East German Christmas recipes
Halberstädter Würstchen with Potato Salad for Christmas Eve
Halberstädter Würstchen with potato salad is what many East German families eat on Christmas Eve: hot frankfurter-style sausages and a potato salad with mayonnaise, pickled gherkins and egg. Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt is considered the birthplace of the canned sausage. The salad is made in the afternoon so it can soak up the dressing.
Mohnpielen: Poppy Seed Bread Pudding from Berlin and Brandenburg
Mohnpielen is the end-of-year dessert in Berlin and Brandenburg: day-old Schrippen (Berlin bread rolls), hot milk and sweet poppy seeds, layered in a glass bowl and eaten cold with a spoon. Its roots are in Silesian cooking, and it is served at Christmas or on New Year's Eve.
Neunerlei: Nine-Dish Christmas Eve Dinner from the Ore Mountains
Neunerlei is the Christmas Eve dinner of the Erzgebirge, the Ore Mountains: nine dishes served all at once. Each one is meant to bring something for the new year: the lentils small change, the dumplings big money, the bratwurst strength and the sauerkraut a life that does not turn sour. What exactly belongs to it varies from place to place; this is the most common combination.
Pfefferkuchen, Pulsnitz Style: Saxon Honey Gingerbread
Pfefferkuchen is what Saxony and Thuringia call gingerbread made from honey dough, and the best-known place for it is Pulsnitz in Upper Lusatia, in eastern Saxony. Only Pfefferkuchen baked there may be called “Pulsnitzer,” so this recipe is Pulsnitz style: strong honey, rye flour and a base dough that rests for at least a day. There is no pepper in it; the word once stood for any foreign spice.