Being American, I have been very fortunate that Germany has a lot of the big “American foods.” Germany has McDonald’s, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, and I am sure a plethora of other fast food joints that would satiate your American junk food needs.  There is even a restaurant in Überlingen called Pizza Jung where they sell not only pizza and burgers, but wings, jalapeño poppers, mac ‘n cheese, and other heart-clogging American deliciousness.

I will admit, there are some occasions where the burgers are a little dry, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers, right?

Anyway, it’s hard to not find a taste of ol’ Americana here in Germany.  There were enough American soldiers stationed here long enough that it created a market that needed to be supplied.  Soon enough the Germans also adopted it into part of their culture as well (at least culinary culture) and thus the market continued even after the number of American soldiers dwindled. Granted there are a few of the more specialized meals that you can’t get here (like my Louisiana Creole food from Yats), but that’s VERY exact and there’s yet to be a market for it (unless it’s in one of the bigger cities….I haven’t experimented there yet, I am only working in mid-size Germany cities.)

But what I do miss: Peruvian food. The kind my Mama makes.

But of course, everyone misses their mother’s cooking, but what adds insult to injury is that it’s hard to find certain ingredients to make the delicious yummies. Fortunately, thanks to my mother having paved the way of ingenuity, I have figured out ways of making some Peruvian dishes without using the more traditional Peruvian ingredients.

So what have I made?

Lomo Saltado

Papa a la Huancaína

Tiradito de Pescado

Alfajores

Empanadas

Causa de Atun

Just to name a few.  Of course, I sort of cheated on the last one. My friend MELO, if you recall that she is also half-Peruvian like me, made the Causa when we did a Peruvian dinner night at their place. I do know how to make it now so there’s that..  Eventually I would also like to experiment with Chupe de Camarones….but there’s still time 😀

As an Expat, you do have to learn how to improvise. When my mom first started experimenting with Papa a la Huancaina in the States, she had to come up with her own version.  One of the key ingredients is Aji Amarillo (yellow chili) and only within the last 15 years or so can you find it in the States (usually in your local Mexican store).  My mom still makes her “American ingredient” version because it is just that damned good and luckily I can also make that version here. Another important ingredient is Aji Panca (Panca chili). I need that for Lomo Saltado so I usually have to bring some from the States. But I make it work! But if I do need some emergency ingredients, my Peruvian connections here tell me that Zurich and some places in Belgium can get me the hook up, but my mom keeps me well stocked up.

The only thing I really miss that is really hard to bring to Germany? Inca Cola!

What food do you miss from home? Or what have you found in your expat country that comes pretty close to it?

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