Barbara Geier: Sandwich deals

In times, when the world around us seems to implode and explode in a multitude of ways on an almost daily basis, we need constants in our lives. Things that refuse to budge to innovation and novelties. Things that stay the same and feel like – home.

In Germany, the belegtes Brot (open sandwich, or literally ‘topped bread’) seems to be one of those things. A recent YouGov study commissioned by a vegan cheese producer revealed that the traditional German ‘bread culture’ seems to be going nowhere. 82.9% of Germans across age groups regularly eat a slice of bread with a topping of their choice. The majority, just over 55%, prefer it for breakfast, and one in three of those even have their bread and eat it every morning. The classic German Abendbrot (‘evening bread’) meal is the second favourite occasion to have some bread (50.82%). Almost a quarter (22.58%) of those enjoy their belegtes Brot – or Stulle, as it‘s called in certain parts of Germany – as a quick and easy meal every evening which shows that bread is a recurring part of people’s food staples, despite dietary trends and changes.

Next, let’s look at the topping – and it’s important to note here that we’re talking one topping and not the multitude of things shoved in a typical English sandwich. The German open sandwich version is a simpler, more paired down affair. According to the survey, the good old cheese bread is still Germany’s favourite (can confirm, mine too!): Sliced cheese on wholemeal bread – the most German of all the many different German bread types it seems – tops the list. Other top three (individual) toppings are cream cheese and tomatoes, followed by cooked ham, cold cuts as well as honey and jam trailing midfield and vegan alternatives such as plant-based cold cuts or cheeses coming in last. And whatever the topping of choice, for the majority of Germans (54%), butter is always part of the sandwich deal.

So far, so traditional, so German. For me, the belegtes Brot encapsulates something that is much more German than the boring sausages and pork knuckle cliché that the world insists upon when talking about typical German food, as it shows a preference for simple and natural foods. A piece of nutritious wholemeal or multigrain bread, a (meat-free!) topping such as cheese or tomatoes, and in my case, also a nice glass of cold milk. Done and dusted, dinner done. It should be noted though that despite the cross-generational appeal of the Stulle Gen Z has, of course, a slightly different approach to this German staple. According to the survey, younger respondents are much more open to vegan alternatives than older generations and they even put more than one topping on their bread. Well, that’s fine by me. Whatever the belegtes Brot will look like in the future, I predict that it will assert its place, despite the popularity of the English-type sandwich, and still somehow keep its distinct German look. A little less crowded, a bit more wholesome.