It is a kind city with extremely kind people who all have a gentleness about them and I miss them. It brought me peace and calm and revived that part of me that had died. I love the Rhein, the river that symbolically caught all my tears during the darkest time of my life and brought me back to normality again under the watchful eyes of two exceptional people. It is a beautiful city of hard working people that built a magnificent city out of the ashes of war in an unbelievably short space of time by simply getting on with it. Apart from the fact that my daughter lives there, I love Köln. My recipe for sauerbraten is, essentially, from Nordrhein-Westfahlen, my favourite place in Germany. So before we judge others, let’s rather pray we are never put into a position where we have to eat our pets – or our dead as was done in the Andes – in order to save our own lives. In the United States of America more than 80,000 horses are slaughtered every year for export to Europe, Mexico or Japan. Horse and donkey meat was eaten in Britain, more notably Yorkshire, until the 1930’s and in France, Scandinavia and Germany people still eat it. The troops used their breastplates as cooking pans and gunpowder as flavouring and it saved their lives. The French started eating horse meat in 1807 when starving troops ate the flesh of dead battlefield horses upon advice of their surgeon-in-chief and frankly, I think it was good advice. The Church was on the verge of losing it’s entire power and financial base and facing a very real threat, so one could understand their sense of urgency. (It has since been discovered that the Teutons were a hugely sophisticated people). To the Catholic Church of the day, the horse was of more value for the waging of war than as a source of food for the barbaric tribes up north. ![]() The Pope was really only concerned about the eating of horses because he needed them for the warring warriors. It has been suggested, however, that he only did that because the Arabs were invading Europe at the time and there was a serious threat of victory. The first time it was forbidden was in the 900’s AD when Pope Gregory told the missionary Boniface, working in Germany at the time, to forbid the eating of the meat for a variety of reasons. Jews form no part of this discussion since they were forbidden to eat horse meat because of the cloven foot and they have never eaten it. The sacrifice and eating of horse meat formed part of religious ceremonies associated with Odin, (below image of him arriving in Valhalla on his horse). That was just the way it was and as far as I’m concerned, emotional commentry serves no purpose anymore. In the Northern part of Europe the Teutons ate horse meat and revered the cow. Beef is used, but traditionalists insist on using horse meat which is why I include a very brief discussion to bring reason to this very touchy subject.Ībout 9000 years ago (when harpoons were first discovered in Europe) wild horses were commonly hunted as a vital source of food. Except for one thing – the matter of the meat. Saarland, Silesia and Swabia all have their own special versions but all agree on the basics. Sauerbraten is made all over Germany and every region boasts it’s own special recipe – one more delicious than the other. There are many variations to the theme but today’s recipe is based on the one commonly used in and around the Rhein, albeit with a quite a few adaptations. The insanely velvety sauce immediately banishes all negative thoughts and you know you are exactly where you want to be and that the weather is exactly how you want it. I love Sauerbraten even though, on my last trip to Germany, I never had it once! There is little to beat the sweet sour taste of biting into a juicy slice of well marinated meat and become hopelessly seduced by the taste of raisins, cognac, apple and spices from the crushed lebkuchen. German food suits German climate and modern innovation has turned it into world class cuisine and something we should all see a lot more of. ![]() ![]() I don’t think nearly enough attention is paid to German food outside of Germany and it’s a pity. The how’s, the why’s and the wherefore’s of sauerbraten what’s controversial and what’s taboo a tribute to a victorious nation and their eternal food two recipes, one salute, one offer
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