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, beggers 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 for a while 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 it is the added insult to injury 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 (ok, so it’s a Peruvian-Swiss fusion: Rösti with Lomo Saltado and just missing the rice):

 

 

 

 

Papa a la Huancaína (ok, really just the sauce – cause that’s all you need):

 

 

 

Alfajores:

 

 

 

Just to name a few.  I also know how to make Empanadas, but I need to get my press back from the States to make it easier.  Eventually I would also like to experiment with Chupe de Camarones….but there’s still time 😀

Empanadas with Causa de Atún:

 

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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