EXPLORING GERMAN FOOD

PALEO LEAP CHEAT SHEET

Copyright © 2013-2014 by Paleo Leap, LLC.

All material in this cheat sheet is provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action

or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents oæf this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health

professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.

Branching out into different cuisines is a great way to keep your meals

interesting. And as a bonus, it’s a great way to explore nourishing foods

like organ meats or fermented foods: most traditional cuisines have

plenty of well-tested recipes for making them delicious.

SO HERE’S A QUICK PALEO INTRODUCTION TO GERMAN

CUISINE – HOLD THE PRETZELS AND BEER, BUT KEEP

THE BLOOD SAUSAGE, POTATOES, AND SAUERKRAUT!

WHAT’S IN THE CHEAT SHEET?Essential Ingredients: what to add to your grocery list.

Health Highlights: food should be delicious and healing!

Recipe Inspiration: a hand-picked list of recipes to get your mouth watering.

To get you started, here are some quintessential “building blocks” of German food. Of course, they aren’t the only ingredients around, but they provide some of the hallmark tastes. Use them to add flair to familiar recipes, or to search for new favorites.

Black pepper, mustard, caraway, salt, horseradish, juniper, other fresh herbs.

Here’s how traditional German fare provides some essential nutritional benefits:

MEAT & SEAFOOD

SausagesRoasts (e.g. pot roast, brisket)

HamPickled herring

LardButterBacon & bacon fat

PotatoesChestnuts

CabbageOnionsAsparagus (especially spargel, or white asparagus)

CarrotsTurnipsParsnipsCucumbersApples

Black Pepper

Horseradish

Mustard

Fresh Herbs

Juniper

Caraway

Salt

FATS CARBSFRUITS & VEGETABLES

GERMAN FOOD IS HEARTY AND FILLING,

perfect for the colder months ahead.

ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS

SPICES & SEASONINGS

HEALTH HIGHLIGHTS

THE GOOD STUFF

WHY YOU NEED IT

WHAT TO EAT

Healthy Carbs

Probiotics

Organ Meats

Collagen (and other gut-healing proteins)

Carbs are nothing to be afraid of! Many people feel better on moderate-carb than low-carb Paleo. If you haven’t tried it, it’s worth a shot! (More on finding your ideal carb intake)

Probiotics make and keep your gut flora happy. When your gut flora are happy, everything else is happy. When your gut flora aren’t happy, nothing else is happy.

Organ meats are extremely nutritious: rich in micronutrients and in proteins that the typical Western diet lacks.

Collagen has promising benefits for gut and joint health.

Potatoes. For most people, potatoes are a perfectly healthy – yes, really! – source of Paleo-safe carbs.

Sauerkraut. Homemade kraut takes 2 ingredients and it’s incredibly easy. Store-bought isn’t great, because it’s usually pasteurized, which kills the good bacteria.

Want recipes? They’re in the next section!

Recipes marked with a * contain

at least one of these traditional

food types.

Sausage. Sausage is the best-known German meat, and provides a perfect opportunity to make any kind of “odd bits” delicious. The ever-popular liverwurst (liver sausage) is just one example.

Braised and roasted meat. Many German recipes involve long, slow braising of cuts like pot roast and brisket. This melts the connective tissue in the meat down into collagen – one of the same “active ingredients” in bone broth.

And now for the good stuff: how to cook it all!

RECIPE INSPIRATION

MEAT / MAIN DISHES

HOMEMADE SAUSAGES

VEGETABLE SIDE DISHES

*Rouladen (beef rolls) filled with sauerkraut (very small amount of heavy cream)

Jagerschnitzel (pork cutlet with mushroom gravy)

*Paleo sauerbraten (pot roast; the recipe has both slow-cooker and oven options)

German-style meatballs. (contains dairy)

Cider-braised brats, onions, and peppers.

Hasenpfeffer Stew (stew with vegetables and rabbit legs)

Duck Niederwald (German braised duck)

German kielbasa with broccoli slaw and cabbage.

(These are not recipes that call for sausages; those are to the left. These are recipes for making the sausages from scratch, if you want a project.)

*Homemade liverwurst -Equipment needed: none.

Homemade bratwurst. -Equipment needed: sausage stuffer and casings. -Recipe notes: if you’re going to poach them, replace the beer with apple cider for a Paleo version

Chicken weisswurst. -Equipment needed: sausage stuffer and casings. -Recipe notes: contains some dairy.

*Sauerkraut. For the geeks, here is an exhaustive report covering everything you need to know about sauerkraut. For everyone else, here’s just a recipe.

*German potato salad with bacon and vinegar.

Spargelsuppe (asparagus soup) (contains some dairy)

World’s best braised cabbage.

Gurkensalat (German cucumber salad)

German apple pancakes.

Paleo apple cinnamon streusel muffins.

Gingersnaps.

Black forest brownies.

Did You Know? “German chocolate cake” isn’t actually from Germany. It was invented by an American named Sam German, hence the name.

DESSERTS