Abendbrot

Light supper; literally, “evening bread”

Brezel

Pretzel. More popular in the South than North, softer than the American kind, and eaten with a white sausage (Weißwurst)

Christstollen

Christmas loaf, flat and oval, containing raisins and candied fruits

Deutsches Beefsteak

Hamburger, shaped like a steak and thicker than the British version

Ente

Duck. The choicest come from Vierlande, near Hamburg

Feinschmecker

Gourmet. The name of a German food magazine

Gasthaus (also Gasthof and Gaststätte)

Rustic inn serving regional food, possibly with rooms to rent

Hähnchen

Spring chicken

Imbiss

Snack. An Imbiss-Stube is a fast-food place

Jakobsmuscheln

Scallops; literally, “Jacob’s mussel”

Kalb

Veal, the meat Germans like most

Klösse

Dumplings, at least in northern Germany. South of the Danube, they are Knödel

Leberkäse

Liver cheese - actually a meat loaf that contains no cheese

Maultaschen

Stuffed pasta, like ravioli, usually floated in broth

Nachspeisen

Desserts, often of great intricacy. Germans have a very sweet tooth

Obstsalat

Fruit salad, often enlivened by liqueur

Pfannkuchen

Pancake

Quark

Quark, a cross between cream cheese and ricotta

Rind, Rindfleisch

Beef, most commonly ox

Schinken

Ham: raw (roher), boiled (gekochter) and smoked (geräucherter)

Trocken

Dry, as in wine

Ungezuckert

Unsweetened

Vom Fass

On tap, as in Bier vom Fass

Wurst

Sausage. Kochwurst are boiled, Brühwurst parboiled, and Hartwurst or Rohwurst are preserved sausages, such as salami

Zunge

Tongue, fresh or smoked