There is something seductively romantic about throwing yourself into another culture. Whether you experience it through reading, music, and, of course, recipes, or you actually are fortunate enough to live in a foreign country, the headiness of the moment is amazing. I was fortunate to have lived in Bavaria for 3 years. The small hamlet I called home was located less than 30 kilometers from many of my relatives who never ventured to the "New Country," instead they remained to run the family business (one of the largest piano companies in the world with an internationally famous piano competition each year). From the moment I stepped off the plane, I knew that I would take full advantage of this wonderous opportunity and embrace every new experience I could.
One of my favorite memories from this time was my walk to work. No, trodding off to work 16-18 hours, many times with few or no breaks, wasn't the catalyst to the memory. It is, instead, the wonderous breakfast I would have every morning. Across the street from my condo was a small backerei (bakery). I would awaken to the delicious smells of fresh baked breads, tortes, and rolls (brotchen). I would hastily make my claim to the perfect brotchen, dash down the street and around the corner to the metzgerei (meat market) where I would add a small dish of fleischsalat (what Americans would call, meat salad or bolonga salad). The delicate flavor of Bavarian-style mayonnaise, strips of lunchmeat and garlic pickles wrapped in the crunchy hard roll still makes my mouth water.
I've tried 100 times to recreate this flavor over the years to no avail. It is my hope that my latest Internet find will be able to help me! www.GermanDeli.com . Simply visiting their site brought back a wave of memories of delicious meals and treats that I used to devour. The majority of their items are imported from Germany so I have high hopes that the memories will no longer be that distant.
Until then, Guten Essen!
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