Food in East Germany was above all home cooking from Saxony, Thuringia, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg: potatoes, cabbage, dumplings and roasts. Added to that were dishes from Eastern Europe such as Soljanka and Letscho, the hot lunch in the Betriebskantine (workplace canteen) and the Schulspeisung (school lunch), and restaurants of its own such as the Broilerbar, a roast chicken restaurant. Staple foods were cheap, other things were scarce. What was missing grew on the Datsche (weekend garden plot) or came out of a preserving jar.
Food supply in East Germany: from ration cards to the Kaufhalle
Even after the GDR was founded in October 1949, meat, fat and sugar were available only on ration cards. Since November 1948 the state retail organization HO had been selling goods without ration cards, at higher prices. On May 29, 1958, ration cards were abolished. Around 1960 farming was moved almost entirely into LPG (collective farms), and supply faltered once more. From the mid-1960s, staple foods were reliably available.
Prices and scarce goods: cheap bread, hard-to-find extras
Bread, potatoes, milk and flour were state-subsidized and cost little. But a low price did not mean the item was on the shelf. Certain meat products, good fruit and vegetables and anything that had to be bought with hard currency were scarce. East Berlin and important industrial sites were supplied first. Rare goods went out as Bückware, sold from under the counter, and a good connection to the shop assistant helped.
HO, Konsum, Delikat and Intershop: grocery shopping in East Germany
People shopped at the stores of HO and Konsum (the state and cooperative retailers); the larger ones were called Kaufhalle, the state-run supermarket. They sold bread, flour, potatoes, dairy products and other basics, and the selection varied. From 1966 the Delikat shops sold upscale food and luxury items, some of them imported, for considerably more money. At the Intershop, founded in 1962, you could pay only in convertible currency. East Germans were allowed to hold D-Mark (West German marks) from 1974 and paid there with Forumschecks (foreign currency vouchers) from April 1979.
Datsche and preserving jar: growing your own in East Germany
Many families had an allotment garden or a Datsche. There they grew fruit and vegetables for their own table and for winter: cucumbers were pickled, fruit turned into compote and jam, vegetables put up in jars. This was an old rural tradition and at the same time helped fill gaps in supply. Bartering and good connections did the rest. Coffee, chocolate and other sought-after goods also arrived in parcels from relatives in the Federal Republic.
Typical East German dishes: Jägerschnitzel, Würzfleisch and Senfeier
Potatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions, pulses, bread and pasta were on the table. Cooking was hearty and filling, and meat came with potatoes, dumplings, rice or pasta. Typical dishes are Jägerschnitzel, breaded Jagdwurst (a mild bologna-style sausage) with pasta and tomato sauce, Würzfleisch (a ragout baked with cheese) with toast, and Senfeier (eggs in mustard sauce) with potatoes. Kalter Hund, a layered cake of biscuits and chocolate, needs no oven. Simple recipes could be adapted to what was available: the tomato sauce was made from fresh tomatoes or from tomato paste.
Older than the GDR: Soljanka, Quarkkeulchen and Thuringian dumplings
Many East German dishes are older than the GDR. Soljanka comes from Eastern European cooking, and Senfeier, Saxon Quarkkeulchen (curd cheese and potato pancakes), Thuringian dumplings and many potato dishes were known before 1949. What became typical of the GDR was the way they were cooked and served. Food culture also included holiday roasts, layer cakes and elaborate dishes from other countries, depending on the occasion and the cook’s skill.
Workplace canteen and school lunch: eating lunch away from home
In many workplaces people had a hot lunch in the Betriebskantine, and children got the Schulspeisung, or the Kinderspeisung in kindergarten. The 1975 decree on school and kindergarten meals set out hot main meals and milk. Pupils whose mothers worked or studied were to be served first. For working parents this was a great relief, because the main meal did not have to be cooked at home every day. How good the food was depended on the kitchen, its equipment and the supply of goods.
