For the Hot Summer,

Cool Salads, German Style

Bunter Salat
(very colorful salad)
The German style
"Chef Salad"

Made with
Fleischsalat

(meat salad)

Now if I say to my US friends let's make a 
Fleischsalat they think that sounds strange....

So first tell them this is 
what I call
"Flash Salad".

To make it sound prettier I wrote a song about it.

Flash Salad
Symphony

In Deutchland, where flavors meet,
Comes a salad that's a special treat,
Fleischsalat, oh so divine,
With every bite, like a very fine wine

Fleischsalat, a taste so grand,
A symphony of flavors, hand in hand,
From the meats that are finely sliced,
To the dressing that adds the perfect spice.

In a bowl, a colorful display,
Crisp veggies and meats, they all portray,
A harmony of textures, a feast for the eyes,
Try Flash Salad, a delicious surprise!

a cool salad with meat and cheese was a staple growing up in our family
in the summer, only we called it a Chef Salad
not a Bunter Salat.

In Germany you will see on some menus "Bunter Salat" which means
to the effect a "colorful salad"

In the U.S. it is generally a large entree salad with strips of ham, turkey and cheese
surrounded with colorful vegetables like tomato wedges, cucumbers, olives,
and boiled egg wedges.
You will most likely get the dressing on the side.

While there are many theories on how this salad became popular in the U.S.
I think perhaps the German Fleischsalat may have had something to do with this,
and was brought over by our German ancestors.

While the internet is full of theories of famous chefs who invented
the Chef Salad, and served them at famous hotels like the Ritz Carlton
or a fancy restaurant, It really doesn't seem like a mystery to me.
I looked at many old newspaper articles and if you went to a restaurant,
they would have a Chef Salad that was basically the chef's
special salad of the day.

To this day many German's prefer to get their Fleischsalat made fresh in the deli or by the butcher.
The whole idea makes sense to use up end pieces or yesterdays display, and repurpose it.

The word "Salad" was not originally lettuce with tomatoes and radish, and a dressing.
The word was derived from the Latin "salted" and was most like a way of preserving
meats and vegetables, when you had no fridge to open and place your food in a nice
storage container.

Of cours being frugal, a German would not waste even a squeak out of a pig if he could eat it,
the Fleischsalat made so much sense.

It's still a great idea,

To make sure you optimize your cold cuts, that have been around a few days,
you can add a nice dressing to liven them back up and make a beautiful salad.
This dish has been around for centuries, so there I don't think it will lose popularity any time soon.

What is Fleischsalat?

Most in Germany would compare this to our diced ham salad, chicken salad,
tuna salad, egg salad but that would be more like a Hackfleischsalat, where it is minced up.
Most Fleischsalat I see is cut into strips and then blended with a vinaigrette or a creamy,
mayonnaise or sour cream or a blend.
I always see pickles added, a tradition that we use in the US as well,

there is a purpose for both.

Like we would make a sandwich, in Germany you would more likely put this on a slice of bread
and eat it open face, like we would put peanut butter and jelly.

While I was doing this I made my wife and I a small Fleischsalat, not quite a
Bunter Salat but more a snack, with what we had on hand.

This light lunch on a 100 degree plus day was perfect.

The fun thing about this dish is the possibilities and creativity are awaiting your imagination.
and taste buds.

however I don't get crazy, I enjoy the simplicity, of the cold cuts, and cheese with pickle and a bit of mustard,
onion and maybe bell pepper.

Index of Fleischman and Bratwurst Recipes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

let's Make a Nice Fleischsalat
with nice strips of meat and cheese.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hackfleischsalat

This is the same salad with everything minced up.
This is of course a good choice if you have odds and ends that
won't make good strips. It also makes a nicer spread if you
are putting it on a bread slice.

Go Here to make
Hackfleischsalat

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wurstsalat

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fleischsalat
with
Leberkaese

This is a fun projectl, as you make your own lunch meat.
You can put anything you like in it, Olives, pistachios.

It is a simple process where you blend all the meat and spices in a food processor
Then bake it in a loaf pan like a meat loaf. You can spice it however you like.

Go Here to Make Leberkase
with Step by Step Pictures

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The German Cafe
Wurstsalat

by Owner Annette Schuchert Engols

Annette's cafe is in Sierra Vista and doing well.
She sent me this recipe for her
Wurst Salat and she doesn't mind me sharing it.

Go Here to make
The German Cafe's
Wurst Salat

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To make a satisfying cool meal this summer, add a bit of wurst to your
German Potato Salad.

Here are some guidelines
as it is a flexible recipe.

Go Here to Make
German Potato and Wurst Salad

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tips for Storing Deli Meats and Cheese

the most important tip to storing Deli Meats is obvious; keep the air off of it. My guess is
that most folks will keep it in the package and use a zip storage zip bag to put the package in.
I will do that and then rubber band it to keep more off it.

It is a good idea to label the date that you open it

Storage Container Shopping

Storage containers are one of your best investments.

Having matching and stacking ones are also a great investment!

The look of hardshell plastic containers gives you great visibility,
as well as airtight protection.
They make your food investment look appetizing

When you look for something to eat, if it looks appetizing you
are more likely to eat it.

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German Music

A recipe book and short biography of my Grandmother Emma Block. Her recipes, culture and cooking styles that were brought over from Germany. How they evolved when she came to America in the early 1900s and settled in Portland, Oregon on the west coast of the United States. Over 100 recipes

Bonus Recipe CD with the Ebook and recipes with step by step pictures

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Biography of my grandma
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From Germany with Love tells the story of my grandma, Emma Block, growing up in a little town in Baden/ Würtemberg, Germany near Heidelberg named Steinsfurt. Then at the age of 15 immigrating to the United States, taking a train with one of her sisters and brothers to Hamburg and sailing the Atlantic with other hope filled Germans wanting to make a life in the "New World". It was not easy but with good values learned in her German upbringing made a full life, had a wonderful family with lots of fun and celebration including the great German meals.

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