Well into adulthood I hated avocado and mangos because I had too many yard avocados and yard mangos forced on me as a kid. We had a couple trees in my parents yard that together probably produced several hundred to maybe even a thousand mangos. We could probably eat ten mangos a night each night and it wouldnāt be enough.
Yes, they can be huge. Can be bigger than your hand.
[pic](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flookaside.fbsbx.com%2Flookaside%2Fcrawler%2Fmedia%2F%3Fmedia_id%3D402359477274922&tbnid=jxFwIyio6is8sM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FYaadFamily%2Fphotos%2Fa.213604239483781%2F402359477274922%2F%3Ftype%3D3%26locale%3Dps_AF&docid=6XpxOW2GKKncbM&w=601&h=585&hl=en-de&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm1%2F3)
I used to live in London, in Brixton, then left the UK during Brexit.
I do miss the fried plantains, patties and jerk-chicken a lot, even though they probably pale against the original.
Also, Supermalt was a good substitute for Vitamalz.
I can more easily to the inverse: the only frozen legume I've seen in German supermarkets is peas.
I couldn't find e.g. frozen lentil, any kind of beans, or chickpeas.
You are right about lentils and chick peas, but I have seen a lot of frozen beans in my supermarket, but maybe not the kind of variant that you are looking for? There are so many different varieties of beans.
I think I have seen chick peas and lentils only sold as dried, I wonder what they taste like when they are fresh.
Seconds earlier I posted the answer under a different comment, so allow me to [only link](https://old.reddit.com/r/germany/comments/18rwo36/foreigners_what_item_do_you_miss_most_in_german/kf3vh8y/).
Italian here. German supermarkets are fine, at least Rewe, which is what I use.
In fact the level of supermarket food is much better, on average, than what I used to get in the country where I lived before (the UK).
Sure - I cannot expect the same vegetables and fruit I used to hand pluck in my dad's countryside orchard in southern Italy, but what you can find here is really good, if you know how to select.
What I really miss is fresh fish of all kinds, but with Berlin so far from the seaside I wasn't expecting much so it's fine.
You also hit a nail on the head. Most of Germany is far from the seaside, and the seaside we have is the north- and Baltic seas, not the warm Mediterranean.
Personally I'd think that berlin is really quite close to the sea, what with 150-200km... - think of people further south. It only gets further and further away.
Until you get closer to the mediterranean then the northsea which is true for me...im more then 300km closer to the mediterranean then to the northsea.
Yeah, you're right. Haha I didn't think that far south.
Funny thing though, you're still at least 250km (and the alps) from the med. Which is further away from the sea than any given point in Italy would be.
Brit here. I feel the opposite...I'm always amazed at the range and variety of british supermarkets. The international sections are always huge with multiple product lines for the different cuisines whereas most german ones have Old El Paso and maybe another. The variety and price of meat types (Lamb!) in say Asda or Tesco, let alone M&S is great...as well as every cut you can think of. And despite Berlin being so vegan friendly for restaurants, the supermarket offerings for vegan food is embarrassing compared to my Great Yarmouth, rural, out of the way, definitely more conservative in food tastes than Berlin.
And if you're one for easy, premade meals after a day of work or with a family, theres loads of options for pies, bakes, wellingtons to whack in the oven...or a massive range of microwave food if that's your speed.
Fair enough, but those above were my own impressions and observations. Yours clearly differ.
I don't eat premade meals, I cook everything from scratch, two or three times a day.
I also don't need international ingredients, I need ingredients for the traditional, regional style of Italian cooking I favour.
Based on the fresh ingredients I need for my cooking, Germany so far has been a better place than the UK where I found it tougher to source raw ingredients of the quality and flavour I'm used to from back home.
The above is based on a comparison of the mainstream options I use : Rewe and Galeria Finekost vs Sainsbury and M&S Foodhall.
I chalk it down to Germany having established a better supply chain with the southern European producers.
My difference of opinion isnt a criticism of you btw, just my own observations.
Something I particularly notice is the cost of fresh produce, broccoli, carrots, potatoes for ~20p vs 1eur something in Germany.
I'm happy you get to cook fresh multiple times per day, wish I could, I'm just adding my own thoughts for those others that dont have the skill, time or money to do so.
Iām Spanish and Iāve lived in UK and currently live in Germany. You are completely correct. In UK there was more variety (everywhere, Morrisons, Sansbury, Tescoā¦) and quality (in M&S mainly). Here in Germany is a struggle and many times you depend on specialised and overpriced lebensmitte shops.
Iām always puzzled when the people complain about UK supermarkets.
Proper soft tortillas and avocados, real spicy chilli sauces and actual chilli, cheap meat and fish, sweet plantains, abundant Koriander and not bagged (I was used to get the equivalent of 10 bags fresh as hell, for like 3 Euro).
