CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS IN GERMANY – POTATO SALAD AND WIENER WÜRSTCHEN (2024)
Hi my lovely readers!
Christmas is around the corner and I am certainly thinking about Christmas lunch already. I am spending Christmas in the UK this year for the first time alone with my partner. Normally, I would be in Germany or my parents would be here, but this is not possible this year.
Still, I am determined to make it a nice festive period and enjoy Christmas to the fullest as it is my favourite time of the year.
So, I was thinking of what to cook for Christmas lunch and I started to think about traditions. And one tradition popped into my mind, besides going to the Christmas Market, that my grandparents are living up to until this day – having potato salad and Vienna sausage (Wiener Würstchen) for Christmas dinner.
There are different Christmas traditions and a lot of people eat different things for Christmas dinner. My other grandparents always had carp every year, some eat goose and my parents always made a different roast each year including boar, pheasant, duck and so on.
Well, you might think that potato salad is not really a festive meal. I would totally agree. I actually have potato salad as a side dish when I have a BBQ. It is very popular in the summer, but for Christmas?
The tradition dates back to the war time, most likely WWII. People did not have much money back then and of course meat was expensive. Many people could not afford a piece of meat to make a roast and indulge in fancy veggies.
Food rations were in place and often you could not get what you wanted either because it was simply not available, you could not afford it or there was too little of it. People had to get creative with what they could afford and get and use simple ingredients to still make a dish that could fill hungry bellies on Christmas day.
My grandma told me once that the first time she saw a kiwi, she thought it was a different type of potato. This was around the 1960s in Berlin. That shows you how rare certain foods were, which we take for granted now as they are available whenever we want them.
Other people say it is a Christian tradition linked to the fasting period from St Martin’s Day on 11 November until 24 December. Therefore, a simple and easy meal should be served.
No matter where this tradition comes from, it is a Christmas tradition that is celebrated by many Germans across the country and apparently many other European countries year after year, too.
What are some Christmas traditions in your country? I would love to know.
Martin's Day on 11 December until 24 December was a time of fasting. That's why a simple dish is often served on Christmas Eve - such as carp for example, as fish was allowed to be eaten during the fasting period. Potato salad with sausages is also a very popular dish.
At the centre of a German Christmas evening spread you'll usually find a roasted goose, turkey or duck, traditionally served with lovely plump bread dumplings – the classic round ones, or one great big festive loaf-shaped one, known as a Serviettenknödel (pictured sliced, above), plus braised red cabbage or stewed kale ...
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In Germany, Christmas Eve (December 24th) is a big day: Heiligabend. Gifts are swapped after families return home from church. A traditional dish is potato salad and sausages. No, it's not a barbecue Germans are having: eating potato salad and sausages goes back a long way.
Many believe it began in the later half of the 20th century when a young man tossed seasonal greetings wrapped around uncooked potatoes into the yards of houses decorated with Christmas lights,” according to the note. “It was his way of saying, 'Thank you and Merry Christmas. '”
Hot potato salad, usually made with bacon, onion and vinegar dressing, was so closely associated with German immigrants that it was called "German potato salad." It's unclear who first added the mayo to potato salad. Bottled commercial mayonnaise became available in the early 1900s.
The term Weihnachtsmann is a very generic German term for Father Christmas, St. Nicholas, or Santa Claus. The German Weihnachtsmann is a fairly recent Christmas tradition having little if any religious or folkloric background.
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These German recipes celebrate some of the dishes Germany is most known for: crispy fried schnitzel, robust sausages, chewy pretzels, and all manner of mustard-tinged delights. We've even included a handful of items on the sweeter side, too, like a tangy apricot kuchen and a berry-studded German pancake. Guten appetit!
Nicholas rewards nice children by leaving presents, Krampus beats those who are naughty with branches and sticks. In some cases, he is said to eat them or take them to hell. On December 6, St. Nicholas Day, children awaken to find their gifts or nurse their injuries.
Through most of Germany, St. Nicholas is assisted by a character named Knecht Ruprecht, in Switzerland by Schmutzli, in France and Luxembourg by Père Fouettard, in the Netherlands by Zwarte Piet, and in Slovenia by Parkelj. In Southern Germany and Austria, St. Nicholas' counterpart is Krampus.
German people celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve - December 24th, and most stores are closed after 2 pm on this day. The following 2 days - 25th and 26th of December are national holidays. Unlike American kids, German kids open their gifts on December 24th (lucky them!).
Potato salad can be traced back to Europe in the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in Germany and quickly spread throughout Europe. The early versions of potato salad were quite different from what we know today as traditional potato salad.
It's Christmas, but not as you know it. Since World War II, Japan has embraced the typically Western holiday and made it its own. There's Santa, trees, and presents, but on the Christmas lunch table is KFC.
This is indeed one of the number one favourite meals for a German Christmas Eve. One-third of the population serves potato salad with sausages. This perfectly demonstrates the saying that less, in this case, really is more.
In the tradition, an ornamental pickle is placed on a Christmas tree as one of the Christmas decorations. On Christmas morning, the first person to find the pickle on the tree would receive an extra present from Santa Claus or would be said to have a year of good fortune.
Mashed potatoes hold a special place during Christmas for their comforting and versatile appeal. As a timeless comfort food, they evoke a sense of tradition and togetherness, making them ideal for festive family gatherings.
Traditional Christmas dinner features turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables. Other types of poultry, roast beef, or ham, are also used.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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