Once upon a time in Germany one could order… Schnitzel, asparagus and fries. Or: Kochi, sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. In other words, a proper, typical German hot meal usually consisted of three ingredients: Meat or fish, vegetables as a first course, and carbohydrates as a second course. However, the data now seems to change in the modern menus.

Cultural changes and their influence on cuisine

A survey by Civey recently revealed that almost half of adults in Germany eat out less often now – since the VAT increase and it has reached 19% in restaurants. And if one now reads the menu in several restaurants one will see that the “extra” side dish is beginning to take hold, following the example of expensive restaurants in the USA.

Of course, millions of people still prefer their dish “traditional”. And of course many restaurants still serve them However often young people now have other preferences. Modern, everyday food is often served in a deep dish – which incidentally is common in several cuisines, such as Asian and Arabic.

Is schnitzel with potatoes and salad out of style?

“Three-ingredient dishes, which were common in Germany for a long time, are now considered completely old-fashioned,” says researcher Guder Hirschfelder from the University of Regensburg. “For the younger generation, it seems strange that everyone eats the same at the table.” Food is now a way of expressing one’s personality, the cultural scientist believes. “We have a pseudo-personalized way of eating,” he says characteristically. In addition, there used to be a social tendency for children and young people to ‘eat whatever is on the table'”, he observes, which of course has changed now: Visiting a restaurant was considered great in itself and children had to eat schnitzel with potatoes. This almost authoritarian attitude of parents is now outdated, says Guder Hirschfelder.

Society has changed a lot since then, but one thing remains important: What one eats and what one does not eat – from vegetarianism to veganism and the rejection of products with gluten or lactose… The slogan now seems to reach the limits of cynicism: ” Since I can’t change the world, let me at least decide what to put on my plate,” summarizes the scientist from Regensburg.

Edited by: Chrysa Vachtsevanu