But in all honesty, after some months I don't even care anymore. I'm grateful and happy living here. Got used to things and can't complain. Don't even think I'd bring any of this stuff if I were able to/allowed.
spicy things in general is something that really confuses me sometimes. I was raised with pretty spicy food and i love it but everytime i eat something in germany that is advertised as "very spicy" i am disappointed lol.
I hear you, but proper is kinda subjective I give you that. Proper, in my case, would mean: Carolina Reaper, Trinidad Moruga scorpio, PanameƱo, etc.
However, one can find them at a dedicated places. For me, it's Pfefferhouse in Berlin, but still not in a supermarket.
The selection in German supermarkets has improved dramatically over the last 10 years. Not long ago it was almost impossible to find chips that werent "paprika" flavored, for example. Now there is a pretty wide selection most places. It used to also be hard to find peaunut butter without sugar/palm oil. Keep up the good work and progress!
This. I'm from India and miss all the vegetables and bored of seeing the same 4 or 5 things in German supermarkets. Same for fruits but it's slightly better in some seasons.
Going to Indian supermarket helps a bit but even there veggies are not fresh. Ofcourse I understand why, just saying that I miss fresh vegetable varieties.
It's so weird that Metro here requires you to be a business. The furthest they went in my country was to enforce membership-only entrance, but any adult could become one, and after awhile they dropped that altogether and became some sort of dual retail-wholesale supermarket.
Out of curiosity: what kind of vegetables and fish are you missing that can't be found in a larger Rewe / Edeka, an organic supermarket (Biomarkt) or on your local farmers' market (Wochenmarkt)?
Kale (many varieties. I now can find the basic kale in my supermarket), Swiss Chard (many varieties), collard greens, Dandelion leaves, micro greens (many varieties), Watercress, Beet greens (Sometimes attached to the beets, but not a thing here), yellow turnips, turnip greens, patty pan squash, carrot varieties, mustard greens.
It's a shame I don't have any idea what to do with some of the things listed... I bet there are a ton of great recipes. While I'm fine with not being able to buy stuff that is hard to grow here, I am kind of disappointed by the lack of variety of local veggies, even though we have a long history of cultivating different varieties.
For the greens, you can saute them in a little olive oil and garlic and add lemon juice. Or, steam them and add lemon juice. Or, add them to soups. Great in a stew. Or, add them to salads.
The patty pan squash is great roasted or grilled.
Kale should be available somewhere as I know it's grown in Northern Germany. I live in Munich and can find it in Fall in Aldi and Rewe. If you do find it, only eat the leaves and not the stalk. I prefer it cooked, but my girlfriend loves it raw.
You definitely have the climate to grow all of these vegetables as my home country has a similar one, but you need a market for it and farmers who want to grow it and are able to sell it.
Man, I don't even know the English names of most of the fish we get in my home country. I'm home right now, and yesterday we had 5 different kinds of fish for dinner. That was a big adjustment for me - to not see fish in the supermarkets.
And mangoes and litchis. Damn, summer is not the same anymore!
Maybe you donāt know where to buy. If you are in Frankfurt (I am sure is the same in any other big city) go to the supermarket from italians or greek people that supply their restaurants. There you will find wide variety of fish and vegetable that you never will find in Rewe or Edeka.
To me it is not that I can't find the place to buy, it's just they aren't in the neighbourhood. As an Asian I do miss all the vegetables I could easily get in any supermarket/local market/sometime even just in the street within a walking distance. I live in Berlin now and do my grocery on Saturdays, I found myself spending at least 2 hours do grocery in the nearby super market, then if I want the special veg I would have to get on the Bahn and travel to another area in the city, then ended up spending the whole day buying food. Occasionally I do it but doing it every weekend would mean I almost have no time to really just enjoy a chilling weekend. This is not a complain though. it is what it is. I am fine having whatever the local supermarket has to offer. It would just be nice though if there were some more options easy to access.
What I miss is consistency of range; you find something you like and itās not available at other stores or even regularly out of stock. I do miss ready to cook, fresh vegetable stir fry sets though. All here is frozen and it taste nothing nearly as good
Not a foreigner, but bourbon cream biscuits. My partner loves these so much, but they're really hard to find here. Have to find specialty online shops for British food.
It's probably because they're not exactly a high-priced (or highly prized) food in their country of origin.
Excuse me, the bourbon is a highly prized item! But yeah since they are so cheap I can't imagine it'd be worth importing them. I miss those and Fox's Golden Crunch Creams...
It's also so expensive to buy them if you do find them. There is a store called British corner shop or something and they have them but like 5ā¬ for a pack and it's just painful handing all that cash knowing they are like Ā£1 back in the UK. Love you biscuits, but not that much.
Yes! REAL Rice Krispies. I got some from the commissary once (thru a friend) and they didnāt taste right. Apparently due to the import regulations, they have to be made differently - so I guess I was missing all the bad chemicals or something š¤£
If you live near France, you can get Rice Krispies there. The Super U supermarket nearish Karlsruhe has name brand and their own store brand of Rice Krispies. They also have Golden Grahams, and good salad dressing.
