While Germany isn't as famous for its cuisine as some of its European neighbours, the country does have more to offer than big pretzels, bratwurst and beer. From hearty comfort food, delicious baked goods and desserts to regional delicacies, there's plenty to taste and try. We take a look at some of Germany’s weird and wonderful retro dishes – some of which rarely make it onto dinner plates today. We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether that’s a good or bad thing...

The name may not sound overly appealing, but former German chancellor Helmut Kohl absolutely loved it. The dish originates from southern Germany and consists of pork, sausage meat and potatoes. The mixture is seasoned with spices and then stuffed into a pig's stomach before being cooked similarly to the Scottish haggis.

The grandly named großer Hans (great Hans) is a steamed bread dish, a little like British-style steamed puddings, from northern Germany. It can be sweet or savoury and served as a main course with pork or as a dessert with fruit compote – a true all-rounder. Nowadays, it’s usually made from flour or yeast dough, but traditionally people would soak their stale leftover bread in milk. Add berries or sultanas for a little sweetness.

While rundstück is a northern German term for a bread roll, rundstück warm refers to a delicious combination consisting of a warm slice of roast beef or pork in a bun that is served covered in gravy – often with some gherkins on the side. The popular dish has been served in Hamburg since the early 20th century but isn’t really known elsewhere in Germany. Some, however, claim it could be an early version of a hamburger – something that's still hotly debated today. 

Germany is known for its sausages, but the bratwurst is just one of many the Germans have perfected. This hearty dish originated in the former GDR, East Germany, and its main ingredient is the grützwurst. A smoked sausage similar to black pudding, it’s made of pork, pigs’ blood and groats. Due to the colouring of the dish, it’s also known under the macabre name of tote oma (dead grandma). The smoked sausage is traditionally served with boiled potatoes and sauerkraut – another German delicacy.

Himmel und Äad, or Heaven and Earth, originally comes from the Rhineland region in central Germany, but was a popular dish all over the country – a real classic that obviously tasted best at grandma’s table. It’s a perfect combination of mashed potatoes and apple sauce – don’t knock it until you try it: it may sound strange at first, but it tastes delicious! It’s often accompanied by the aforementioned grützwurst.

Another somewhat obscure name, kalter hund (cold dog) refers to an uncooked chocolate dessert – sometimes known as hedgehog slice or cold biscuit cake. This sweet treat was also very popular in East Germany and is known under many different names, all of which refer to a layer cake made of butter biscuits, coconut fat and chocolate with a little rum flavouring. This one definitely deserves a comeback.

Yes, this may sound like an unusual combination, but for a long time a dish of pears, beans and bacon was eaten in homes all over Germany, particularly in the north.  And the name is meant literally, because this hearty autumn classic, commonly served with boiled potatoes, consists of exactly these ingredients (but refers to cooking pears and green beans).

The so-called zucker-ei (sugar-egg) is a traditional dessert made from, well, sugar and egg. The eggs are beaten in a bowl, then mixed with sugar before whisking until creamy. Also known as kogel mogel, the recipe has Eastern European and Jewish roots, and used to be popular as a cheaper alternative to pudding. People would often add red wine and a dollop of honey for a nightcap or as an energy booster for the sick. Mixed with spirits, you'll get the much more widely known eggnog.

Toast Hawaii is the epitome of a true classic. It became popular in West Germany during the 1950s, but the tasty, quick and easy snack has all but disappeared from people’s repertoires. Similarly to the pizza version, it involves a combination of ham, cheese and pineapple. On a side note, you can easily make it vegetarian by omitting the ham or using a plant-based alternative.

This may come as a surprise to some, but soup doesn't always have to consist of vegetables! This warming winter classic is made from black elderberries. The boiled berry juice is mixed with sugar and citric acid, and then served hot, usually with semolina dumplings and apple chunks. This dish was mainly eaten in the north of Germany, but you’ll rarely find it in people’s soup bowls nowadays.

This dish was first eaten on ships during the early 18th century and is most likely inspired by the Liverpudlian dish Scouse – although only very loosely. Unlike the British version, labskaus (the sailor's meal) is not a stew, but made from potatoes, cured beef and pickled beetroot, often served with gherkins or herring on the side. While not well-known throughout Germany, you'll still find it on menus around northern Germany. So if you’re keen to eat like a Hanseatic sailor, your best bet would be a traditional restaurant in Hamburg.

