I want to host a dinner party for my Germans friends and cook/serve them some American classics or weird foods or snacks they’d find interesting. I’m thinking velveeta, cheese wiz, flaming hot Cheetos, maybe spaghettios,etc. Any suggestions of what American food you think they’d enjoy or find interesting? I have to pack it in my checked luggage so nothing that needs refrigeration.
What American food should I bring back for my German friends?
Stubbs BBQ is literally the best and I’ve seen it here at baumarkt for outrageous prices on occasion during the summer- worth it imho best bbq sauce ever
Stubbs is excellent, but don't forget about sweet baby rays. I've found it at Kaufland going for €4 which isn't too outrageous considering what fake maple syrup costs.
I’ll have to look at the label next time I see it in Kaufland. In the US there’s hardly anything that doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup. I remember sweet baby rays had this as one of the top ingredients but maybe I’m remembering wrong (also perhaps/hopefully the German export version wouldn’t have this in it). Sweet baby rays is yummy regardless but I don’t like poison. Stubbs never had high fructose corn syrup (they use sugar or cane sugar) and was one of the only ones I could find in the US that didn’t, and it was so so good tasting too, though who knows if that has changed post Covid.
You really gotta watch out for that high fructose corn syrup when in the US, it’s often in the top three ingredients and is a huge health problem (it’s one of the big reasons Americans have health problems), though with some things you just can’t avoid it. I haven’t seen it used as an ingredient much outside the US which is good.
But yeah if you’re talking about American fake ass maple syrup, it’s really nasty and it’s all high fructose corn syrup in pure form lol. I only ever buy the pure Canadian stuff for my French toast 😇
HFCS is definitely something I try to avoid, but it's inevitable when stateside. I just bought some root beer from K-Land since it was on sale and it uses sugar cane so I'm looking forward to enjoying a glass later with some ice cream. Another brand of bbq sauce that I tried here is Stockyard bbq sauce. They also don't use corn syrup and it's as good as Stubb's.
I have to try that - I also really like Mississippi BBQ sauce, you can get that for a decent price at Metro.
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce (although Amazon also sells ist in Germany)
THIS! American Spare Ribs are out of this world! I know only one restaurant in Germany that does them right. Whenever I'm in the US, I live on them.
I second sloppy joes. Don’t feed them any American candy. But everyone loves sloppy joes when I make them. I’ve also made chicken and waffles with a spicy maple syrup but that might be too weird.
I read "sleepy joes" by accident and thus my stupid brain made me read your entire comment in a trump voice.
That's not stupid. That's hilarious!!
Everybody agrees!
I can actually feel the „when I make them!“
Nope... my mil made it and I can't stand it
Theres a thousand different recipes. Some Americans actually put sugar or ketchup in them which I find disgusting.
She put both in...
High school cafeteria version or more grown up version of sloppy Joe's?
Also, would you like to share your recipe?
I've not had it since I did a high school exchange year in the US back in 1997/98 but have fond memories of sloppy Joe's. Funny I never thought about making them at home, but now I do :)
Do you have a good sloppy joe recipe? Preferably with German measurements? (I'm a complete failure with cup sizes...🙈)
Buy spicy cinnamon candies!! They don't have anything like that here.
My local Rewe has them. Hot Tamales, US import.
What?! Where?!? Are you in Bayern?
Oh, that sounds delicious!
Hot sauce
What I bring back from my US Trips:
Beef jerky that’s not the average Jack Links. Sweet baby rays is my favorite. The original Chic Fil A sauce (thats really so good, people have to try it out here) - so recreate the Chic Fil A Sandwhich?
Dill Pickled snacks (very unusual here)
Maybe some shenanigans like a couple of Kool Aid packs and and Slim Jim’s
I used to bring back good hot sauces, but you can get most of them here as well now.
Maybe you make some Buffalo wings with Bluecheese Ranch! That’s definitely very American and unusual here. Get the sauces in US and batter your chicken here
I wish we could get some good Buffalo sauce here.
Mix hotsauce, Worcester, garlic powder, butter and you're off to the races - add some Xanthum gum or saucenbinder if you want a dipping sauce.
So easy
I once had a nice hot sauce with a good amount of garlic, would have to check if the shop I ordered it from still exists and has them. It was all about hot sauces, from mild to wild. XD
Haven't bought hotsuace in years since I learned to make it. Now I have them in the flavors that I want and they're fun to make. If you can get into fermenting it really opens up a whole new world.
