Like much of Germany’s cuisine, Cologne’s is traditionally hearty and nourishing. Cologne is in the Catholic part of Germany, and so on Fridays dried cod was the dish of choice for the midday meal. For dinner the leftover fish was mixed with potatoes, onions, milk, and butter into kuschelemusch. Canned vegetables, like green beans, cabbage, and beet stalks, were a winter favorite, as well as pickled meat. Also, the beer of Cologne has always been an important part of mealtime. Fifty years ago in the evening the streets were filled with the cacophony of conversation and clanging metal as the youth went to the local brewery to pick up a pail full of beer for dinner.
A menu in a Cologne pub is called a foderkaat, and is true to the traditional hearty cuisine of Cologne. One of the most famous and most simple specialties of Cologne is the halver hahn, or half rooster. It is nothing more than a thick slice of medium-aged Dutch cheese on a rye roll. Some of the older specialties that have disappeared from the Kölsch menu are: bierzupp (fairly obvious), bottermilch-bunne-zupp (buttermilk bean soup), sorekappeszupp (sauerkraut soup), and jestuvte murre met brodwoosch (braised carrots with bratwurst). Of course, for the gourmet there is always Kölsch caviar, which is “nothing other than blood sausage that is fried so long in a pan that it turns into a bunch of dark crumbs that aren’t dissimilar to Sturgeon eggs” (Mathar/Spiegel 1989, 158).
Some of the most popular and traditional dishes of Cologne are what follows. For the curious culinarian there are even time-tested recipes to try out on your willing neighbors and friends. For the world traveler these dishes are what to look for on your next trip to Cologne.
Klatschkies Met Oellich
This is a very simple recipe, but one requiring good technique and years of experience to be made properly. Soft curd cheese is mixed with the right proportion of evaporated milk until a thick, creamy mixture is obtained. Seasonings include salt, pepper, a pinch of nutmeg, chives, and diced onions. Variations of this recipe include seasoning with paprika or curry. Klatschkies is usually garnished with thin rings of spring onions and then spread on dark bread or onion bread. It is highly recommended to first spread a little butter on the bread to “round out the flavor.” Klatschkies also goes well with potatoes. This is obviously not a dish for the cholesterol conscious!
Rievkooche
This dish is typical of the Rheinland, but has cousins that can be found throughout Germany. Essentially, Rievkooche is a very tasty variation on the potato cake/hash brown theme. Although the preparation of Rievkooche is not the simplest, the results are guaranteed to please. To make Rievkooche use the following recipe:
4–5 pounds potatoes, grated
2 onions
1/2 pound bacon fat
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Peel, wash, and coarsely grate the potatoes. Remove as much moisture as possible by drying the grated spuds in a clean cloth or paper towel. Peel and dice the onions. Cut the bacon fat into small cubes. Combine the potatoes, onions, bacon fat, and eggs and season with salt and pepper. Form small cakes and fry in oil or butter until golden brown on both sides. Rievkooche is often served in Cologne with applesauce or a variation of tartar sauce.
Soorbrode
Soorbrode is the Kölsch word for what is perhaps the best known German dish in America: sauerbraten. In Germany there are as many variations of sauerbraten from household to household as there are for meatloaf in the United States, but here is one that comes straight from Cologne:
2 cups wine vinegar
4 cups water
2 bay leaves
cloves
mustard seed
2–3 peppercorns
2 juniper berries
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 onions, sliced
2 pounds lean beef (roast)
3 tablespoons bacon fat
1/4 cup raisins
1 teaspoon each of red wine, apple kraut, tomato paste, and sugar
Bring the vinegar and water to a boil and add the spices and onions. Let cool and then cover the meat in an earthen pot and let marinate for two to three days. Take the meat out and dry it. Rub the roast with salt and pepper. Sear in a roasting pan all around with the bacon fat. Strain the marinade and pour the juice over the meat and roast for two hours. Rotate periodically and add a bit of water. Remove the roast from the pan and keep warm. Cook the drippings with the raisins and thicken the gravy to your liking. Sweeten with the sugar if desired and add the red wine, tomato paste, and apple kraut. Serve with applesauce and potato dumplings.
Himmel un Aed (Heaven and Earth)
This is a simple yet refined dish that is sweet and tangy. The three main ingredients are apples, potatoes, and blood sausage (Flönz). The recipe for four people is:
2–2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled
5 large apples (Boskop if possible)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 pound smoked bacon or ham
1 pound onions
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
nutmeg
1 pound blood sausage
Parboil the peeled potatoes in salted water. Peel the apples, quarter, remove the seeds, and cook over low heat with the sugar and lemon juice to make applesauce. Dice the bacon and cook in a skillet. Slice the onions and cook with the bacon until golden brown. Mash the potatoes and in a separate pan heat the milk, butter, salt, and a pinch of nutmeg. Pour over the potatoes and then whip to a pureed consistency. Mix in the applesauce. Remove the bacon and onions from the skillet and keep warm. Quickly cut the blood sausage into slices about 3/8-inch thick and fry for approximately one minute on each side. Spread the mash on a plate, lay the fried blood sausage slices on top, then garnish with the bacon and onions.
Muuzemandeln
In the Rheinland during Fasching, sweet almonds are a particularly enjoyable treat. The custom of eating almonds during this event is an old one. Before Lent, people loaded up on calories, and as you will see Muuzemandeln isn’t for weight watchers.
1/4 pound powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur
2/3 pound flour
1/4 pound crushed almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
Soften the butter. Slowly fold in the sugar, eggs, and amaretto. Mix the flour with the baking powder. Stir half of the flour mixture into the liquid mixture and knead in the other half to form a dough. Mix in the crushed almonds and then roll the dough until it is 2 to 3 millimeters thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out forms and then fry them in hot oil until light brown. Let the oil drain off and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.