A major difference Americans are going to find in German grocery stores is the lack of choice. There is not going to be one product with 20 brands and versions to choose from. Most likely, there will be a storebrand, an organic brand, a fancy brand, a middle of the shelf brand, and maybe one more thrown in for good measure. But for all of these, there still is not going to be a ton of stock out on the shelves. Even in the larger box stores the shelves are not packed full of stuff.
If you’d like a quick list of food items in German, scroll down to copy / paste the translations of common items into your shopping app or e-notebook.
Where Do We Start?
In most cities, like Wiesbaden, the stores are quite small in the city center and get a bit larger as you work your way to the suburbs. Not uncommon in the states either. The main grocery stores in town:
- Rewe
- Rewe City
- Aldi
- Tegut
- Alnatura
- Perfetto
- Penny
- Netto
- Real (ree-al) (the larger one is in Biebrich)
If you cannot find something, be aware that asking for help from sales associates is not easy. They generally will be brisk and walk you quickly to the aisle you need and then leave. Asking for alternatives or other suggestions if they do not sell the item you’re looking for is not going to go over well. No one is going to be rude to you, but they will not understand why you’re asking them, as that’s not their job and it falls under the label “small talk.”
Make sure you have a one or two Euro coin on you to get a grocery cart. They’re 99% of the time locked up outside in regular cart stalls just like in the states. Some companies, like dry cleaners or the grocery stores themselves, provide plastic coins of the right size of the locking slot, so you can keep them in your car or wallet and not worry about needing to find coins.
I really miss pop tarts.
You are in luck! Especially in Rewe, there are sometimes “International Food” corners which tend to be bottles of Hamburger Sauce and off brand Pop Tart-like foods. I do not recommend eating this food. Instead, head to Real on Appealle (there’s one on Mainzerstraße too, but the Biebrich location is bigger).
Real used to be WalMart but due to an unfortunate oversight on the part of the American corporate culture, they failed to take into account the fact that Germans actually like bagging their own groceries and they absolutely do not want to be smiled at and greeted at the door. The horror. Bonus: the story linked above starts in Wiesbaden.
Speaking of the differences...
Bagging groceries is about to be a new source of anxiety in your life. Besides trying to remember what Zimt is and why you need it, the Kasse is going to be the most difficult part of getting groceries while in Germany.
It’s a race. Or a competition or maybe it’s a social experiment. For whatever reason, grocery bagging goes like this:
- Plastic bags are not offered at some stores anymore (including Rewe, the major one) so make sure to bring your shopping bags from home.
- You have forgotten your shopping bags and you’re already at counter with arms full of stuff.
- So you grab one of the paper ones under the conveyor belt. It is the thickness of tissue paper so you get two.
- Neither of them fit the 4 eggs, carton of milk and bunch of carrots you are buying because they are just the worst size and shape, so grab a third.
- You have now annoyed the people behind you, so you smile at everyone.
- This further irritates them so you turn around back to the front and start fishing for your wallet.
- Your items are moving past you but the conveyor belt isn’t running…ah you have annoyed the person behind you because you did not put the wooden divider behind your stuff so they can set theirs down. They’ve done it for you.
- Suddenly your items are being scanned and you haven’t even found your wallet. No worries, it’ll take the bagger some time so –
- There is no bagger. But the person in front of you is still bagging their things while yours are being shoved down the counter at them. Politely shift your weight back and forth while you decide how to handle this.
- But the cashier has already told you the total amount and is waiting for you to pay. You have no idea what they said, so you pull out your card and robotically hand it over.
- The person in front of you is still bagging and they seem nervous. Somehow their groceries have multiplied and it is taking forever.
- Your card is American and doesn’t have the PIN, but it has the chip, so the cashier will be confused when they pull the card out of the machine once approved and a second receipt is printed.
- Eventually everyone figures out the receipt needs to be signed.
- You are signing the receipt when suddenly the scanner is going again and now the next person’s things are being shoved down the counter along with yours and the person in front of you.
- Finally that first person is gone. You rush to the end while throwing the receipt back at the cashier who doesn’t even glance over as they run individual apples across the scanner and throw them down the end of the belt towards you.
- Frantically, and I mean frantically, stuff your things into your flimsy bags.
- Somehow the carrots don’t fit so you shove these into your purse.
- Person behind you has somehow already paid before their items are finished scanning and is now bagging next to you, but you are in the way. Feel the shame.
- Leave the store with carrot tops hanging out of your purse, holding one bread bun in your hand that wouldn’t fit in the bags, and the milk carton ripping through the useless paper bags.
- Feel proud you made it out without causing a complete breakdown of the social system.
Why do I have all these empty bottles with me?
Because you are about to play the game of “return enough bottles to earn enough deposit cash to pay for my groceries.” I’ve never done it, I’ve been able to get a few items from the deposit amounts but then again I don’t understand the practice of purchasing beverages in plastic or glass bottles by the case-full. The actual case-full. That’s a lot of waste in my opinion in a country which has lovely tap water. If you find the taste off, or odd, it’s not poisoned, perhaps you just need a filter to adjust to the taste?
OK off my soapbox. But the Pfand (deposit) machine is really easy. Put the bottles in the round slot, the conveyor built will flip them right-side up, then the digital panel to the side will show you how much it’s worth. If you have a case to return, it goes in the larger, square slot below with the larger conveyor belt. When you are finished, hit the (usually) green button and wait for your receipt to print out. You can either use this right away when you’re paying for groceries (give this slip to the cashier before you use cash or your card) or you can wait in line and turn it in for the cash.
If the machine does not accept the bottle, there is generally some kind of bin or trash can next to it where the rejects can go.