This cute little guy is made from mett – minced raw pork that’s seasoned with salt and pepper. Yes, you read that right: raw meat. Between the 1950s-70s you wouldn’t find a German birthday party or cold buffet without one of these little meat mounds lovingly decorated with onions and gherkins to look like a hedgehog. However, due to the ingredients, it doesn’t keep all that well. While it’s no longer a party classic, you can still find bread rolls slathered in mett in some bakeries – on the off-chance you wanted to give it a try.

The oddly named handkäse mit musik (hand cheese with music) originates from central Germany, and is a cheese made from sour milk and served with buttered bread and cider. Traditionally it’s marinated in a mixture of vinegar, oil, finely diced onions, caraway seeds, salt and pepper. The little portions used to be shaped by hand, hence the name. There are different theories on what the 'music' in the name is referring to, one of which being the noise the onions make when you cut the cheese.

The jokingly named falscher hase (fake rabbit) refers to a juicy meatloaf stuffed with egg and, occasionally, carrots. Since many households couldn’t afford a real rabbit as a roast during the post-war years, this cheaper alternative, made from minced meat, became popular around Germany, including in the GDR.

Hawaiian-inspired dishes used to be a real hit in Germany. Like the aforementioned toast Hawaii, this classic also includes pineapples – bearing in mind that those were fairly difficult to come by in post-war East Germany. Add some mayonnaise to small pieces of chicken breast fillet and pineapple cubes, then spread the mixture on bread. The dish can of course be combined with other ingredients, such as gherkins, tomatoes and other types of fruit. For a slightly lower-fat version, just swap the mayo for some yogurt.

This tasty dessert was particularly popular in northern Germany, but also in Scandinavia. Boil some red berries such as redcurrants, raspberries, cherries and strawberries in a fruit juice with sugar and vanilla. Traditionally, people would use groat to thicken the liquid, hence the name rote grütze (red groat), but starch does the trick, too. The jelly-like treat can then be served with semolina pudding, vanilla sauce or ice cream. You can find this traditional dessert pre-packaged in most German supermarkets, but these days hardly anyone makes it from scratch.

This herby soup, also known regionally as Frankfurt grüne soße (green sauce), is prepared with nine fresh wild herbs – hence the name loosely meaning 'the green nines'. While the dish is traditionally eaten on Holy Thursday before Easter, the origins are likely to outdate Christianity and can be traced back to the Celts and Germanic tribes. You're completely free to experiment with your choice of herbs including stinging nettle, wild garlic, ground elder, ribwort, sorrel, ground-ivy, borage, garlic rue and even daisies.

The turnip originated from Scandinavia but has since become a popular root vegetable around the world. It played a special role in Germany’s history, especially in times of great hardship; the so-called Turnip Winter, after the First World War, is just one example. A hearty turnip stew is not only a cheap and warming meal, though – it’s also healthy, nutritious and delicious.

Strictly speaking, chicken fricassee is not a German dish, since fricassee was first made in France, but it used to be so popular that it deserves an honourable mention. Most families in Germany used to include it in their weekly meal repertoire, however the dish rarely ends up on the dinner table nowadays. The creamy white sauce with chicken, mushrooms, peas and carrots is usually served with white rice, and is also a great way to use up your leftovers – throw in any vegetables, fish or meat.

We have the master baker Heinrich Schabbel, from Lübeck, to thank for this northern German delicacy. The biscuit dates back to the 19th century and was often served with coffee in the afternoon. You can still find the Hanseatic biscuit in northern German bakeries, but more often than not it will be in a modern variation, such as a heart shape. Traditionally, it consists of two round biscuits with jagged edges, held together by a portion of strawberry or raspberry jam in the middle. The top biscuit is slathered with red and white icing to commemorate the Hanseatic flag.

Buckwheat porridge is made from nutty-tasting groats and offers a versatile base for sweet and savoury variations. And it’s pretty easy, too; simply boil the buckwheat groats in vegetable stock, water or milk – done! A great inexpensive, healthy and gluten-free meal option.

Now discover the history of the hamburger: where was it really invented?