German - American Cooking Glossary
This glossary evolved from my finding myself confronted not only with the need to adjust to metric measures, but also to new ingredients, to the difficulty or impossibility of finding "common" ingredients like vanilla extract, brown sugar or all-purpose flour, to following recipes written in German. I've also shared some American recipes with German friends of mine.
This glossary is by no means exhaustive, but has developed from the ingredients in the specific recipes I've come across or wanted to share. There is an American-based version for those trying to cook in a non-American environment and a German-based version for those who are either in a non-German environment or simply would like to have some fun with American recipes. There are many recipe sites online, but of the ones I've visited, the only one that was translated was done by machine (with predictably hysterical and unintelligible results).
The alphabetical order follows the English names of things in the American version and the German names for things in the German version. Separators are done in the English style in both versions, so 1,000.00 is one thousand.
One other thing I ought to mention is that at some point in time, I noticed that my newer cup measures, which I believe I bought in the States, seem to be trying to stretch the US standards so they are more easily transposed into metric measures. I used these for several years without realizing these cup measures did not all share the same base. I've never noticed any particular problems in cooking or baking, but I'm not a professional in such matters. What this says to me is that my chart below, made with painstaking care before this discovery, is accurate to a degree that may be unnecessary. My little cup measures round up to the simplest quantity: 250 ml for one cup, 125 ml for 1/2 cup, but use a base of 240 ml for the smaller measures of 1/3 and 1/4 cup (80 ml and 60 ml for the mathematically challenged).
Maße und Gewichte / Weights & Measures
| Deutsch | American | Equivalent Measure |
| 1 Kilogram (kg) | 2.2046 lbs. | 1000 g |
| 1 Gram (g) | 0.0352 oz. | 1/1000 kg |
| 1 Pfund | 1.1023 lbs. | 1/2 kg; 500 g |
| 1 Liter (L) | 1.0567 quarts | 1000 ml |
| 1 Milliliter (ml) | 1/5 tsp. | 1/1000 L |
| 1 Deciliter (dl) | 6 2/3 Tbl. | 100 ml |
| Teelöffel (Teel.) | teaspoon | 5 ml |
| Eßlöffel (Eßl.) | tablespoon | 15 ml |
| 1 Zentimeter (cm) | 0.3937 inch | 1/100 meter |
| Prise | pinch, dash | |
| 1 Päckchen Gelatine | 1 envelope of gelatine | 9 g |
Temperaturen / Temperatures
If you're in the States, you can buy an oven thermometer, which will probably have both Fahrenheit and Celsius on it (like mine). Or you can just enter your temperature in the converter below.
| Temperature Converter | |
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Zutaten / Ingredients
| Deutsch | American |
| Apfelmus | applesauce |
| Backpulver | baking powder |
| Back-, Bratfett; Pflanzenfett, | shortening; vegetable shortening |
| Backpflaumen | prunes |
| Blaukraut | red cabbage |
| blaue Zwiebel | red onion |
| brauner Zucker | unbleached sugar American recipes translated into German sometimes use this as a translation for "brown sugar" but it's not correct** |
| Butterschmalz | clarified butter |
| Chicoree | endive; Belgian endive |
| Chinakohl | Chinese cabbage |
| Couverture, Kuverture (Milchschokolade, Zartbitter) | sweetened baking chocolate; comes in milk (Milchschokolade) and dark (Zartbitter); chopped up into small chunks, it makes a good substitute for chocolate chips if you can't find them |
| Dickmilch | clabber; junket; soured, curdled milk; cultured milk; thick milk (literal translation from the German) |
| Ei(er); Rührei, Spiegelei, hartgekochtes Ei (8 Min.), weichgekochtes Ei (4 Min.) | egg(s); scrambled egg, fried egg (sunny side up), hard-boiled egg (10 min.), soft-boiled egg (2 min.) |
| Endivie | chicory, escarole |
| Frischkäse (körniger) | Cottage cheese |
| Frischkäse (doppelrahmstufe, so wie Philadelphia) | Cream cheese |
| Graupen | pearl barley |
| Grünkohl | kale (curly) |
| Hartweizen | Durum wheat |
| Hirse | millet |
| Kaiserschoten (auch als Zuckerschoten oder Zuckererbsen oder Mangetout angeboten) | snow peas |
| Johannisbeeren | currants (fresh) |
| Kandis (braun oder weiß) | rock candy (brown or clear) in Germany, served with tea |
| Korinthen | currants (dried) |
| Kürbis: Zierkürbis | squash, pumpkin; gourd |
| Mangold | silver beet; stock beet |
| Mangetout (auch als Kaiserschoten oder Zuckerschoten oder Zuckererbsen angeboten) | snow peas |
| Maracuja | passion fruit |
| Mohn | poppy seed |
| Natron oder Speise-Natron (Natrium-Hydrogen-Carbonat) | baking soda |
| Naturjoghurt | plain yogurt |