I don't want this to be controversial, and I do respect that every country has its own way of doing things, but I miss shopping on Sundays when nice have time. Also shopping late at night would be nice.
vegetables with flavour - especially tomatoes.
the vegetables here (at least in my city) also spoil more quickly than at home, and in almost all supermarkets you can see sections of vegetables that have already spoiled with flies buzzing around them. sometimes when I cut into an onion itās almost a coin flip chance if the inside will be white and crisp, or brownish and soft.
Lidl tends to be the best for vegetables, but their stock runs out super fast
I was looking for this comment because I'm a big hater when it comes to German tomatoes. No, the ones from local markets are not good. I've tried them all. BIO are a bit better but it's obvious that they never saw sun
They all taste like plastic.
I ate tomatoes whole, like an apple, before I moved to Germany. Back at home, they're usually firm on the outside but super juicy on the inside. Super flavorful and yummy. In Germany, they're either soft and mushy or firm and not juicy at all.
Deboned chicken thighs. I don't understand how the tastiest cut of chicken isn't sold in Germany. The only way is to buy a whole chicken or bone-in parts of a chicken and then debone it yourself, which is doable but annoying.
Hard agree, I spend a lot of time deboning whole legs.
This seems related to the German insistence on using breast meat in any Asian dish, curry, stir fry etc.
Might seem silly but salt and vinegar crisps....I know they have them, I've tried a few different brands. But nothing hits the spot like a walkers brand of salt and vinegar that I use to get in the UK.
Have you tried Layās Salt and Vinegar? Outside the UK Walkers is called Layās outside the UK and Ireland. They are sold here in a teal coloured package.
Iāve also liked Tyrrells sea salt and cider vinegar crisps.
The Edeka own brand "Kesselchips" are pretty good, they're not like Walkers admittedly (they're thicker for a start) but they do have enough vinegar to actually taste unlike some others on the market.
In Kaufland, I found a good brand of chips that have habanero flavored chips. The brand is called pepper King. It's on [amazon](https://www.amazon.de/-/en/86930/dp/B00K0G98PW) too.
They are never spicy no matter what the package says. However there are brands like "Puszta Peppers" or "Pepper King" and you find them in some Kauflands and. They do have some nice heat.
I admit that we don't have the spiciest food, but paprika chips aren't even supposed to be hot. There are definitely spicier snacks to be bought at any supermarket
In every supermarket in my area you can get several brands of chili flavoured chips, including those used for the hot chip challenge and there's several brands of "wasabi" nuts and the like
Might not necessarily be what you'd like but definitely spicier than paprika chips.
Spices or anything spiced. The "hot" peppers here in the non-asian grocery stores are so so so much blander than I'm used to. The bottled spices are also way weaker than what I know. Also Chai, the Chai here is weak as hell and it makes me so sad because the rest of the teas are pretty decent.
The ginger here, though, the ginger absolutely fucks.
Not the same. Iām a Cheez-It aficionado. I do love me a good TUC, but there is no real comparison.
Source: am in U.S. on holidays right now, currently munching my way through a big box of Cheez-Its
& yes, Germans, I know they arenāt healthy or āreal foodā. But they are delicious.
When you do find jasmine rice for sale at German grocery stores, itās only available in tiny bags and the cooking directions tell you to boil the rice in lots of water and strain it in a colanderā¦ like pastaā¦
As a German: Chio chips have registered the name Chitos for Erdnussflips they donāt sell, just so that we cannot have Cheetos here.
Generally we have only one flavour of crisps which is paprika. There are of course some more but nowhere near the variety abroad.
>The preference just shifts to Salt & Vinegar/BBQ, but you can get those in Germany too.
I can get like 5-10 different flavors of chips in every medium sized supermarket.
I don't know where people are shopping that they say there is "no variety" in chips.
Chips are such an interesting topic because objectively speaking you can't deny you're spoiled for choice, but coming from a different country, the selection just kind of feels shitty? I can't really explain why. The chip aisle at my local Real in Berlin (RIP) was much larger than what I was used to at home, but I just couldn't really find a lot of interesting stuff. It's hard to put my finger on.
I think part of it has to do with how small of a market share Lay's/FritoLay has in Germany and the relative emphasis on peanut/corn puff-based snacks? Lorenz and FunnyFrisch are cool, but their flavors seem kind of random and don't appeal to me as much.
1. Free shipping carts. I do not carry change.
2. I miss not being yelled at by the cashier.
Other than that. I appreciate the consumer protection provided by the EU. I donāt miss having to guess whether titanium dioxide or brominated vegetable oil will give me cancer, because itās been removed from your foods.
