# Cooking something non-German for German hosts **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [August 25, 2022, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332 "2022-08-25T15:10:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/41 "2022-08-26T18:35:41Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Ooo…shrimp and grits are always a good representation of American food. If you can’t get grits, polenta is pretty close. (Some say it’s the exact same thing – it doesn’t seem to be to me, but it’s close enough. I thought grits were typically hominy, which would make them different than polenta, but apparently not. The grits I typically use are hominy, which is made from nixtamalized corn.) I’ve always thought of it as white vs yellow corn, with a definite taste difference, but I’m not sure how important that difference is. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/42 "2022-08-26T20:32:01Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I need to check if there’s any pickiness re: shrimp but that’s a good a simple dish. Can you get American-style bacon easily? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/43 "2022-08-26T20:50:43Z")
Should be able to. You can buy American-style bacon produced in Hungary at supermarkets throughout Eastern Europe. I’d assume they have it in Germany as well. BTW, Chicken Piquante can be made with supermarket _lecho_. I’ve done it, and it tastes just like the dish I had in New Orleans many years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/44 "2022-08-26T20:56:34Z")
I have nothing specific in mind, but just to start some ideas: What about all of those items that are at every Chinese restaurant in America, but are supposedly not authentic Chinese? Caribbean recipes? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/45 "2022-08-26T21:02:29Z")
Any smoked fatty porky product will do fine. And, from my experience, Germany is full of them. Some kind of smoked “bauchspeck” and you should be good enough. ---
**Author:** ![rippingtons\_fan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rippingtons_fan/32/11767_2.png) [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/46 "2022-08-26T21:05:13Z")
Fried Rice would be a good dish. There are several good Philippine recipes. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/47 "2022-08-26T21:10:08Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > What about all of those items that are at every Chinese restaurant in America, but are supposedly not authentic Chinese? Minnesota Chow Mein is easy to make: Stir fry chopped celery, green onions, snap peas, mushrooms, and animal protein (e.g., pork, beef, chicken, or shrimp). Serve over white rice and crispy noodles, and sprinkle with soy sauce. I always though this was _real Chinese food_ until I was old enough to know better. In Minnesota, it’s usually made with ground pork; when I make it nowadays, I use chunks of tender pork marinated in Hoisin or oyster sauce. So don’t be afraid to experiment. The last time I made it, I used peanut oil instead of soy. Very tasty! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/48 "2022-08-26T21:10:52Z")
SPAM® musubi. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2022, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/49 "2022-08-26T21:12:53Z")
> [@Bonum\_Legatum](#): > > What about all of those items that are at every Chinese restaurant in America, but are supposedly not authentic Chinese? I remember eating at a Chinese buffet in Germany (or maybe it was Austria) with pretty much all the same items you’d find in America. So I’m guessing Germans are already pretty familiar with that style of “Chinese” food. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/50 "2022-09-12T13:45:08Z")
I made a test run last night of the jambalaya recipe @Johnny_L.A posted and I’m going to make that in Germany. I might need to adjust the seasoning as this is the branch of my wife’s family where someone is teased for having called parsley “zu scharf” when he was a kid. But I’ll make it work. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/51 "2022-09-12T13:58:55Z")
I’m glad you like it. I’m in the PNW now, and my Seattle-area coworkers… Well, lets just say they don’t like their food quite as spicy-hot as I do. Even so, they destroy the pot of jambalaya when I make it. In my impression, most of the heat comes from the sausage. Though the Creole seasoning does have a tablespoon of cayenne, you only use 1 tablespoon out of the 11 ½ tablespoons that you make. Also, I tend to use more of the Holy Trinity than the recipe calls for. Who wants leftover onion and bell pepper? I’m reminded of a joke where SPAM® is said to be a portmanteau of 'spiced ham. But those are Minnesota spices; salt and sugar. So Ole and Sven are cooking something or other. Ole says, ‘Hey, can I put a little black pepper in?’ Sven says, ‘Ya, sure. But don’t go crazy with it!’ ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/52 "2022-10-08T18:58:54Z")
Success. Cooking in and unfamiliar kitchen sucks, and dull knives . . . why? But it’s an easy enough dish. The six-year-old wasn’t a fan, but it either hit the “schmeckt gut” mark for everyone else or they faked it well. I used a cured sausage labeled “Geräucherte Mettenden” that worked well enough. I’m no wurst-spert. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2022, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/53 "2022-10-08T19:11:49Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Beer Butt Chicken. Truly an American experience and conversation starter. Hard to believe that there’s anything with beer that Germans haven’t already done. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2022, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332/54 "2022-10-08T19:22:06Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > I used a cured sausage labeled “Geräucherte Mettenden” that worked well enough. I’m no wurst-spert. So you made Jambalaya which affords smoked sausage? I think “Geräucherte Mettenden” (it means something like “smoked sausage ends made of mixed beef and pork”) or else Mettwürstchen would fit well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-something-non-german-for-german-hosts/970332.md?page=2)