German Menu and Dining Guide
A German-English Food and Drink Glossary
With Phrasebook
Part of German for Beginners: Lesson 13
Menu > A-I | J-R | S-Z | Phrasebook | Stores & Shopping
Also see: English-German Food and Drink Glossary
The following Menu and Dining Guide contains an alphabetical glossary of words and expressions that are likely to be encountered on a typical menu (die Speisekarte) in Austria, Germany or Switzerland. It is part of Lektion 13 - Essen und Trinken (German for Beginners: Food & Drink). Keep in mind thn at, as with many things in the German-speaking world, food and drink vocabulary is very regional. Some dishes are more likely to be found in one part of Germany and not in another. Certain regions tend to have more beer or tea drinkers, while others may prefer coffee or wine. If you look at a menu in Munich, it will be very different from one in Hamburg. However, there are many things they will have in common and we offer a wide range of selections on our Speisekarte. We have also included some related terms and the words for places to eat and drink. Guten Appetit!
Also see: Lektion 13 of German for Beginners, German Recipes - Kochrezepte, and Das Fischlexikon (with more seafood and fish terms found on a menu).
A
Aal eel
Abendbrot dinner, supper
Abendessen dinner, supper
alkoholfrei (adj.) non-alcoholic
Ananas pineapple
Apfel apple
Ein Glas Apfelsaft
A glass of apple cider
Apfelkuchen apple cake
Apfelmost (hard) apple cider
Apfelmus apple sauce
Apfelsaft apple cider
Apfelsaftschorle apple spritzer (apple juice or cider mixed with sparkling mineral water; the standard Schorle found in southwest Germany is made with wine)
Apfelsine orange
Apfelstrudel apple strudel
Apfeltasche apple turnover, apple pie
Apfelwein apple wine
Called Ebbelwei or Eppelwoi in the local dialect, this fermented cider drink is a specialty of the Frankfurt am Main area. Also see Most below.
Aprikose(n) apricot(s)
Aubergine eggplant
Auflauf casserole, soufflé
Austern oysters
| Cooking Terms Food Preparation |
|
| English | Deutsch |
| baked | (im Ofen) gebacken |
| boiled | gekocht |
| cold | kalt |
| (deep) fried | (in Fett) gebacken |
| (pan) fried | (in der Pfanne) gebacken |
| hot | heiß |
| hot (spicy) | scharf |
| medium (done) | halbdurch |
| rare | englisch |
| well done | durchgebraten |
| roasted | gebraten |
| seasoned | gewürzt |
| smoked | geräuchert |
| steamed | gedämpft |
| stuffed | gefüllt |
| German Recipes German Recipes - Kochrezepte |
|
B
Backhendel roasted chicken (Austria)
Barbe mullet (fish)
Basilikum basil (seasoning)
Bedienung service (charge); tip
inklusive Bedienung und Mehrwertsteuer service charge/tip and VAT (tax) included
Beilage(n) side dish(es)
Beisl/Beisel inn, pub, small restaurant (Austria)
belegtes Brot open-faced sandwich
Besteck (das) cutlery, flatware, silverware
die Gabel fork
der Löffel spoon
das Messer knife
QUIZ > German Photo Exercise: On the Table
bestellen to order
Bestellung order
auf Bestellung made to order, on request
Bier beer
One rarely orders just a "beer" in Germany. Try to be specific, and order by brand or type (pils, bock, dunkel, hell, weizen, etc.). Germans tend to drink beer from a local brewery.
Birne(n) pear(s)
blau (adj.) boiled (in salt and vingar), usually fish
MORE > See Das Fischlexikon for more seafood and fish terms found on a menu.
Blaubeeren blueberries
Blumenkohl cauliflower
Bockbier bock beer
Bock beer - usually a dark, strong, sweeter brew - gets its name from "Bock," derived from the town of Einbeck in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), known for its hops beer. Bock is traditionally brewed in the fall and aged through the winter for consumption in the spring. A stronger variety is called Doppelbock.
Bockwurst bockwurst (sausage)
Bohnen beans
Bowle punch
Apfelwein-Bowle apple wine punch
Berliner Bowle a punch made of Berliner Weiße beer and champagne
Brat- fried, roasted
Brathänchen fried chicken
Bratkartoffeln hash browns, roasted potatoes
Bratwurst fried sausage
Brombeeren blackberries
Brot bread
There are over 200 kinds of German bread
Brötchen rolls
In southern Germany "rolls" are called Semmeln.
Buletten meatballs
Butter butter
Erntedankfest: Thanksgiving in Germany
English-German Thanksgiving Glossary
C
Champagner champagne
Champignons (button) mushrooms
Pilze mushrooms
Pfifferlinge chanterelle mushrooms
Schwammerl mushrooms (Austria)
D
deutsches Beefsteak hamburger, salisbury steak
Doboschtorte a seven-layer cake with mocha cream
Dorsch/Kabeljau cod
dunkel dark (beer)
Dunkelbier dark beer
ein Dunkles a dark beer
ein Helles a light beer
English-German Food and Drink Glossary
An expanded English-to-German version of this menu guide.