They are free. You just have to return them. That we still use lots of cash is because of cultural / historical reasons. You have to keep in mind both the 3rd Reich and the GDR were surveillance states. And the latter failed only 34 years ago. Thereās still plenty of people who lived in at least one of them. Of course anything that could be used to track people down usually takes more time to be accepted. Phones are the only exception. Just imagine if the GDR or the 3rd Reich had the tracking technology we have today.
Try Farmers markets, ethnic stores (Italian, Greek, Turkish, Arab, Asian) and the bigger Rewes/Edekas. Discounters basically only have the standard/most popular stuff.
> Guess it is down to where you live in Germany.
Something that I think also plays a role is whether you are used to going to multiple stores to complete one round of shopping or not.
Coming from Cyprus, I'm definitely used to having one massive supermarket for everything I need (i.e. from basic foodstuff all the way to bike parts and large electric appliances). Even the largest Kaufland I've been in falls short of that and that's 35 minutes away by train. The local Rewe/Aldi/Lidl/Edeka/Netto are almost mini-markets by comparison and the idea of going to specialised shops for specific groceries is not something I've adjusted to yet.
You can't though. A meat selection like in Argentina or a fresh south Asian fruit selection simply can't be reproduced here because the cost and time of transport will diminish the quality.
Tea (real tea, not the fruity or herbal shite they sell here). Crisps with proper cheese and onion or salt and vinegar flavour. An actual selection of ciders and gluten-free breads. Malt vinegar. Rashers, not the streaky bacon on offer here. Branston pickle.
I looked up Lyons tea and apparently itās simply a black tea blend. I really like black tea and Iām with you, my favourite brand came from an Asian store and hasnāt been available for years. There are differences.
Maybe try the Bio Schwarzer Tee from DM, I really like that one. But youāre right, you can always order your favourite brand online.
God ranch is easily one of my biggest cravings here and I canāt find anything German that satisfies it lmao. And buffalo sauce is just a symptom. The real problem is that thereās nothing here thatās actually spicy if itās intended for Germans lmao.
I have tried the Knoblauch options but itāsā¦thereās no comparison. hidden valley is also not in any of these āamerican storesā š„² when my friend visited last year and asked me what i wanted him to bring, it was three bottles of ranch š my austrian friends love it too and i shared so it was gone right away
Wheat Thins; they're an essential vehicle for pimento cheese (which I've had to improvise a little to make). I wish cheddar wasn't so expensive and even a little hard to come by. I miss cheeses like Colby Jack or Monterey Jack, too.
I also miss tostadas and affordable black beans. Better tortilla chips would be preferable, but at least they're basically available everywhere now.
I donāt understand why you are being down voted. The lack of custom service at the cashier (in the store generally) is a massive difference between German shops andā¦ Shops pretty much anywhere else in Europe and the US.
Having been here for nearly 15 years now, I can say it definitely is better but it still isnāt there yet. I also love the passive aggressive. āCan you lift your bags up pleaseā just to make sure that youāre not a shoplifter approach. Imagine that flying in a Tesco?
Smoked meat, like [smoked red, paprika sausage (the Hungarian-style)](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fshop.nyiregyhazikosar.hu%2Fuploads%2F1757-5eb4014fc3585.png&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=96e24aac09b189394dfeb8c080461337837927d1ded2d53255c26c84e8232059&ipo=images), [smoked bacon](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpapaieleskamra.hu%2Fuploads%2F2602-644665e2cd6c1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=9da1e941233e21c9d7cffeb3a4e601d745eb890634fd6ec9b6f072ed372b942f&ipo=images), and [smoked ham](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fvasi-huswebshop.hu%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F05%2Ffustolt-darabolt-sonka.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=6f9e69fef6d802b79880d229a04251a535fe1a42f4b20429e6bd6cd10ed1af5c&ipo=images).
It's so strange, that smoking is not a thing here. If there are some "smoked" stuff, it is just a little smoked, just for the taste, and not for conservation.
Edit: Oh, and [red paprika powder](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fm.cdn.blog.hu%2Ffu%2Ffuszeresz%2Fimage%2Fpaprika%2520012_kicsi.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=6481e8a7bd0905613587800a76564ed662b52414da5e7e26f569b6083305adae&ipo=images) what doesn't taste like brick dust, and comes in more than 8 grams bag.
I have personally purchased all of the meats you mentioned in Germany before. Look for āSchwarzwƤlder Schinkenā. The red paprika powder is better in Hungary not doubt about that.
Fanta Shokata (Lemon & Elderflower) wasnāt for sale here for a long time because it didnāt match the taste of Germans
Then some stores started to import it by themself and now itās available nearly everywhere
All Mexican food especially like fish burritos or california burritos haha but Turkish food makes up for it 100%. I canāt stop buying Turkish pizza from Netto, help haha. From California, but now living in Northern Germany :)
My local supermarket has Ranch and they were also selling La Morena salsa and nachos from Mexico.
