German Food

Sauerbraten

                                                                                                         

Picture 1

Sauerbraten (meaning "sour roast") is a German pot roast. It can be prepared with a variety of meats. Most often it is made with beef. But also can be made out of venison, lamb, pork, mutton, or horse. Sauerbraten is considered as one the the national dishes of Germany. It is one of the best known meals in Germany.

Picture 2

How to cook it

Before cooking it, the cut of meat is marinaded for several days in a mixture of vinegar or wine, water, herbs, spices, and seasonings. The longer you marinade the meat, the more tender and juicy it is at the end. Sauerbraten is traditionally served alongside with German side dishes. Side dishes such as Rotkohl (red cabbage), potato dumplings, egg noodles, or boiled potatoes. 

The meat is usually cut from the bottom round or the rump. And will be marinaded for 3 to 10 days. Red wine vinegar is usually used, and earthy aromatics spices which include peppercorns, juniper berries, cloves, nutmeg, and bay leaves. But some people use (although less common) coriander, mustard seed, cinnamon, ginger, and thyme. This acidic marinade helps tenderize the meat. 

After you marinade the meat, it is first browned in oil or lard and then braised with the strained marinate. You cover the meat in a pot and cover it with the marinade it on the stove top for four hours. The marinade continues to flavor the meat while it cooks. 

Varieties in Saurbraten

Regional varieties in western areas of Germany typically use red wine as the base for the marinade. Recipes from eastern Germany tend to use vinegar as the base. And in some places, wine and vinegar are used together. Rheinischer Sauerbraten is prepared in Germany's Rheineland region. It is noted for a gravy to which raisons and sometimes sugar beet syrup is added to provide sweetness to the marinade.

Picture 3

Brief History

Sauerbraten was originally made with only horse meat. But today it is almost always made with beef. The town of Eschweiler, is where the long horse butcher tradition, and where the sauerbraten is one of its culinary specialities. Sauerbraten was invented in the ninth century as a means of using leftover roasted meat. 

Resources:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerbraten, December 12, 2012

Pictures:
1. http://wearelandrich.blogspot.com/2011/01/sauerbraten.html
2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/conscious_dreaming/7677055140/
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerbraten