Bavarian Pretzels
Some things just don't need explanation. Bavarian pretzels are usually awesome if they are right out of the oven!
Produce Section
The produce section is always fresh and usually local. They have most things you'd be able to identify but somehow their veggies tastes slightly different because of how they are grown. Germany has a long history of organic farming and many of the fruits and veggies here are organic! Netto is a smaller chain so their stock is more limited but there are still some great buys.
Bakery
The bakery section is where you can find your fresh baked breads and pastries. I love Germany pastries because they aren't as sweet and don't contain as much sugar as American pastries.
Mixes for Everything
There are mixes and spice packages for anything you want to make. And they are cheap! I don't even think you can find something for 25 cents (though these prices are all in Euro) for something at an American grocery store besides Ramen.
They Have Cereals I can no Longer Find Stateside
Cookie Crisps? I can't even find this stuff in the States anymore, though I used to eat it all the time when I was little. Or maybe they do have it and I can never find it. Weird, but I'll take it.
Crazy Cheap Toilet Paper and Paper Towels
It must mean that I'm old if I'm getting excited to talk about toilet paper, but the groceries stores here have really cheap stuff! For less than $2 I can get toilet paper while paying maybe $8 for American toilet paper. Who wants to pay $8 for toilet paper??? I don't even want to think about toilet paper. Moving on.
Chocolate!
Every German grocery store has a fabulous assortment of chocolate. Good quality chocolate. And Haribo Gummy Bears which are made in Germany. Every time I go to the grocery store it's like being in Charlie and Chocolate Factory.
Hugo
This stuff is amazing. It's like a wine spritzer with mint. It's my German version of Moscato although this drink originates from Italy. The word Hugo might be a play on the Spanish (and possibly Italian?) work Jugo which means juice. It's pretty awesome and look at the price for one bottle. Very cheap! Most wines at German grocery stores are less than 3 Euro!
This Combination of Snacking Foods
There is something about this combination of foods that I love. The cream cheese here is made with goat cheese which I love. It's seriously good on everything from bread to crackers to veggies. It comes in a couple of flavors and nothing I've found in the states compares.
A Couple of Other Differences About German Grocery Stores
I thought it was worth mentioning some other differences about German groceries stores.
1) You'll need to bring your own bag or basket. They don't use wasteful bags like in America. There is the option but many of the smallers stores don't even offer them.
2) Beef and Chicken is not the prefered meat although you can find it in the grocery store. Pork is by far the preferred meat by Germans.
3) Many grocery stores make you deposit a coin to get a cart. You get it back when you return the cart. Great idea because it eliminates the lazy people who leave their carts all over the place.
4) You can get great quality flowers for a low price usually any time of year at the grocery stores.
5) A lot of what I showed looked cheap in price but don't be fooled. The American Dollar doesn't go a long way with the Euro.
Are you surprised by any of the differences at German grocery stores between the USA or other countries? What are some of the differences in your country?
I am teaming up with the lovely Rachel from Postcards from Rachel and Chelsea from
Lost in Travels for the Expat Diaries Linkup below. Go ahead and share your travel and expat related links!
I am teaming up with the lovely Rachel from Postcards from Rachel and Chelsea from
Lost in Travels for the Expat Diaries Linkup below. Go ahead and share your travel and expat related links!
Linking up at:
What a fun list! While traveling in Germany, I fell in love with the mustard (guess it goes with the pretzels). :-)
ReplyDeleteYum. There is good mustard! They have some yummy sweet mustard.
Deletehaha I think you'll appreciate this (re: needing a coin to get a cart): https://twitter.com/Pandamoanimum/status/437005939859001344/photo/1
ReplyDeleteWhen we visit my father in law in Germany, he gave us the "coin" in order to get a cart. When putting the cart back, you get the "coin" returned. No lose carts in the parking lot.
DeleteWow haha That would really screw someone over!
DeleteHello- I'm over from the link-up! Grocery shopping here in Korea is so similar, yet so so different than back in the states. I think the produce here is better because it's locally grown. The biggest shock for me is the seafood section. There are squid and octopus and whole fish- there are even live fish. My husband loves it, but I can't get over seeing the whole fish.
ReplyDeleteGetting used to grocery shopping abroad was one of the tricky bits (got into sticky situations more than once for not having EXACT change...oops), but I ended up totally loving exploring all they had to offer!! Incredible that produce really can taste different based on where it was grown! Such a fun little perk of living in another country.
ReplyDeletexo Elle
https://itsaromanthing.wordpress.com/
Yes, It must be that it's grown local! Less preservative which I appreciate.
DeleteLove this! It is nice to see differences with the USA. I definitely agree though, Europe has the whole organic. recycle, and not being lazy down to a science. Please add more of these "differences," for I look forward to them!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the interest Jordan. I do really love that Germany is so keen on recycling. It's the law here and although it is a pain in the ass when we have to take a million bottles to the recycling center it so much better for the environment. The US is going to need to recycle when there is no more room for it all.
DeleteOh myyyy so many great things in a German grocery store - who woulda thunk?! Cream goat cheese sounds like one of the best things ever created. I'm saving this for my someday-visit to Germany!
ReplyDeleteI love goat cheese!
DeleteHi Brittany! I'm a fellow American expat in Germany - so you can that I love this post. Navigating the German grocery store is always an entertaining experience but I'm glad you've found things that you love. I actually haven't tried any of those mixes yet, which one do you recommend? The fruit and vegetables here are sooo much better than the States, lucky us! I found your blog via the Postcards from Rachel linkup! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Margo, They have a spargel soup mix. I have no idea how it is since I haven't used it but I've made spargel soup myself and it's to die for so the soup mix is probably good too. I even wrote a post about spargel soup if you'd like to read it in my Blog Archive tab!
DeleteThank you so much for co-hosting! German pretzels are my absolute favorite and I always order them from the German grocery stories in the States. I had quite a few at Oktoberfest... good for sobering up. ;)
ReplyDeleteYes definitely good for sobering up. Aldi's is a German grocery store that a lot of people might not know about. Is that the one you are referring too? They even do the same thing with the carts. Where i'm from in PA a lot of Amish people shop there which makes sense because they are "Pennsylvania Dutch" which are German descendants.
DeleteThis is so interesting. I've got my own little Malaysian Grocery Store blog post in the works. Muslims can't eat pork or alcohol, so I have to go to a separate section of the store to purchase them. I would love to try those Pretzels you photographed, and I bet I'd like all the other bakery items, too. Hugo sounds fantastic. Also, I didn't realize that the USA doesn't have Cookie Crisp. I can buy it in Malaysia, though.
ReplyDeleteHaha they might have cookie crisps somewhere I just remember that I haven't seen them since I was little and I found them at my German grocery store so I thought it was kinda weird.
DeleteMy favorite product from german supermarkets is their "Jello." It only comes in red or green but it's unsweetened and you can add your own sugar.
ReplyDeleteThat's great to know about the jello because who really wants to eat a bunch of sugar. I'd love to be able to add my own amount.
DeleteThis was such a neat post! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks again for joining the Link Up this week!
Ohh, I LOVE that chocolate section! German chocolate is my fave:-) Here in NYC it' starting to become more the norm to bring your own bags, too...!
ReplyDeleteSome fun examples - brings back memories from my time in Germany. I remember our first night in Munich when we were surprised to learn that the breze provided on the table wasn't complimentary like chips or popcorn table-side would be in the US, whoops! (Seen on Do Tell Tuesday.)
ReplyDeleteI -loved- going to the grocery store with my friend in a Munich suburb! (You forgot Kinder eggs. @_@ Hahah. I was so excited to finally get them back again!) Anyway -- I loved the variety of quality meats that weren't very expensive -- like peppered salami, sausages, etc. The sheer variety of yogurts was impressive -- I got hazelnut once, kiwi... I also loved that blackcurrant flavored things is so common there. Johannisbeere everything please! I couldn't decide on all the juice flavors either, lol, or the chocolate.
ReplyDeleteI was really amused by the "American" and Wild West things I saw -- they had "American Cream" flavored chips (...which was honey mustard, which is not cream...huh), and kids' yogurts that were banana flavored with chocolate BBs inside, with a cowboy shooting a gun spraying buckshot everywhere on the packaging. lol. They even had a Wild West shooting gallery at the Fruhlingsfest!
I was also intimidated with their insanely organized recycling system at the store. My friend showed me that she had to bring a little carrier with her in order to get her money back, and all the bottles had to be the same kind per carrier. None of this tossing all the bottles into bins by material...
I dunno. Overall, I felt like even though the euro prices were more expensive because of the exchange rate, you still got more for your money for most of the food, except like Cokes.
Oh well. Thanks for the post! Sorry for the long comment, but I just wrote a post about the dinner my friend cooked for me, and it made me go searching for more German food tweets/posts. Ahh, Germany.
Oh so that's what Hugo is! I keep seeing it and wondering. I'll have to try it out. I did a list like this and we definitely had similar picks! ;-) Thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteYes I saw your list. Loved your picks too! I love Hugo, you have to try it it's so good!
DeleteOh so that's what Hugo is! I keep seeing it and wondering. I'll have to try it out. I did a list like this and we definitely had similar picks! ;-) Thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteI shop at Aldi a lot and I knew it was German owned, but I never realized just how similar it was to the actual German stores. I love shopping there and wish they offered more stuff!
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of cream cheese made with goats milk, thanks for sharing again on Tuesdays With A Twist, I always look forward to your posts.
ReplyDeleteI am an expat living in France and we have Netto here with a lot of similarities with your German ones. Two differences though - lots of different meats available and no Hugo ) but plenty of cheap and very drinkable French wine at under 2€ a bottle! #TravelTuesday
ReplyDeleteOh yes chocolate and pretzles from Germany is what I loved so much living there. Now that I appreciate beer, I would add that next time I visit. x
ReplyDeleteMmm pretzels look so yummy! I'm an Aussie currently living in America and there are so many differences between grocery stores between the two countries. A very obvious difference is you can't buy liquor in grocery stores in Australia but we have seen it everywhere in the States. Popping over from Travel Tuesdat linkup :) Carly
ReplyDeleteYum!!! I love exploring grocery stores in new places, there are always awesome finds!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is so damn cheap toilet paper!! I hate buying toilet paper - it's so over priced!
ReplyDeleteI know it's crazy cheap right?
DeleteI'm German and although there is not much that I like more than travelling, I just totally miss German bread and rolls when I'm abroad. I'm always glad when I can find a Lidl when I'm staying abroad for more than 2 weeks just because of the croissants and cheese rolls you can get there. And when I come back from a trip I'm always amazed by the great selection of food, especially baked stuff you can get here in Germany :D Happy TravelTuesday!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm German and although there is not much that I love more than travelling, I always miss German bread and rolls when I'm abroad. I'm so glad when I find a Lidl when I'm staying abroad for more than 2 weeks just because of their croissants and cheese rolls :D and when I get back from a trip I'm always amazed by the great selection of food, especially baked goods, you can get here in Germany ;) Happy Travel Tuesday!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm German and although there is not much that I like more than travelling, I just totally miss German bread and rolls when I'm abroad. I'm always glad when I can find a Lidl when I'm staying abroad for more than 2 weeks just because of the croissants and cheese rolls you can get there. And when I come back from a trip I'm always amazed by the great selection of food, especially baked stuff you can get here in Germany :D Happy TravelTuesday!! :)
ReplyDeleteI love that they have local produce, and that you must bring your own bag or you're out of luck. And I can't believe how cheap the paper towels are... I always feel so ripped off when I have to buy that stuff in North America.
ReplyDelete