It's pretty easy and I can explain if you like. Same with BBQ sauce, Ranch, taco seasoning, and everything else.
I'll take a course XD I tried to brew a dip or own sauce, once or twice for BBQs, but have to hold back for my neighbours. I used sieved tomatoes (at least that's what google gives me), brown sugar, liquid smoke (yeah, could have smoked it myself by putting it in the smoker with the meat), peppers and other spices. Also tried to put together my own rub once, by throwing together different spices and herbs. So anything that raises my BBQ skills is welcome. :)
I use the basic, cheap ketchup from Netto as my base. I think tomato will be too bland. You want the sugars and salt that's in the ketchup.
I can suggest adding soy sauce, mustard, Worcester and something acidic like vinegar or lemon juice. Horseradish also adds flavor.
I added brown sugar and salt myself, to add to it, without getting other additives in. But I often read it Ketchup as base with Worcester sauce and/ or soy sauce. I think I added pepper, liquid hickory smoke, salt, pepper, lemon juice, brown sugar, rosemary and a bit of oregano.
There ya go. BBQ sauce is full of salt and sugar anyway. I found that I had to add soooo much to get tomato base to taste like BBQ that I just switched to ketchup - to save effort. BBQ ain't healthfood after all.
I'd say you were just missing the acid and mustard
Edit: that Über Rüber stuff is like a German BBQ cheat code. I think it's way better than sugar or honey and if you brush some on towards the end, thr heat caramelizes it into this slightly crispy exterior that people seem to love. (I never told anyone about this)
Something that takes as long as pulled pork, spare ribs or brisket can only be health food. ;) ok, I have to admit I use the "Texas crutch", but I'm a beginner and getting up in the middle of the night to keep things going is a tad too much. Perhaps if one day I own a pellet smoker.
Which hot sauce would you recommend, from those that are easily available here? (Tabasco variety, Cholula, German brands etc)
Yup. Something basic like Tabasco or Cholula is perfect. You dont want some crazy ingredients messing with the flavor.
Did I forget to mention vinegar? Good to add a splash of that as well.
That's weird because Buffalo sauce is just a cube of butter and a bottle of tabasco, melted together.
I second the chick fil a sauce!
You haven't run afoul with restriction forbidding beef from the US to Germany? Older law from the mad cow time, but beef isn't supposed to be transported between europe-US (either direction). I ran into it on my way to the US; didn't look at the Ingredients close enough, and lost half a food gift basket at customs.
Kool Aid is a banger imho.
Reeses Peanutbutter Cups waren früher unsere heiße Ware, aber die gibt es inzwischen auch in Deutschland überall.
The US version is unbearable
Manwich "original" Sloppy Joes. it's a comfort food staple and the concept is still relatively obscure in Germany. After that people can resort to making great SJs from scratch.
what pray tell about brot mit gehacktes would be unknown in germany?
Is it? I’ve been a German for quite a few years now and have never heard of a domestic dish with minced meat in a sauce on bread. …and now about proper sloppy Joes with pulled pork and a nice sauce with some vegetables…
Not exactly but we have Mettbrötchen and Bulleten
I've had it at a friend's house, if that matters. Old, buttered Brötchen with mince, reduced with texicana salsa and topped with cheese.
Not great, not terrible to be honest. From my limited experience, I assume it to be an acquired preference.
That sounds neither German nor enticing.
It's not an authentic recipe. But it's mince with tomato and sugar.
Maybe there's more to it.
Cinnabon. We can’t get that stuff over here.
Are those any special? I mean, cinnamon rolls makes every bakery. But maybe those are made different from the German ones. I know that Swedish cinnamon rolls taste different and like them very much.
It’s the icing. I‘m really craving that stuff
It’s the icing. I‘m really craving that stuff
Instant diabetic coma. I mean, that's special, right?
They are very different. I guess some of the ingridients are forbidden in the EU. The best Cinnabon experience I ever had was in Krakow, Poland.
We have Cinnamood tho, pretty similar
Root Beer. It's not well known here and you only find it in a few stores.
And it sucks like hell...
It certainly is one of the tastes of all time.
I double on root beer. There are some quite good tasting varieties...
York peppermint patties if they like peppermint of course. Kirkland unsalted nuts
Unsalted nuts are in every snack isle i've ever been tho.
Jolly Ranchers
whatchu call me?
?
Maybe M&M's with peanutbutter, if they like PB.
This is what I always bring back. Peanut butter m&m’s are available here but they cost an arm and a leg…
Peanut butter cookies!!
