Versatile Vegetables

• Cabbage is king in Germany and German restaurants, showing up in my many glorious forms including sauteed, braised and fermented as sauerkraut. Homemade sauerkraut is simply shredded cabbage and salt. As the salt draws out the liquid from the cabbage it ferments. German restaurants often have their own haus -- house -- sauerkraut. Other vegetables include sweet peas, red cabbage, asparagus and mushrooms. Salads may be a variety of fresh greens, pickled beets and onions, or cucumbers and sour cream.

Wonderful Wursts

• Wursts, or sausages, come in all shapes, sizes and seasonings. It's expected that a German restaurant would serve bratwurst, a mildly seasoned sausage made from veal, pork and sometimes beef. You may also find more unusual sausages such as fleischwurst made from beef, pork and veal; speck blutwurst made from pork fat blood and pork; and weistwurst which is mildly seasoned veal. Restaurants often serve wursts with a side of German fried potatoes or warm potato salad and sauerkraut.

Marvelous Meats

• A German restaurant would soon be forced to close its doors if it didn't serve schnitzel, a lightly breaded and fried, tenderized meat filet. Pork is more common but veal is used as well. Some restaurants allow the substitution of chicken for the pork or veal. Rahm schnitzel is served with sour cream gravy. Schnitzel Holstein is served topped with a fried egg. Jaeger schnitzel is accompanied by mushroom gravy. Other entrees include baked pork chops, veal chops, veal steaks, sauerbraten and sweet and sour beef pot roast, often served with carrots and potatoes.

Delightful Desserts

• Desserts are not an afterthought in a German restaurant. A bowl of fresh fruit just won't do. However, a raspberry parfait, layers of sponge cake, sweet tangy raspberries and smooth custard topped with clouds of whipped cream, will. Other desserts include obsttorte, a mixed fruit tart; windbeutelm, or cream puffs; and tortens, rich, flourless cakes.