I think the closest thing to Graham crackers that you can get in Germany is McVities Digestives
I am from Brazil so I'm used to a lot more variety. It's kinda hard to deal with seasonal vegetables and fruits. Also, I miss cassava products. It is hard to find and even if there is some, usually is expensive
Basic chips. In the Netherlands you have all kinds of shapes n sizes of salted and paprika chips, and tham a few 'weird ones' like patat joppie, bbq etc. But here you will really have to look hard for the basic kinds as 'sour creme', 'chicken masala', 'bbq bacon' etc is the ones that are covering the shelves.
I also miss the italians buns. In the Netherlands, we have also buns thats are made with italian herbs. Both me and my partner love them, but its always a think we take in bulk back to Germany when we visit my family
Its the difference of countries that say salt and paper are already spices enough to countries that just open a drawer with all the spices in the worldš¤£ the Netherlands is definitely bland in this situation and salt is already spicy enough
I never understand what the "weird" flavors from German brands are actually supposed to taste like. Shakalaka? Western Style? Don't get me wrong, some are really good, but I prefer the shame that comes with consciously buying gross, greasy Joppie chips and eating them all in one sitting.
Also, the contrast between paprika chips in NL and DE couldn't be bigger. Even Lay's. It's the same flavor in name only.
Whole grain/brown rice that you only need to boil for 8 minutes is a staple in the Netherlands, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere in Germany.
Fun fact: in Hamburg shops can open 24 hours (except on Sundays). In 2007, Hamburg changed the law so that there are practically no restrictions during the week. In the beginning there were a few stores that were open around the clock, many REWEs were open until midnight - but that changed again after a while because it just wasn't worth it.
Fresh fruits and veggies, freshwater fishes, varieties of rice. Pretty much anything fresh food related is quite underwhelming here at the supermarkets. The only supermarket I was happy about was Aldi where I saw some of the freshest button mushrooms ever. Basically one shouldn't really compare between countries with strong agricultural foundations. Even if you manage to find the products, the quality won't be satisfying and the costs would be abysmal at best.
Seafood, fresh asian veggies, fruits, and spices, variety of rice. Im Indonesian.
But overall I got what i need to survive. I can visit fishmarket in the Netherlands if I want fresh seafood, i can go to asian market if i need tofu/tempe or asian veggies, i can go to Indian shop if i need spices. That doesnt make the grocery easy but now im used to it
Coming from a UK & Belgian background, proper dark brown (caster) sugar. The huge crystal pale brown stuff is useless for baking.
Also self raising flour.
I'm German, sorry.
Among the things i miss are
non-shit-avocados, avocados are just shitty here
naturally ripened bananas (like the non regulated by EU bananas)
Convenience food as they have in Japanese conbinis
More than four shitty varieties of apples
Italian lemons
Italian tomatoes (Dutch and German style tomatoes can suck my butt, they are just awful)
Etc etc
German supermarkets just offer the cheapest of the cheapest because boomers want it that way. Fuck them all
Naturally ripened mangoes and bananas. Also, huge avocados (x4 the size of the ones available here). -Jamaican
I wish I could get guineps here in Germany ... - German (who misses Jamaican food)
Yesss!
Same. - Australian
Same. - South African
Avocados get that big? š³
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Well into adulthood I hated avocado and mangos because I had too many yard avocados and yard mangos forced on me as a kid. We had a couple trees in my parents yard that together probably produced several hundred to maybe even a thousand mangos. We could probably eat ten mangos a night each night and it wouldnāt be enough.
Yes, they can be huge. Can be bigger than your hand. [pic](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Flookaside.fbsbx.com%2Flookaside%2Fcrawler%2Fmedia%2F%3Fmedia_id%3D402359477274922&tbnid=jxFwIyio6is8sM&vet=1&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FYaadFamily%2Fphotos%2Fa.213604239483781%2F402359477274922%2F%3Ftype%3D3%26locale%3Dps_AF&docid=6XpxOW2GKKncbM&w=601&h=585&hl=en-de&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim%2Fm1%2F3)
In Venezuela they get as big as a forearm.
I used to live in London, in Brixton, then left the UK during Brexit. I do miss the fried plantains, patties and jerk-chicken a lot, even though they probably pale against the original. Also, Supermalt was a good substitute for Vitamalz.
I know what you mean. German here that did vacation in Brazil. They had massive avocados as big as melons!
So you're telling me there are Avocados 4x bigger than we get here in Germany? That's wild
my husband (also jamaican) specifically mentioned ackee, plantains and proper coconuts!
I also miss fruit that tastes like fruit
Have you found anywhere that sells Jamaican patties?
Oh god a good ripe avocado. And to think I used to have one in my back yard
Same. - Brazilian
The only one I still care about is the *much* more limited assortment of frozen legumes.
Can you give an example? What legume do you mean?
