkin´Donuts. Oh, and you can get your coffee at Starbuck´s- but I recommend going to a regular bakery. The coffee there won´t be as fancy, but a lot cheaper and the cakes and pastries to go with it are delicious. And also much cheaper, of course.
So, while you will hardly see takeaway Tandoori in Germany (but there are countless Indian restaurants), and Mexican food is rarely offered, Germany has no lack of international food.
Domestic and exotic spices in German cuisine
Of course there have always been spices in German cuisine, such as caraway, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, allspice, bayleaf, and the like, not to mention the countless herbs. But in more recent decades, exotic spices and other ingredients have additionally made their way into German kitchens, probably via two different routes: On the one hand, they were introduced to Germany by immigrants from the eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. On the other hand, there has been an influence from India – not directly, but through lifestyle and health movements like, for example, Ayurveda, and the growing numbers of vegans. Vegetarianism in Germany started around 1900 and became more popular with the rise of the ecological movement in the 1980s, but as older vegetarian cookbooks prove, it is easy to be a vegetarian within just the range of traditional German foods. Veganism has been becoming more and more popular since the 1990s, but while it may be possible to eat vegan just relying on European foods, it would soon become boring. So the vegan scene has taken inspirement from Eastern Asia, especially India, and from there ingredients have entered into the homes of many Germans regardless of their lifestyles.
Let´s come back to Red Lentil Stew at last! It´s from lentils, it´s cheap, easy and healthy, it contains only few ingredients – that makes it very “German”. But the lentils are red, not brown, And its dominant flavor is that of Cumin, which is perceived by the average German tongue as very exotic. So it adds to the variety that has emerged within more recent decades.
Red Lentil Stew – Recipe
Please not that this is the very quick, simple and thrifty recipe just like my uncle gave it to me. You can, of course, cook an improved, but more expensive version if you add more vegetables like cauliflower, celery root, fresh peas, spinach or whatever your garden or grocery store may have to offer!
Ingredients
Red Lentils – 300 g
Onion – one large or two medium sized
Garlic – according to your taste, but quite a lot (I take two large, or three medium sized cloves)
Carrots – 3 medium sized
Olive oil – 6 tablespoons
Cumin – 1/2 teaspoon
Dried salted vegetable stock – 3/4 tablespoon (can be replaced by salt, but in that case you might want to add some celery root, leek or other vegetables to the soup – just treat them exactly like the carrots; if you add a variety of vegetables, e.g. cauliflower and broccoli, perhaps tomato, etc., I would no longer call it a replacement, but an improvement 😉 )
Lemon juice – 2 tablespoons (can be replaced by 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, but lemon is better)
Some spring onions (can be replaced by fresh herbs like parsley, chives, watercress, chickweed, purslane and the like – whatever you can get as long as it´s fresh)
Water – 1.5 l
What to do
Choose a pot of sufficient size (1.5 – 2 litres of soup) as everything will be prepared in this one pot.
Rinse the lentils in a sieve. (You can omit this step, but they will develop more foam unrinsed.)
Chop the onions, cut the carrots into fine slices.
Heat olive oil in the pot, add onions and carrot slices. Sauté for a minute.
Take the pot off the fire and wait for a few seconds (because you should not add cold water to hot oil). Once the sizzling has ceased, add 2 l of water. (NO salt/vegetable stock at this point!) Put the pot back onto the fire.
Bring everything to a boil, then add the lentils. Turn down the heat and leave the lid open a bit, watch closely as lentils tend to boil over!
Chop garlic finely or crush it with a knife, then add it to the lentils.
Cook for about 20 minutes until the lentils are soft. Do not let them dissolve completely. Stir well while cooking – once the lentils have taken up most of the water, they burn quickly. Add more water if necessary (the stew should be very thick, but it should definitely not stick to your spoon like mashed potatoes).
When the lentils are as soft as you want them, take the pot off the stove.
Now add the dried vegetable stock, lemon juice and cumin. Cut some of the spring onions into 1 cm pieces and stir them in, Cut the rest more finely and put them on top when you serve the soup.
You will not need bread to go with this soup, but I recommend some salad (lettuce with vinaigrette) as a side dish. If you do want bread, simple white bread will be fine.Apparently, a similar soup is also known in India and I was told that naan goes very well with it!
What are your experiences with food from cultures other than your own? Have you taken any inspiration from other cultures for your own everyday cooking? Please leave a comment to share any stories, or even recipes! (The comment section is below the subscription form.)
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