All that kitschy stuff can be gotten here (except velveeta maybe, but wtf you gonna do with that?)
Some things I haven’t been able to find: Peanut butter pretzels (friend brought some and they were a hit), dried mangoes, exotic Pringles flavors (there’s basically only 3 here), warheads or other super sour candy, and if you can bring liquids La Croix or some kind of flavored sparkling water? Bonus if it’s white claw, that would really blow their minds.
Edit: someone else mentioned pickles—yes! Clausen’s crunchy dill or the ones you can get in the chilled aisles, basically impossible to find here and would definitely be exotic to the German pallet.
I second the pringles even tho my american friends seemed to like the german ones better. Dried mangoes and many other dried fruit can be found in most edeka/rewe i've been at.(and on amazon)
Most Getränkemärkte have whiteclaw and topo chico hard seltzers or at least had it the last time i checked. However i think edeka stopped selling them because of price disputes.
You can find white claw/topo chico but no one drinks it! Most of the Germans I talk to don’t know what it is.
They sadly pulled topo chico off the market here. I really enjoyed it.
Pringles flavors (there’s basically only 3 here),
16, to be precise, and these are just the German flavors. Some grocery stores also carry imported Pringles from the UK or the Netherlands/Belgium
Be careful with customs, they will grab your food if it contains meat, cheese, fruits and you have to pay a high fine
You can get almost everything in Germany. We even though have shops for all the american sweets.
Where?
The sweets you can in every big mall
Or at the local grocery shops, we call them "späti" or "kiosk" most of them have a very wide variety of american sweets bc the kids want to buy them bc of tiktok
Most spätis/kiosks are more like an american gas station or corner store than a grocery store.
American grocery store is more like a german supermarkt like aldi, lidl, edeka, rewe, kaufland, usw..
pretty sure there's one near Alexanderplatz.
I would bet you'll be paying like 2x the price you would in the states for whatever they sell though.
Maybe you just ask them? My friend from Canada recently brought me some of my favorite stuff you can't really get here (e.g. fruit punch, blue cheese and ranch dressing). She said she went shopping with a friend and they found the randomness of my "wish list" very funny :D
Reeses thingies
You can buy those here, at least in most supermarkets around here in Berlin.
Cheetos jalapeño cheddar and Cheetos flaming hot.
American pickles are actually hard to come by in Germany. Everything here is pickled with vinegar.
"Salzgurken" are pickled in brine and usually don't contain any vinegar
Couldnt even find those in most Bundesländer if you tried lmao. Let alone garlic, hot or other varieties of them. And the Extra large dill pickles are basically only sold in american candy stores. Like literally just a whole pickled salatgurke size wise.
tbh I rarely see them in grocery stores but at farmer's markets, there's always some guy selling Salzgurken or Knoblauch-Salzgurken. Hot ones aren't a thing here tho
Never seen them on a market in my entire life
Pork scratchings! But only for your non vegetarian friends :-)
Hot sauce, cinnamon candies like Red Hots or Hot Tamales, wheat thins, Butterfinger candy bars, a can of red cream soda, Terry's Chocolate orange, peanut brittle, buy lots of packs of kool-aid and jello in alllllllll the flavors, Hershey chocolate (but not too much, German chocolate is way better)
First of all, all US Foods (which can be exported) can be bought in American Food Stores or ordered online in Europe. Secondly there is no American Cuisine, it's from all over the world and introduced to America. So there is nothing special for you to bring, just buy the rubbish American Sweets and treats here, and present them in your overexaggerate way. That's American ;)
Übertreib mal nicht haha, die haben schon paar (wenige) gute Sachen die es bei uns nicht gibt
Dann zähl mal auf, was es nicht im American Food Store, bzw in der USA Abteilung eines der Mega Supermärkte nicht gibt ;)
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No need to be so mean theyre just trying to bring gifts for their friends.
Pumpkin Pie. That’s not really a thing over here and most people have never eaten it.
Pecan Pie is also good, and not too common, but fairly similar to other nut pies they might have eaten before.
Omg, yes, this. I couldn’t even find the stuff to make one!
I personally bring back ungodly amounts of goldfish crackers whenever I visit!
Depends on how much you hate them :)
Proper pickles, stove top stuffing and Jos Louis
Peanut Butter
Flamin hot cheetos
Peanut butter M&Ms!!
they'd really love american weed
nothing, everything we have is better.
Werthers Echte Apple Toffee
Twinkies
Sodas, the real stuff that fucks up your kids brain chemistry forever.