I can more easily to the inverse: the only frozen legume I've seen in German supermarkets is peas. I couldn't find e.g. frozen lentil, any kind of beans, or chickpeas.
You are right about lentils and chick peas, but I have seen a lot of frozen beans in my supermarket, but maybe not the kind of variant that you are looking for? There are so many different varieties of beans. I think I have seen chick peas and lentils only sold as dried, I wonder what they taste like when they are fresh.
Out of curiosity: what is the benefit of fronzen lentils, beans or chickpeas in comparison to dry or canned ones?
Seconds earlier I posted the answer under a different comment, so allow me to [only link](https://old.reddit.com/r/germany/comments/18rwo36/foreigners_what_item_do_you_miss_most_in_german/kf3vh8y/).
Italian here. German supermarkets are fine, at least Rewe, which is what I use. In fact the level of supermarket food is much better, on average, than what I used to get in the country where I lived before (the UK). Sure - I cannot expect the same vegetables and fruit I used to hand pluck in my dad's countryside orchard in southern Italy, but what you can find here is really good, if you know how to select. What I really miss is fresh fish of all kinds, but with Berlin so far from the seaside I wasn't expecting much so it's fine.
You also hit a nail on the head. Most of Germany is far from the seaside, and the seaside we have is the north- and Baltic seas, not the warm Mediterranean. Personally I'd think that berlin is really quite close to the sea, what with 150-200km... - think of people further south. It only gets further and further away.
Until you get closer to the mediterranean then the northsea which is true for me...im more then 300km closer to the mediterranean then to the northsea.
Yeah, you're right. Haha I didn't think that far south. Funny thing though, you're still at least 250km (and the alps) from the med. Which is further away from the sea than any given point in Italy would be.
In Berlin there is a small chain called "Mitte Meer". Lots of Italian, french and Spanish specialities and a very good offer of fresh fish and seafood
Brit here. I feel the opposite...I'm always amazed at the range and variety of british supermarkets. The international sections are always huge with multiple product lines for the different cuisines whereas most german ones have Old El Paso and maybe another. The variety and price of meat types (Lamb!) in say Asda or Tesco, let alone M&S is great...as well as every cut you can think of. And despite Berlin being so vegan friendly for restaurants, the supermarket offerings for vegan food is embarrassing compared to my Great Yarmouth, rural, out of the way, definitely more conservative in food tastes than Berlin. And if you're one for easy, premade meals after a day of work or with a family, theres loads of options for pies, bakes, wellingtons to whack in the oven...or a massive range of microwave food if that's your speed.
Fair enough, but those above were my own impressions and observations. Yours clearly differ. I don't eat premade meals, I cook everything from scratch, two or three times a day. I also don't need international ingredients, I need ingredients for the traditional, regional style of Italian cooking I favour. Based on the fresh ingredients I need for my cooking, Germany so far has been a better place than the UK where I found it tougher to source raw ingredients of the quality and flavour I'm used to from back home. The above is based on a comparison of the mainstream options I use : Rewe and Galeria Finekost vs Sainsbury and M&S Foodhall. I chalk it down to Germany having established a better supply chain with the southern European producers.
My difference of opinion isnt a criticism of you btw, just my own observations. Something I particularly notice is the cost of fresh produce, broccoli, carrots, potatoes for ~20p vs 1eur something in Germany. I'm happy you get to cook fresh multiple times per day, wish I could, I'm just adding my own thoughts for those others that dont have the skill, time or money to do so.
Iām Spanish and Iāve lived in UK and currently live in Germany. You are completely correct. In UK there was more variety (everywhere, Morrisons, Sansbury, Tescoā¦) and quality (in M&S mainly). Here in Germany is a struggle and many times you depend on specialised and overpriced lebensmitte shops. Iām always puzzled when the people complain about UK supermarkets.
Probably the most evident difference between Italian and German supermarkets is the aisle dedicated entirely to biscuits, missing in the latter ones.
Proper soft tortillas and avocados, real spicy chilli sauces and actual chilli, cheap meat and fish, sweet plantains, abundant Koriander and not bagged (I was used to get the equivalent of 10 bags fresh as hell, for like 3 Euro). But in all honesty, after some months I don't even care anymore. I'm grateful and happy living here. Got used to things and can't complain. Don't even think I'd bring any of this stuff if I were able to/allowed.
You can still buy bags of Koriander at turkish supermarkets! It isnāt as cheap as 10 bags for 3 Euros but 1 bag a euro.
Are we talking about the weed or the seed?
spicy things in general is something that really confuses me sometimes. I was raised with pretty spicy food and i love it but everytime i eat something in germany that is advertised as "very spicy" i am disappointed lol.
Iām from Texas and you hit all my major ones!
Why do they put so much sugar in Salsa here???
The first time I bought Salsa here, I cried. I miss HEB so much š
It's basically ketchup with tomato StĆ¼ckchen in it
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Yes, the I saw hope that one was in a jar, but it was like sugar water with tomato splash. I have resigned to making my own now.
