Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-01
Why Germans Smile at American
AffectatiOn for French Dishes.
A TEUTON'S GASTRONOMIC TASTES.
Sample Bill of Fare for a First-ClasS
German Dinner.
THE SECRET OF SAFORY SAUERKRAUT
rwRrrrrr ZOE rHn p1srArcH.I

ing at all, is apt to affect the French style
because, to use slang phrase OF the time
1t is the proper csper"-it is considered
the fashion. 1t is astonishing, and also
amusing to a German TO see what curl
GUS culinary compounds an American will
devour if they only have French name
attached to them. The plainest dishes
served with a poorly made sauce are, to
the American taste, transformed into
delicious repasts if they are only called
by high-sounding French name. I have
witnessed this phenomenon myself at a GER
tain prominent New York club with which
l was, some years also, officially connected.
The American will tell you that German
cooking is too rich, it is too heavy Tor him,
but, mark my words, when he once becomes
acquainted with frst-class German cooking
he will have no other. People who patronize
the very cheap German restaurants of
course cannot get a correct idea of German
cooking any more than you can judge about
American cooking from the dishes served in
1O-cent eating house in the Bowery.
That Germans, as a nation, appreciate
the value of good eating is shown by their
cookery schools in the old country. These
schools are for young women who want to
mt themselves to be housewives. They are
not to be found in every part of Germany,
but are established in many districts, espe-
cially in the northwestern provinces. A
girl may be countess or spring from the
ranks of the common people, but the Gus
toms of the country require that whoever
she is she should
KNOW HOW TO COOK.
wash, iron, to clean rooms, to mend the
linen, and to plant garden. Of course it
is not to be understood that all girls, even
in those parts of Germany where the Gus
tom generally prevails, are forced to under
90 this training. Very many, as may be
imagined, think it; and some parents do not
feel the necessity of imposing this useful
education on their daughters. But the
good sense of the majority of the Germans
makes them alive to the advantages of this
custom. For it must be remembered, that
whether woman's life obliges her to do
these things or not, and even if her position
In the world allows her to keep as many SER
wants as she chooses, these very servants ex-
pect her to know how to do all the work
which she requires of them. There is only
one difference between q baroness and the
child of tradesman; the latter learns the
several duties which l have mentioned in
her fathers house and from her mother,
while the former leaves home to learn the
same details of domestic service in strange
house.
An idea of what is a frst-class German
dinner may be obtained by glancing at the
following bill OF fare:
AUsTERN.
Bouillon in Tassen NIT Pastetchen,
Gesullte Muscheln,
Gestreiter Barsch NIT Butter sauce,
Hamburger KartoffeIn,
Rehrucken NIT Rahm-sauce
Frische Erbsen,
WestphaIischer Schinken NIT
Braunschweiger Spargel
Rebhuhner nit Salat und compot,
Ice Cream,
Obst, Kase, Cafe.
1 will make few comments on this repast |
for the benefit of the English reader. The
dinner commenced with oysters, followed by |
a soup containing bits of dough, something
like puff paste, this is made with a pound |
of butter to pound of -four, great care being |
taken to make it of the proper stiffness be- |
fore it is put in the oven to bake for about |
% minutes. When it is taken from the
oVen it is cut into pieces representing differ
ent figures. The next dish is an entree
served in umpsel shells; sometimes it is
made of sweet breads, sometimes chicken or
'ome kind of fish chopped up fine with eggs
ind different Spices Then comes striped
pass. This is boiled in a liquid containing
lalf water and half vinegar, or some lemon
uice instead. By this method of boiling,
he fish is kept hard. The spices used in
he process are pepper, onions, carrots, eel
nv, the roots of parsley. cloves. lemons, and
good deal of salt This is served with the
lext dish which is a peculiar kind of i'm
ported potato, very small and as yellow as
he yolk of an egg.
THE PIECE DE RESISTANCE.
Then we have saddle of venison with
ream sauce. After the venison is skinned
nd larded it is cooked for about an hour in
very hot oven. The side pieces from the
addle are not roasted but serve, with the
ddition of carrots, onions, celery and other
vegetables that may be IN season, to make a
ich sauce, after it is roasted brown and has
dded to it some -four and some meat gravy
n which it is cooked; before being sent to
be table some sour cream is added to it,
'hich, by the way, gives the name-'Rahm
auce." The fresh peas which follow are
oiled in pot containing a little onion,
epper, salt, a spoonful or two of meat
ravy Gan ingredient which the cooks
Iways keeps in stock), teaspoonful of
our and little sugar to give the Irish
ood flavor.
The Westphalia ham which follows is an
nported article and is eaten raw. 1t is cut
lto very small and thin slices and served
18th a sauce of which apparatus forms the
rincipal part The sauce is made in
quid consisting of half apparatus gravy
nd half meat gravy, mixed with the yolks
eggs, sweet cream, nutmeg and at the last
dash OF vinegar or white wine; to two
uarts of sauce, two dinner spoonfuls of
inc vinegar, or, what would be the same
ling, lemon juice, might be added. This
a very fine sauce and has the appearance
mayonnaise, though it has the taste of
sparatus. The Roman punch is the kind
sold in the confectioners from |
HON it is generally ordered; maraschino is
'metimes added to it to give it fine TASTE
he dish which follows, this is partridges
ith a salad. The birds are generally baked
! an oven, not more than three-quarters of I
. hour, as otherwise they become too dry. I
hen we put in the pan, some carrots, onions, I
1T; they roast light brown and are taken >
1t, when some meat gravy is put in the
an. To thicken the gravy, two teaspoon
nj of cornstarch are added and the gravy is t
'oked, not too thick, but so as to appear ]
own and clear. This is used for the |
artridges which is served with a salad, t
repaired in the usual fashion and some
ind OF preserves. The dinner concludes s
ith ice cream, fruit, cheese and coffee.
1t is of course to be supposed that the gen. I
eman who has partaken of this excellent
cal has not confined himself entirely to i
lids. He has aided digestion by partaking S
some brand OF wine peculiar to the Fader- S
nd, Steinberger, Johnmesberger, Hoch-
elmer, Deidesheimer, Assmanshauer, Leib-
aumilch or Ruedesheimer. =
oLD-FAsHIoNED sAUERKRAUT. =
There are certain dishes of which the f
ermans and many Americans, too, are par y