| Nr. 405 Weizenmehl | most common German flour, good for cakes, but absorbs less liquid than all-purpose flour; American cake recipes will likely need to be adjusted* |
| Quark | a fresh cheese, similar to Greek yogurt in texture, eaten as is or with fruit and used in German cheesecake recipes; available in the US by special order in some health food and specialty stores or you can make your own using buttermilk |
| Paprika | bell pepper |
| Pfifferlinge | chanterelle mushrooms |
| Puderzucker | confectioner's sugar; powdered sugar; icing sugar |
| Romana (Salat) | romaine (lettuce) |
| Rosinen | raisins |
| Sago | tapioca (small pearl) |
| Sahne; Schlagsahne, Schlagrahm | cream; heavy or whipping cream |
| Sahnesteif, Sahnefestiger, Sahnestandmittel |
cream stiffener, cream stabilizer |
| Salat, Kopfsalat | lettuce (head of) |
| Schale | peel; skin (noun) |
| Schälerbsen | split peas |
| Schokoladentröpfchen | chocolate chips |
| Schweineschmalz | lard |
| Semmelbrösel | bread crumbs |
| Speisestärke | starch |
| Staudensellerie; Sellerieknolle | celery; celery root |
| Sultaninen | golden raisins |
| Tomatenmark | tomato paste |
| Teig | dough |
| Traubenzucker | glucose |
| Weizengrieß | semolina |
| Zuckerrüben-sirup | sugar beet syrup very similar to American molasses |
| Zucchini | zucchini |
| Zucchini (gelbe) | summer squash, yellow squash |
| Zuckerschoten (auch als Zuckererbsen oder Kaiserschoten oder Mangetout angeboten) | snow peas |
*All-purpose flour doesn't exist in Germany. I'm not any sort of expert baker, but I do have a cookbook (and general food guide) for Americans living in Germany. It has an excellent chapter on baking and the various types of flour available in Germany. Called Beyond Beer & Bratwurst, it was produced by the American Women's Club of the Taunus. They now have a web site where their book can be ordered, though it's nearly sold out and you may have to wait for the new one.
**American brown sugar has molasses in it, which gives it a whole other flavor and makes it quite prone to hardening like a rock over time, if left exposed to air.
Kräuter und Gewürze / Spices & Seasonings
| Deutsch | American |
| Basilikum | basil |
| Bockshorn, Bockshornsaat | fenugreek, fenugreek seed |
| Bohnenkraut | summer savory |
| Curcuma, Gelbwurz | turmeric |
| Estragon | tarragon |
| Ingwer | ginger |
| Kerbel | chervil |
| Knoblauch, Knoblauchzehe(n) | garlic; clove(s) of garlic |
| Kreuzkümmel, Cumin | cumin |
| Kümmel | caraway seed |
| Lorbeerblätter | bay leaves |
| Marjoran | marjoram |
| Muskatnuß | nutmeg |
| Nelken | cloves |
| Petersilie | parsley |
| Piment | allspice |
| Rosmarin | rosemary |
| Salbei | sage |
| Thymian | thyme |
| Vanillin-Zucker, Vanille-zucker | vanilla- or vanillin-flavored
sugar (1 packet of Vanille-zucker equals 1 - 2 tsp. vanilla extract) |
| Wachholderbeeren | juniper berries |
| Zimt | cinnamon |
| Zitronenschale; Orangenschale (geriebene) | zest (of a lemon or orange) |
Kochvokabular u. Hilfsmittel / Cooking Terms & Utensils
| Deutsch | American |
| abschmecken; nach Geschmack | flavor, season; to taste |
| abtropfen | drain |
| aufkochen, zum Kochen bringen | bring to a boil |
| abkühlen | chill |
| Auflaufform | oven-proof dish |
| abschöpfen | skim |
| anschwitzen | sweat; soften without browning; sauté or glaze over a low fire without browning |
| auftauen | defrost, thaw (out) |
| Backblech | baking sheet |
| Backform | baking pan, baking tin |
| Backpapier | parchment (for baking) |
| braten | fry (in der Pfanne); roast (im Ofen) |
| Bratpfanne | fying pan, skillet |
| Bratenspritze | baster |
| dämpfen | steam |
| dünsten | stew; steam |
| eindicken | reduce |
| einfetten (der Form) | butter or grease (a baking pan or dish) |
| entkernen | seed (remove seeds) |
| entsteinen | pit (remove pits) |
| füllen; Füllung | stuff; stuffing |
| Gemüsedünster | vegetable steamer |
| Gugelhupf-Backform | Bundt pan |
| Gußgeschirr (Gußtopf, Gußbratenpfranne, etc.) | cast iron cookware (pot, pan, skillet) |
| kannelierte | fluted |
| kneten | knead |
| Küchenmachine | food processor |
| lauwarm | lukewarm |
| Masse | mixture |
| mahlen (fein/grob) | grind (fine/coarse) |
| mehlieren | coat with flour |
| Mörser mit Stößel | mortar and pestle |
| Moulinette o.ä. | food processor |
| pellen, schälen | peel (verb) |
| reiben; raspeln | grate |
| rühren | stir |
| Schneebesen | wire whisk |
| Tee-/Gewürzsieb | tea infuser |
| Teigschaber | spatula |
| Topf | saucepan |
| unterheben | fold in |
| verdünnen | dilute |
| vermengen | blend |
| Wasserbadtopf | double boiler |
| würfeln; würfeln fein | cube; dice |
| Zahnstocher | toothpick |
| Zitronenreißer, Zestenreißer | lemon zester, zester |
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