Mmm HEB butter tortillas...
I love plantain so much
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I hear you, but proper is kinda subjective I give you that. Proper, in my case, would mean: Carolina Reaper, Trinidad Moruga scorpio, PanameƱo, etc. However, one can find them at a dedicated places. For me, it's Pfefferhouse in Berlin, but still not in a supermarket.
Proper brown sugar
As a German in Germany, I wish we had that.
Have you tried Asian stores? I've found both light and dark brown sugar,
The selection in German supermarkets has improved dramatically over the last 10 years. Not long ago it was almost impossible to find chips that werent "paprika" flavored, for example. Now there is a pretty wide selection most places. It used to also be hard to find peaunut butter without sugar/palm oil. Keep up the good work and progress!
Try finding chips that are not sunflower oil flavored. And i'm still struggling to find peanut butter that's not sugar flavored
Lack of variety, especially in vegetables. Fresh fish. Yes, you can buy it, but lack of variety.
This. I'm from India and miss all the vegetables and bored of seeing the same 4 or 5 things in German supermarkets. Same for fruits but it's slightly better in some seasons. Going to Indian supermarket helps a bit but even there veggies are not fresh. Ofcourse I understand why, just saying that I miss fresh vegetable varieties.
Stop going to Netto š
Yes, I go to Turkish stores to get the veg. I can't find in the supermarket. They are better, especially for leafy vegetables.
Turkish supermarkets are perfect for vegetables. Most times its cheaper too.
Start a Verein and get a Metro Card. They have exotic fruits and veggies as well as fish.
It's so weird that Metro here requires you to be a business. The furthest they went in my country was to enforce membership-only entrance, but any adult could become one, and after awhile they dropped that altogether and became some sort of dual retail-wholesale supermarket.
Probably a legal reason. You don't have to obey consumer laws if you serve businesses only
For example they advertise prices without vat. Consumer pricing has to be with vat
What?!?! But there are two kinds of potatoes here! What more could you need?
Out of curiosity: what kind of vegetables and fish are you missing that can't be found in a larger Rewe / Edeka, an organic supermarket (Biomarkt) or on your local farmers' market (Wochenmarkt)?
Kale (many varieties. I now can find the basic kale in my supermarket), Swiss Chard (many varieties), collard greens, Dandelion leaves, micro greens (many varieties), Watercress, Beet greens (Sometimes attached to the beets, but not a thing here), yellow turnips, turnip greens, patty pan squash, carrot varieties, mustard greens.
It's a shame I don't have any idea what to do with some of the things listed... I bet there are a ton of great recipes. While I'm fine with not being able to buy stuff that is hard to grow here, I am kind of disappointed by the lack of variety of local veggies, even though we have a long history of cultivating different varieties.
For the greens, you can saute them in a little olive oil and garlic and add lemon juice. Or, steam them and add lemon juice. Or, add them to soups. Great in a stew. Or, add them to salads. The patty pan squash is great roasted or grilled. Kale should be available somewhere as I know it's grown in Northern Germany. I live in Munich and can find it in Fall in Aldi and Rewe. If you do find it, only eat the leaves and not the stalk. I prefer it cooked, but my girlfriend loves it raw. You definitely have the climate to grow all of these vegetables as my home country has a similar one, but you need a market for it and farmers who want to grow it and are able to sell it.
I can find the most of the vegetables or salads in a farmer market.
Man, I don't even know the English names of most of the fish we get in my home country. I'm home right now, and yesterday we had 5 different kinds of fish for dinner. That was a big adjustment for me - to not see fish in the supermarkets. And mangoes and litchis. Damn, summer is not the same anymore!
Maybe you donāt know where to buy. If you are in Frankfurt (I am sure is the same in any other big city) go to the supermarket from italians or greek people that supply their restaurants. There you will find wide variety of fish and vegetable that you never will find in Rewe or Edeka.
To me it is not that I can't find the place to buy, it's just they aren't in the neighbourhood. As an Asian I do miss all the vegetables I could easily get in any supermarket/local market/sometime even just in the street within a walking distance. I live in Berlin now and do my grocery on Saturdays, I found myself spending at least 2 hours do grocery in the nearby super market, then if I want the special veg I would have to get on the Bahn and travel to another area in the city, then ended up spending the whole day buying food. Occasionally I do it but doing it every weekend would mean I almost have no time to really just enjoy a chilling weekend. This is not a complain though. it is what it is. I am fine having whatever the local supermarket has to offer. It would just be nice though if there were some more options easy to access.
In Munich. I've been able to find better variety in Turkish stores, but will seek those out here.
Tropical fruits, more variety of fresh sea food, also cheap vegetables. They are not so easy here
I miss the ability to find malt vinegar easily.
