Some of us really miss the restaurants in Germany. Their unhurried pace, fresh foods, smoking allowed atmosphere... But what I really miss about them is their salad garnishes. Different kinds of salad next to each other, not all tumbled together and stuff. So here are a few ideas to show you how to put together a colorful salad plate, or Bunter Salatteller. To cut straight to the chase, check out the new Rettichsalat and Möhrensalat recipes.

_{Photo © avlxyz - CC by SA 2.0}

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No. But it is closely tied to Germany and its cuisine. It lies on the edge of German-speaking Europe and has its own, Germanic dialect, Alsatian. Throughout the last 2000 years they have been governed by themselves, the Franks (a Germanic group), France and even Swabia. The 17th century and the Thirty-Years War saw France take over the territory, then in the 1870s the first German Reich took control. After WWI the Germans lost the area to France (1918) but it was under German control again a short time after WWII began. Many of its citizens were even conscripted into the German armed forces because they were seen as "Volksdeutsche." (People who lived outside of Germany but were of German heritage).

In modern Alsace (Elsass in German) people speak one or all of three languages, German, French or Alsatian, although French is the official language. Their food is clearly inspired by their close German heritage: Flammkuchen, Baeckeoffe, Gugelhupf, to name a few. Take a look at other goodies they cook and bake in Alsace.

_{Photo Alsatian Apple Cake - recipe here © J.McGavin}

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Taking a look at the cuisine of Schleswig-Holstein here, the northernmost German state directly abutting Denmark, the land of the little mermaid. Their cuisine is quite varied with seafood, meat and potatoes and some distilled beverages to help the fat all settle nicely in the stomach.

• Gray Peas
• Ruebenmalheur
• Buttermilchsuppe
• Birnen, Bohnen und Speck

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Potatoes are a large part of German culinary culture, even though they didn't appear on the German table until 1716. Their earliest introduction was a half century earlier in Bavaria, but they were thought to be poisonous, so the peasants wouldn't adopt them until Karl V ordered them to grow and eat potatoes or have their noses cut off.

Countries each have their own specific potato varieties which are very popular and grow well in their climate. There is also a concern about various blights and other potato diseases which makes the dissemination of potato varieties difficult across borders. read more

_{Photo © J.McGavin}

_{See also my new recipes: Bauernfrühstück, Gröstl, Warmer Krautsalat, and see more about Pellkartoffeln here.Stay up to date on German food by signing up for Jennifer's weekly newsletter.}