Die Polente is an older term for police but also describes a Citroën 2CV police car. Find out here why it’s called “Polente”.
Author: Anika Rieper
Bratwurst, brats, sausage – however you call it, it’s a popular dish in Germany and the world. Take a look at three popular Bratwurst in Germany: Nürnberger, Thüringer, and Currywurst.
French Toast is food that you can find in almost any culture. No surprise then that Germany also sports different versions of this fried bread. They call it Arme Ritter which means ‘poor knights’. But there are more names and more variations.
What do Germans do for New Year’s Eve (Silvester) and New Year’s Day (Neujahr)? Read here about German New Year’s traditions, from Dinner for One to eating Berliner.
The Christmas season calls for Poinsettias or as Germans call them Weihnachtsstern. Imported from Mexico by Joel Roberts Poinsett it became popular through clever marketing by the German immigrant Ecke family.
December 4th is Saint Barbara’s Feast Day. She converted to Christianity and died as a martyr. Find out here why we cut cherry tree branches on Saint Barbara Day, and how it relates to the patron of artillerymen and miners.
Didn’t get an advent calendar yet? I have a solution for you: enjoy this virtual Adventskalender about German Christmas.
If you are a German expat living in the US you might miss many things, from good chocolate to German windows and reading German books. For latter, I have summarized some options how you can read German books when you live in the US.
Fliegenpilz, toadstool, fly agaric – that’s just some of the names the poisonous mushroom goes by. Where the name comes from and why it’s also a good luck symbol, you’ll find out here.
Many words in German and English are cognates because both are Germanic languages. But there are also words directly taken from German in the English language, so-called loanwords. Take a look at some of them here.