Broiler, Gastmahl des Meeres and Ketwurst: eating out in East Germany
Eating out meant an HO-Gaststätte (state-run restaurant), a country inn or a Broilerbar. In 1966 the first fish restaurant “Gastmahl des Meeres” (“Feast of the Sea”) opened in Wismar, and later there were 33 of them. From 1967 the Goldbroiler restaurants followed. Chicken from industrial farming and fish were meant to ease the high consumption of pork and beef. The Rationalization and Research Center for Restaurants in Berlin produced two snacks: the Ketwurst, a sausage in a bun with ketchup, sold at Alexanderplatz from 1979, and the Grilletta, a meat patty in a bun.
Letscho and “Liebe, Phantasie und Kochkunst”: cooking from other countries
From the Soviet Union, Hungary and other Eastern European countries came Soljanka, Letscho (a pepper and tomato stew) and Eastern European dumpling and meat dishes. Cookbooks, magazines and television brought new recipes. Ursula Winnington (1928–2025) wrote the monthly page “Liebe, Phantasie und Kochkunst” (“Love, imagination and the art of cooking”) in the magazine “Das Magazin,” with dishes from around the world. If an ingredient was missing from the Kaufhalle, she used a local one instead.
Kaffee-Mix: the coffee crisis of 1977
Coffee was popular, but the raw beans had to be bought with hard currency. When world market prices rose sharply, Kaffee-Mix went on sale in August 1977 and replaced some of the cheaper blends. It was 51 percent roasted coffee, and the rest included peas, rye, barley and chicory. Customers rejected it, around 14,000 complaints came in, and it could not be brewed in older coffee machines. In January 1978 it was decided to stop production.
Who did the cooking: shopping, cooking and stocking up
The GDR promoted paid work for women, and crèches, school lunch and canteens were meant to make family and work compatible. Shopping, cooking and keeping supplies still mostly fell to women. Where food was scarce, the time it took to get hold of it came on top. Behind a varied meal there was knowledge, experience and a lot of organizing.
Why East German recipes are still cooked today
With reunification in 1990, shops and restaurants changed from the ground up, but many dishes stayed. The recipes were passed down in families, and they are tied to memories: lunch at the grandparents’, the birthday table, the outing to a restaurant, the tray at school lunch. Thuringian dumplings and Saxon Quarkkeulchen are older than the GDR and are still cooked. On this site the recipes are sorted by state, plus the classics that were known everywhere.
Timeline: food in East Germany from 1948 to 1990
- 1948: The first HO stores open and sell goods without ration cards.
- 1949: The GDR is founded; meat, fat and sugar remain rationed.
- 1958: Ration cards are abolished on May 29.
- Around 1960: Farming is moved almost entirely into LPG, and supply falters.
- 1962: The Intershop is founded.
- 1966: The first Delikat shops open, and the first “Gastmahl des Meeres” opens in Wismar.
- 1967: The first Goldbroiler restaurants open.
- 1974: East Germans are allowed to hold D-Mark.
- 1975: The decree on school and kindergarten meals sets out lunch and milk.
- 1977: Kaffee-Mix goes on sale; in January 1978 its end is decided.
- 1979: East Germans can pay at the Intershop only with Forumschecks, and the first Ketwurst is sold at Alexanderplatz.
- 1990: With reunification, shops and restaurants change over.
Questions about food in East Germany
Was there enough to eat in East Germany?
Yes. Staple foods were secure for most of the GDR’s history, and there was no hunger. Certain goods such as good meat, tropical fruit and imports were scarce, and shortages came up again and again.
Was food cheap in East Germany?
Staple foods such as bread, potatoes and milk were state-subsidized and cheap. Sought-after goods were expensive or hard to get. At the Delikat shop you paid considerably more for the wider selection.
What were typical East German dishes?
Typical dishes are Jägerschnitzel with pasta and tomato sauce, Soljanka, Würzfleisch, Senfeier, Broiler, Quarkkeulchen, Thuringian dumplings and Kalter Hund. Many of them are older than the GDR.
Where did people buy groceries in East Germany?
Day to day at the stores of HO and Konsum; the large ones were called Kaufhalle. Upscale food was sold at the Delikat shop, imported goods for convertible currency at the Intershop. Fruit and vegetables often came from people’s own gardens.
What was Kaffee-Mix?
Kaffee-Mix was a coffee blend of 51 percent roasted coffee and substitutes such as peas, rye, barley and chicory. It went on sale in August 1977 and was rejected. In January 1978 its end was decided.