FOOD IN GERMANY
Food in Germany is very hearty. Germans focus on a lot of starch and breading. They want to make every meal as wholesome as possible. One of the most popular dishes in Germany is the schnitzel. It is basically breaded and fried meat, often served with lemon. Breading the meat gives is a different flavor and makes it more filling. A common dessert in Germany is apfelstrudel, which translates to apple strudel. It is a pastry dough continuously wrapped around an apple filling. Wursts are probably the food that sees the most variety. There are over 1500 different types of wursts to choose from, all containing different flavors and ingredients. A lot of these dishes also include toppings, once again to make them more hearty.
Germany imports most of its food. Its only true source of crops lies in apples, peaches, cherries, pears, and wine grapes. There is a stylistic difference in German cooking, depending on if you're in the North or the South. As a result of the separation of Germany after World War II, Eastern and Western Germany now have different styles of cooking. One thing I found really interesting was that men and women have different traditional foods for different events.
RELIGION AND FOOD
Germany does not have foods traditionally associated with religion in general, but rather religious holidays. For Christmas Eve, fish is traditionally served. Fasching sees more of the finger foods, like soft pretzels and fried doughnuts, since it is more of a celebration and festivity. Easter is traditionally met with fresh herbs and lamb as an tribute to Spring.
Germany imports most of its food. Its only true source of crops lies in apples, peaches, cherries, pears, and wine grapes. There is a stylistic difference in German cooking, depending on if you're in the North or the South. As a result of the separation of Germany after World War II, Eastern and Western Germany now have different styles of cooking. One thing I found really interesting was that men and women have different traditional foods for different events.
RELIGION AND FOOD
Germany does not have foods traditionally associated with religion in general, but rather religious holidays. For Christmas Eve, fish is traditionally served. Fasching sees more of the finger foods, like soft pretzels and fried doughnuts, since it is more of a celebration and festivity. Easter is traditionally met with fresh herbs and lamb as an tribute to Spring.
Apfelstrudel has been around in Germany since the 1800s. It is also known as the Apple Whirlpool. Its popularity in Germany resulted in it being brought over to the US very early on. It was actually named the official pastry of Texas in 2003 and is one of the earliest pastries baked in Texas!
recipe from: http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/1550611262213964/Alt-Wiener-Apfelstrudel.html
recipe from: http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/1550611262213964/Alt-Wiener-Apfelstrudel.html
Religion in Germany
The primary religions in Germany are Catholicism and Protestantism. The Protestant Reformation and the Thirty-Years War caused religion to be sectioned off by region. Protestants ended up finding a home in the North and East and Catholics moved to the South and West (InterNations). The Protestant Reformation in the 12th century helped spread Protestantism across Germany. Catholicism was spread in large part to the Roman Empire (German Culture).
Protestantism in Germany holds a large part in the unification of regions of Germany. This unification strengthened Protestantism in the country. This helped ease in the transition of Prussian rule over Germany in the late 1800s. During World War II, Protestant and Catholic parties were unbalanced, and often disputed, but were able to work through it and created a sense of peace on the nation. Acceptance and tolerance for religions in Germany came from this dispute (German Culture).
Germany holds the city of Wittenberg. Wittenberg is the city that is commonly associated with Martin Luther, the leader of Protestant Reformation in Germany. The Luther house in Wittenberg is home to many historical artifacts from the Reformation period. Charlemagne built Aachen Cathedral in 805 AD. He kept many relics held close to the Catholic religion and many people go here to see these sacred pieces (Sacred Destinations).
To make up for losses in the church, the German government introduced a church tax in the 19th century called Die Kirchensteuer. Losses happened in the church because they were not receiving funding from princes and kings that previously ruled Germany. This tax supports German Protestants and Catholics, as well as a small fraction of the Jewish community (German Way).
Germany does use religion as a major form of cultural adoption. There is a lot of separation between the church and the state. Germany is very tolerant of the multiple religions in the nation. I think that it is good that they are able to recognize the importance and cultural independence of having multiple religions in a country, as it makes for a more wholesome living environment filled with multiple opportunities for people to delve into.
Citations:
Religion in Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/facts/bl_religion.htm
Religion in Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from http://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/germany/religion-in-germany/
Religion in Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from http://www.internations.org/germany-expats/guide/16030-culture-shopping-recreation/religion-in-germany-16010
Sacred Sites in Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/sacred-sites
Protestantism in Germany holds a large part in the unification of regions of Germany. This unification strengthened Protestantism in the country. This helped ease in the transition of Prussian rule over Germany in the late 1800s. During World War II, Protestant and Catholic parties were unbalanced, and often disputed, but were able to work through it and created a sense of peace on the nation. Acceptance and tolerance for religions in Germany came from this dispute (German Culture).
Germany holds the city of Wittenberg. Wittenberg is the city that is commonly associated with Martin Luther, the leader of Protestant Reformation in Germany. The Luther house in Wittenberg is home to many historical artifacts from the Reformation period. Charlemagne built Aachen Cathedral in 805 AD. He kept many relics held close to the Catholic religion and many people go here to see these sacred pieces (Sacred Destinations).
To make up for losses in the church, the German government introduced a church tax in the 19th century called Die Kirchensteuer. Losses happened in the church because they were not receiving funding from princes and kings that previously ruled Germany. This tax supports German Protestants and Catholics, as well as a small fraction of the Jewish community (German Way).
Germany does use religion as a major form of cultural adoption. There is a lot of separation between the church and the state. Germany is very tolerant of the multiple religions in the nation. I think that it is good that they are able to recognize the importance and cultural independence of having multiple religions in a country, as it makes for a more wholesome living environment filled with multiple opportunities for people to delve into.
Citations:
Religion in Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/facts/bl_religion.htm
Religion in Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from http://www.german-way.com/history-and-culture/germany/religion-in-germany/
Religion in Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from http://www.internations.org/germany-expats/guide/16030-culture-shopping-recreation/religion-in-germany-16010
Sacred Sites in Germany. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2015, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/sacred-sites
Demography
Trends in Statistics
1960 was a year for a lot of vaccine introductions that we currently use on a regular basis. Without these vaccines, various illnesses could cause complications that could lead to death. This could be a cause for the higher amount of child deaths, as shown in Figure 1. With vaccination requirements, 2013 sees a dramatically decreased number of child deaths, as shown in Figure 2.
1990 saw a large amount of traffic deaths, as shown in Figure 3. The amount of deaths dramatically decreased by 2007, as shown in Figure 4. This could be large in part to the implementation of safety belt laws and carseat laws. Traffic safety lessons also saw an increase in the 90s, which could have played a part in the decrease.
SUGGESTED LINKS ON THE GERMAN CULTURE
German Culture is the primary website for information of german culture. It includes information of customs, traditions, and language, as well as history and education.
http://www.germanculture.com.ua
Every Culture is a very straight forward website congaing info about the culture of Germany. It is very easy to read and is broken down into simple headers so everyone can find interesting info on Germany.
http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Germany.html
German Culture is the primary website for information of german culture. It includes information of customs, traditions, and language, as well as history and education.
http://www.germanculture.com.ua
Every Culture is a very straight forward website congaing info about the culture of Germany. It is very easy to read and is broken down into simple headers so everyone can find interesting info on Germany.
http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Germany.html
Traditional foods in Germany based on region:
This map shows the variety of traditional foods in Germany. I chose this map because I think that it represents the diversity of the culture and that different regions specialize in different foods. I like how many different types of food spread out across the nation.
Source:
The German food map and the French revolution! (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2015, from http://germanclub.blog.co.uk/2014/04/24/the-german-food-map-and-the-french-revolution-18295716/