E
Ei (Eier) egg (eggs)
mit Schinken with ham
mit Speck with bacon
ein hartgekochtes Ei a hard-boiled egg
ein weichgekochtes Ei a soft-boiled egg
Rühreier scrambled eggs
Spiegeleier fried eggs
eingelegt (adj.) marinaded, pickled
Eintopf stew
Eis ice; ice cream
ein Erdbeereis a serving of strawberry ice cream
ein Vanilleeis a serving of vanilla ice cream
Himbeereis raspberry ice cream
Schokoladeneis chocolate ice cream
Ente duck
Erbsen peas
Erbsensuppe pea soup
Erdapfel (Erdäpfel) potato(es) (Austria)
Erdbeeren strawberries
Erdnuss peanut
Erdnussbutter peanut butter
Essig vinegar
Öl und Essig oil and vinegar
Estragon tarragon (seasoning)
F
Fasan pheasant
Faschiertes ground meat (Austria)
Fett fat; grease
Flammekuchen "flame cake," thin layer of pastry topped with cream, onions and bacon. Sometimes cheese and/or mushrooms are added to this baked dish.
Fleisch meat
Kalbfleisch veal
Rindfleisch beef
Schweinefleisch pork
Fleischerei butcher shop
Flunder flounder
Forelle trout
MORE > See Das Fischlexikon for more seafood and fish terms found on a menu.
Frikadelle meat balls, rissole
frittiert (adj.) fried
frittierte Zwiebelringe fried onion rings
Froschschenkel frog legs
Frucht fruit
Fruchtsaft fruit juice
Frühstück breakfast
German for Beginners
Lesson 13 - Food & Drink
Our free online German course.
G
Gabel fork (also see Besteck above)
Gans goose
Goose is a traditional Christmas or special occasion dish, although it is being overtaken by turkey - Pute.
Gaststätte restaurant
Garnelen shrimp
Garnelencocktail shrimp cocktail
Gemüse(n) vegetable(s)
Geröstete (Erdäpfel) roasted, fried potatoes (Austria)
Same as "Bratkartoffeln"
Geschnetzeltes scallopini
Geselchtes, Gselchtes smoked meat, usually pork (Austria)
Gespritzte(r) spritzer, wine cooler (Austria/Bavaria)
Schorle spritzer, wine and soda water
Gewürz(e) seasoning(s), spice(s)
Grapefruit grapefruit
Grapefruitsaft grapefruit juice
grillen (v.) to grill, barbecue
gegrillt grilled, barbecued
Grillteller grill plate
Grütze groats
rote Grütze red fruit pudding
See German-English recipe for rote Grütze!
Grieß semolina
Grießklößchen semolina dumpling
Grießkoch, - brei semolina purée
Gulasch gulasch (veal stew with spices)
Gurke(n) cucumber(s)
saure Gurken pickles, gherkins
H
Hackbraten meatloaf
Hackepeter hamburger steak
Hackfleisch ground meat, minced meat
Hähnchen, Huhn chicken
Hendl Austrian for chicken
ein halbes Hähnchen a half chicken
Hühnerbrust chicken breast
Hühnerbruststreifen chicken breast strips
Hühnersuppe chicken soup
halbtrocken semi-dry (wine)
Hase rabbit
Hasenpfeffer rabbit stew
Hauptspeisen entrées, main courses
hausgemacht (adj.) home made
Haxe leg of (lamb, pork, etc.)
Lammshaxe leg of lamb
Schweinshaxe pig's knuckle
Heilbutt halibut
MORE > Das Fischlexikon for more seafood and fish terms found on a menu.
heiß (adj.) hot
heiße Schokolade hot chocolate
Hendl chicken (Austria)
Backhendl roasted chicken
Himbeeren raspberries
Himbeereis raspberry ice cream
Himbeersaft raspberry juice
Honig honey
Hummer lobster
I
Imbiss snack
inkl. / inklusive included
inklusive Bedienung und Mehrwertsteuer service charge/tip and VAT (tax) included
Innereien giblets ("innards")
NEXT > J-R
MORE > English-German Food and Drink Glossary
Menu > A-I | J-R | S-Z | Phrasebook | Stores & Shopping
MORE > Das Fischlexikon (seafood and fish terms found on a menu)
MORE > German Photo Exercise: Table Setting
Got a new word? Email me to add new vocabulary or ask a question.
Related Pages
German Photo Exercise: Table Setting
A simple photo quiz on "der gedeckte Tisch." Can you name the items on the table? Part of Lesson 13.
English-German Food and Drink Glossary
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German for Beginners: Lesson 13
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German Recipes - Kochrezepte
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