But seriously.
I really enjoy grocery shopping because I like food. And since I like a challenge, I like heading out to try to translate what I need. When I moved I brought along spices I knew I couldn’t get here easily, like chipotle powder, and a few others I couldn’t leave behind because they were still at least half full. Once they ran out, I purchased the German versions (I use Spice Islands) and now I have the same bottles, with German vocabulary. When I return I intend to take them with me and keep using them so I keep a little foreign language in my kitchen. I also have a kitchen scale to help when measuring ingredients, since items are sold in round g and kg here, but often an American recipe, when converted, will ask for 226g of sour cream, but the containers are only 200g, it helps to be able to measure out that last little bit.
Since switching over to MarleySpoon, I don’t shop much anymore. When I do, I generally head to Rewe or, if I have time and want to peruse, I like Perfetto. If I’m walking home and need one thing, I go to Alnatura. I have gotten a lot better about always keeping a small cloth bag with me in my purse which will carry a few veggies, maybe some eggs, maybe pasta if needed. Moving more towards a plant based, vegetarian lifestyle has cut down on the amount of groceries we buy and how much we spend. If I could live out my dream food planning scenario, I would have MarleySpoon deliver groceries to me on Wednesdays, I would go to the market Saturday mornings and get enough to last through Monday night, and have a dinner out on Tuesdays. Wouldn’t life be perfect if it was on a continuous, predictable cycle like that?
how do i say...?
Here are some common American ingredients and their German components, which are not totally obvious at first glance or if you don’t know any German.. For other terms or ingredients see my post on baking.
general
Grocery store – Lebensmittelgeschäft
Groceries – Lebensmittel
Shopping cart – Einkaufswagen
Cash register – Kasse
Can – Dose
Bottle – Flasche
Bag – Tasche
Bag for produce or other small bag – Tüte
Box – Karton
“Use By” / “Good Until” – Gultig bis
pantry staples / Speisekammer
Flour – Miel
Sugar – Zucker
Cornstarch – Speisestarke
Oil – Öl
Vinegar – Essig
Mustard – Senf
Honey – Honig
other / besonders
Juice – Saft
Baby formula – Babynahrung
Candy / sweet things – Süssigkeit
fruits / obst
Strawberrys – Erdbeeren
Pears – Birne
Cherries – Kircshe
Grapes – Trauben
Blueberry – Blaubeere
Pineapple – Ananas
Plum – Pflam
vegetables / gemüse
Potato – Kartoffel
Beets – Rote Beete
Cabbage – Kohl
Brussel Sprouts – Rosenkohl (“Rose Cabbages”)
Mushrooms – Champignons or Pilze
Peas – Erbsen
Cucumber – Gürken
“American” cucumbers are called Landgürken and are quite expensive. The German ones are long and skinny and cost roughly ,99€ for one. I really don’t taste a difference.
Squash – Kürbis, also the general word for pumpkin
Some fall squashes are difficult to find, such as spaghetti squash. They also look different: long, green and white striped vs. an oblong orange/yellow.
Lettuce – Salat
Carrot – Mohren or Karrotten
Beans – Bohnen
Corn – Mais
Eggplant – Aubergine
Garlic – Knoblauch
Onion – Zweibel
Meat, Seafood / Fleisch, Meeressen
Chicken – Hanchen
Duck – Ente
Turkey – Puten
Beef – Flesich (separate post coming soon for cuts of beef, other meat products)
Ground beef – Hackfleisch
Pork – Schwein
Bacon – Speck
Trout – Forelle
Salmon – Lachs
Smoked Salmon – Gerauchetlachs
Veal – Kalb
Shellfish – Schalentiere, Meeresfrüchte
Lobster – Hummer
Mussel – Muschel
Shrimp – Garnelen
Oyster – Auster
Shrimp – Garnelen
Spices / gewürze
Cumin – Kreuzkummel
Nutmeg – Muskat
All spice – Piment
Cinnamon – Zimt
Cloves – Nelken
herbs / krauter
Basil – Basilikum
Parsley – Petersille
Cilantro – Korriander
Thyme – Thymian
dairy / Milchprodukte
Milk – Milch
comes in 1,5% and 3,5%, sometimes whole is available as well.
Eggs – Eier
Cheese – Kase
Goat cheese – Ziegenkase
Ice cream – Eis
Cream – Sahne
Half and Half (it’s not actually 50/50) – Schlagsahne
comes in 25% – 35%
Sour cream – Schmand
Grains, Breads , Baked goods / Getreide, Brot, Backwaren
Bread – Brot
Cookies – Kekse
Cake – Küchen
Oats – Flocken
Wheat – Weizen
Anything else?
Farmer's markets
Check out the farmer’s markets! Your town, or at the very least the next town over, will have a farmer’s market. Sometimes suburbs have their own on alternating days to the main town’s.
I find the prices to be cheaper than grocery stores, the tradeoff being the produce isn’t as “perfect” or the supply isn’t as high, or of course they’re not running when I need them. But I highly recommend trying to do some shopping here, just to experience it.
I wrote more about Wiesbaden’s farmer’s market here and here.
I’ve had “experiences” modifying my American recipes to fit to what Germany has available. I’ve also come to realize I prefer cooking with other ingredients now, like Crème fraîche, something which has appeared in a lot of German recipes I like. I also like recipes that are butter and cream based, so probably not a coincidence. Sometimes I even make up my own recipes based on whatever flavor I’m craving at that moment. I put some of them here, along with other food related thoughts.
I’d love some inspiration from your recipes, or what you like about grocery shopping! Let me know below 🙂