Not Hershey's Chocolate. I tasted it once , shared some with my wife, both had the same reaction: Disgusting.
Are there any fruits or nuts grown in the US that are hard to get in Germany or the EU? Either fresh or dried, those could be interesting. Maybe some of your friends are fans of muesli & Co? They might be interested in some "rare" (read: rare in Germany) fruit or nut toppings for muesli. Also, import of fruits and nuts is apparently not a problem.
Nope, checked again: import of fruits and nuts apparently falls under import of plants and plant parts, which requires an official certificate stating that these plant parts are free of diseases. For reference, these are the custom rules regarding food. You might want to have a look at those.
I like Hershey's but absolutely hate stuff like Milka. Shit melts too much.
When I visit my buddy in Hamburg my mitbringsel is always Tootsie Roll Minis and Blue Diamond Almonds, which his wife loves
Cheetos… can’t buy them here
Good seafood. Scallops in particular. I want scallops. Please?
Personally, I really, really miss Hormel no bean chili for all the chili-cheese applications (dogs, fries, burgers).
A few others that don't come to mind fail me still but the no bean chili and sloppy joes are up there (the latter can be bought at Ami stores)
Don't bring Pop Tarts, they taste like trash.
My family back in Germany loves Girl Scout cookies, especially Samoas. Keebler has a good copycat brand that everybody likes. Hostess cupcakes are another sweet treat that is frequently requested.
American Ho-Hos are fun to compare to German Yes cakes.
Yes cakes win.
LOL. My MIL regularly sent our daughter Yes cakes because she loved the taste the last time we visited. It was only a couple of decades later that we realized that there was alcohol in them.
Not sure if that's still true.
Hersheys Kiss. They wont believe you did not made it out of vomit.
Fudge. Idk why but of all the stuff i've grought my german family over the years they were most surpised and delighted by that. You can get boxes of it from most confectionary and even grocery stores and it travels well.
Almost anything you bring will be sub par to most things here.
I’d want to try hot Cheetos at least once so I guess that one?
Wohne direkt an der Grenze zu NL und die gibts hier...Könnte dir paar schicken wenn du die Kosten übernimmst 🙃 natürlich immer noch deutlich billiger als wenn du die iwo bestellen/importieren würdest
Das ist ein total süßes Angebot, aber ich glaub ich heb mir das eher auf auf wenn ich selbst in die USA fliege, irgendwann 🙈
If you could not poison your friends, they would be really happy.
Velveeta and cheese wiz is a true crime lol Spaghetti-o’s are only good because we grew up on them but are another crime like hot pockets lol
Hidden valley Ranch packets- can make ranch dressing or chicken ranch dip (other similar seasoning packets but I forget)
Any salad dressing especially a nice chunky blue cheese (make a nice Pittsburgh steak salad with the fries on top with real blue cheese dressing)
The best bbq sauces in the world- I love Stubbs the best but there are others
Good salsa (not that weak sugary stuff they have here)
Brown sugar and vanilla extract- you cannot get these here
Canned Green Chiles, real homemade corn tortillas and herdez guacamole salsa- make some real banging pulled pork tacos (most of the things I miss fall into the Tex mex or Mexican category honestly)
Anything regional in packets (Cincinnati style chili seasoning packets for example)
I miss the really good seasonings like taijin or Trader Joe’s elote or umami seasoning- also we have some banging condiments but I’d have to peruse a grocery isle to remember all the good things I forgot I miss
Canned pumpkin, canned pumpkin pie, cranberries or cranberry sauce- god I miss these so much every year
Breakfast cereals that you can’t find here- especially Chex as you can make so many good things- Chex mix, puppy chow, etc
Snacks like gardettos and those combos pizza pocket chips are yummy and not over here
Jolly ranchers sour, starburst, skittles, reeces pieces, baking candies like heath bits of brittle or caramel chips
Boxed specialty cake mixes and especially tubs of frosting, cream cheese frosting especially
ELFudge cookies lol, they’re cute delicious and unique
Real American doughnuts- get them to go right before leaving and have people come visit right when you arrive for an authentic treat, they’re not the same here (or get some airport Cinnabon to go, yummmm)
Don't bring American stuff, bring Mexican things.
This is a pretty good idea. I usually ask a friend to bring the salsa which are insane and would be either too expensive here or not spicy
Twizzlers, Kool-Aid and Orbit winterfresh is what I always have to get for my German family.
