Advertisement

Language and culture

Here's how to make the most of Thanksgiving in Germany

Author thumbnail
Published: 27 Nov, 2019 CET. Updated: Thu 28 Nov 2019 17:00 CET
Here's how to make the most of Thanksgiving in Germany

If Turkey-day was your most beloved holiday back Stateside, you might be feeling a bit blue knowing that it’s not exactly a thing in Deutschland. But we’re here to help make those cranberry sauce-soaked, gravy-covered dreams come true.

Advertisement

1. Track down a turkey - or choose not to

As you may have noticed, there aren’t exactly rows of frozen turkeys on offer in German supermarkets as in the US come November. But there are still options if you’re set on noshing on some slowly roasted North American fowl.
 
High-end department stores, like KaDeWe in Berlin, often provide the pricey opportunity to scoop up a frozen turkey, but you can also try calling up a local butcher to order one in advance.
 
An alternative is to settle for a whole chicken or goose - much more common in grocery stores - or simply pick up part of a turkey, called Pute or Truthahn in German.
 
2. Find food substitutes
 
Cranberry sauce is a classic accompaniment on Thanksgiving. Photo: Deposit Photos.
 
As with turkey, sometimes you can’t always find the right ingredients you need for American fare. Take cornbread, for example. The most important component is cornmeal, but this doesn’t really exist in German cuisine. The best substitute that this American has found is called Maisgrieß - and it always turns out delicious.
 
On the other hand, thanks to globalization there are ever more North American products on offer in German supermarkets, especially Edeka, Lidl and Kaisers, many of which often have small ‘American’ sections.
 
I’ve spotted cranberries in Kaisers for the past several years, and even once in Aldi. But a substitute can also be Preiselbeeren, known as lingonberries or cowberries in English. They have a similar taste to cranberries and can be found already jarred as a jam or preserves in many German supermarkets.
 
3. Find the right equipment
 
Tracking down a proper pie dish can be another challenge since apparently this treat is not so common in Germany.
 
For future reference, if you love making pies, it’s probably a good idea to have an American bring a pie dish along on their next visit - or pick one up yourself when you’re in the US.
 
But when you can’t get your hands on one in time, try getting creative with a tart or torte pan, or Tortenbodenform.
 
 
4. Learn to convert into metric measurements
 
If you’re looking to use grandma’s traditional cornbread stuffing recipe, but realize you have no clue how to measure out the right proportions using the metric system, don’t worry.
 
There are plenty of online converters to do the hard work for you - like the one on Allrecipes.com.

And if you’re really in doubt, try using a similar recipe by a British website instead (which like the BBC tend to have grams and ounces).

5. Go to an already planned Thanksgiving dinner
 
 

Friends. Food. American Football. Happy thanksgiving y'all! #thanksgiving #nfl #american #dinner #friends

A photo posted by Belushi's Bars (@belushis) on Nov 26, 2015 at 9:59am PST

 
If you decide to just skip the hassle of tracking down ingredients through multiple stores, there may be at least a couple pre-arranged Thanksgiving events in your area - even some with (American) football on offer. Take a look at any local American bars, hotels or restaurants to see what they have planned.
 
Here’s a list of some to consider, and some may require reservations. Some also take place over the weekend, and one belated celebration in Cologne occurs on December 7th. 
 
Berlin

Hard Rock Cafe Thanksgiving lunch celebration

November 28th, starts at 12 pm 

Kurfürstendamm 224 

Thanksgiving cooking course at Kochwerk

November 28th, from 6 pm to 10 pm

Roelckerstraße 105

Thanksgiving Buffet at Dasclubhaus

November 28th, from 6:30 pm to 10 pm

Roedernstraße 16

Hamburg

The American Club’s Thanksgiving Dinner

November 28th, from 6:30-10:30 pm

Bugenhagenstraße 8

Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner at Das Auswanderermuseum BallinStadt Hamburg

November 28th, from 6:30-11pm

Veddeler Bogen 2

Frankfurt/Hesse

Thanksgiving Dinner at Grand Hotel Hessischer Hof

November 28th, from 6:30 pm

Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 40

American Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet at Champions

November 28th, from 6:30-11:30 pm

Hamburger Allee 2

Thanksgiving at Schloss Vollrads

November 28th, from 6 pm

Vollradser Allee

65375 Oestrich-Winkel / Winkel

Munich

Thanksgiving Dinner and American Football at The Kennedy’s

November 28th, from 5 pm

Sendlinger-Tor-Platz 11

Friday Thanksgiving Dinner at Meatingraum

November 29th, from 7pm to 10 pm 

Gollierstraße 38

Thanksgiving Buffet at Tivoli Restaurant

November 28th, from 6 to 9 pm

Tucherpark 7

Cologne

Sunday Thanksgiving Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe

December 1st. Menu available from 12 pm - 10 pm

Gürzenichstraße 8

Belated Thanksgiving Dinner at Restaurant Mederanno

December 7th, from 7 to 10 pm

Plectrudengasse/Lichhof 12

Article updated November 27th, 2019.

More

#Language and culture #US #USA #Culture #american #thanksgiving

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

[email protected] 2019/11/27 21:03
As I’m A Canadian Living in Germany our Thanksgiving is usually in October. But we decided to have a Thanksgiving this weekend with friends from Nuremberg. (We are in Würzburg) as a test for Christmas when our boys are here. I found fresh cranberries to make sauce and remembered how to make pie crust for a cherry pie. 10lb turkey (4kgs) from REAL and hopefully all good lol!

See Also