Panda express orange chicken D: I know it's not possible but I miss that stuff!!! Also even if it's mexican and not american: mais tortillas -impossible to get here, tajin too only online super expensive. But that only works if you can imagine your frienda liking mexican tacos.
Youre a man of good taste!
If you like to cook, its pretty easy to make orange chicken! As you cant find it in any other restaurants here either
Nothing
Ranch dressing - the dried packets. Its like Dönersauce but way better and most people who i've given it to absolutely love it. Also because they are small and light they travel well. Make sure you recommend they get Hellman's mayo for it though (It's available here) german mayo has like mustard in it.
Good donuts, double double with fries and a milkshake, good beef jerkey, good Mexican food, I’m just listing the shit I miss most. No one will like hot Cheetos here and you can get most of the snacks here now. 15 years ago I would have my luggage full of MMs and Vans.
Alligator meat?
Milk duds to offend them (and get told why it sucks vs. Toffiefee) then Butterfingers and whacky Oreo (yes you can get them in Germany too but american oreos hit different) variants to appease them. Also Jack Daniels BBQ sauce for some reason found a lot of resonance among my friends.
If you want to keep your friends, don’t bring American food. Look for something decent. Maybe a bottle of Bourbon…
Nothing, stay away with your health hazards
Old Bay Seasoning, Libby‘s Pure Pumpkin, Crazy flavored chewing gums, Fritos Cornchips
Mac and cheese PB&J Sandwich
Bring some Hersheys in small bars.
The gift there being that your friends will enjoy German chocolate more afterwards. It's absolutely interesting , but warn them before tasting.
Boxed brownie mix. Nothing like a big, gooey pan full of American-style brownies.
Corn tortillas so you can make tacos.
Omg my German colleagues asked for sweets, and I warned them they would hate them so I brought Twinkies, and I forget what else. Their faces trying them..haha. They called them 'chemical cakes'. They did love maple cookies though. Those were a hit.
Good Mexican food, it's severly lacking in this uncultured wasteland known as Germany
Barbecue Sauce! - My wife used to live in Germany and her friends there were so impressed with bbq sauce that a couple of them tried to drink it out of the bottle.
the best thing is rootbeer..they do sell it here but I never see anyone buying it. Most germans feel it tastes like toothpaste. Ranch salad dressing is also a good one. i thing one of the big salad dressing companies in Germany may have a license on the name Ranch dressing and so it is not sold here. They have a ranch dressing but it has ketchup of some other bullshit init. Another good one would be a glas of dill pickles especially the crunchy ones
Get some beef jerky. Pretty lightweight and tasty to non-vegans and non-vegetarians 😅.
How about Trader Joe’s turkey jerky? It’s tasty, mostly natural, and not something commonly seen here. My mom brought me a bag for her visit and I was pleasantly surprised that I missed the stuff.
There are also local foods that are special and unique to each area in the US. I’m thinking Philly cheesesteak or special types of BBQ rubs in the south, for example. They would be more pleasant to eat and experience if your friend has never been to the US.
Even a cookbook about local foods from your region might be kinda nice if they cook at home (which I feel like lots of Germans do).
If you don’t mind me saying: You don’t have to just get the stereotypical “bad” American food. There is bad processed food here too, although not at the same level. If you were my friend and you brought me only “cheapo” US foods (even if you’re trying to be sarcastic and self-deprecating) I would think you’re trying to insult me or my tastes. It’s ok. USA has lots of good things to offer too.
Be careful, importing meat is restricted by customs.
THIS! You normally can't import meat or dairy products. Years ago, I asked my sister to bring over a box of Bisquick because I wanted to make pancakes that reminded me of my childhood. The customs agent wanted to have the box destroyed because it contained "milk powder" as one ingredient. We convinced him to let us take it because we were not staying in Germany - my sister had landed in Frankfurt, but I was picking her up and taking her to my home in Switzerland.
I just read that Betty Crocker has changed the ingredients recently, and it no longer contains milk powder. The reviews make it seem that they've ruined the product.
Happily, I now make pancakes from scratch using local flour, baking powder, milk and yogurt, and they are just as good as I remember. Plus, having REAL maple syrup (not corn syrup) makes a difference as well...
Don't tell anyone but there are ways to get meat here. You don't have to bring it. DM me for the deets. I'll hook you up.
KAUFLAAAAAND!
If you buy a cookbook don’t forget the cup set for measurement
Ooh nice. That would be a nice gift set! Book and measuring cups.
2 missing replies
Most of the things listed are war crimes in my opinion. I'd opt for BBQ. Maybe a rub or two and some sauces.