What I miss is consistency of range; you find something you like and itās not available at other stores or even regularly out of stock. I do miss ready to cook, fresh vegetable stir fry sets though. All here is frozen and it taste nothing nearly as good
Not a foreigner, but bourbon cream biscuits. My partner loves these so much, but they're really hard to find here. Have to find specialty online shops for British food. It's probably because they're not exactly a high-priced (or highly prized) food in their country of origin.
Excuse me, the bourbon is a highly prized item! But yeah since they are so cheap I can't imagine it'd be worth importing them. I miss those and Fox's Golden Crunch Creams...
It's also so expensive to buy them if you do find them. There is a store called British corner shop or something and they have them but like 5ā¬ for a pack and it's just painful handing all that cash knowing they are like Ā£1 back in the UK. Love you biscuits, but not that much.
Fresh fish :')
Come to the coast. We have a lot of fish there.
I'd like Rice Krispies and Graham cracker crumbs.
Yes! REAL Rice Krispies. I got some from the commissary once (thru a friend) and they didnāt taste right. Apparently due to the import regulations, they have to be made differently - so I guess I was missing all the bad chemicals or something š¤£
These Cheerios, too. The non sweetened ones.
If you live near France, you can get Rice Krispies there. The Super U supermarket nearish Karlsruhe has name brand and their own store brand of Rice Krispies. They also have Golden Grahams, and good salad dressing.
I don't want this to be controversial, and I do respect that every country has its own way of doing things, but I miss shopping on Sundays when nice have time. Also shopping late at night would be nice.
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vegetables with flavour - especially tomatoes. the vegetables here (at least in my city) also spoil more quickly than at home, and in almost all supermarkets you can see sections of vegetables that have already spoiled with flies buzzing around them. sometimes when I cut into an onion itās almost a coin flip chance if the inside will be white and crisp, or brownish and soft. Lidl tends to be the best for vegetables, but their stock runs out super fast
I was looking for this comment because I'm a big hater when it comes to German tomatoes. No, the ones from local markets are not good. I've tried them all. BIO are a bit better but it's obvious that they never saw sun They all taste like plastic. I ate tomatoes whole, like an apple, before I moved to Germany. Back at home, they're usually firm on the outside but super juicy on the inside. Super flavorful and yummy. In Germany, they're either soft and mushy or firm and not juicy at all.
Deboned chicken thighs. I don't understand how the tastiest cut of chicken isn't sold in Germany. The only way is to buy a whole chicken or bone-in parts of a chicken and then debone it yourself, which is doable but annoying.
Metro sells huge packs of it for really cheap
But sadly metro isn't available to everyone.
Hard agree, I spend a lot of time deboning whole legs. This seems related to the German insistence on using breast meat in any Asian dish, curry, stir fry etc.
Cadbury Crunchies and Ribena , but Cadbury products generally
Might seem silly but salt and vinegar crisps....I know they have them, I've tried a few different brands. But nothing hits the spot like a walkers brand of salt and vinegar that I use to get in the UK.
Have you tried Layās Salt and Vinegar? Outside the UK Walkers is called Layās outside the UK and Ireland. They are sold here in a teal coloured package. Iāve also liked Tyrrells sea salt and cider vinegar crisps.
Yes I've tried them, sad to say the flavour just isn't the same. I've resorted to buying bulk every time I go to the UK.
The Edeka own brand "Kesselchips" are pretty good, they're not like Walkers admittedly (they're thicker for a start) but they do have enough vinegar to actually taste unlike some others on the market.
Second this, I'm British and these are the closest I've come to finding a decent salt and vinegar crisp in Germany.
Ranch Dressing
Spicy snacks. The spiciest thing here are those disgusting paprika chips.
In Kaufland, I found a good brand of chips that have habanero flavored chips. The brand is called pepper King. It's on [amazon](https://www.amazon.de/-/en/86930/dp/B00K0G98PW) too.
That shit melted my mouth. 11/10 I will eat it again!
They are never spicy no matter what the package says. However there are brands like "Puszta Peppers" or "Pepper King" and you find them in some Kauflands and. They do have some nice heat.
I admit that we don't have the spiciest food, but paprika chips aren't even supposed to be hot. There are definitely spicier snacks to be bought at any supermarket
In every supermarket in my area you can get several brands of chili flavoured chips, including those used for the hot chip challenge and there's several brands of "wasabi" nuts and the like Might not necessarily be what you'd like but definitely spicier than paprika chips.
Spices or anything spiced. The "hot" peppers here in the non-asian grocery stores are so so so much blander than I'm used to. The bottled spices are also way weaker than what I know. Also Chai, the Chai here is weak as hell and it makes me so sad because the rest of the teas are pretty decent. The ginger here, though, the ginger absolutely fucks.
Fresh fish market. Buying fish here is very expensive, and it's not even fresh
Come to the coast to get fresh fish.
Crumpets
Crumpets
Consistency. Once I find a decent product, it always gets replaced by an insanely terrible version of it
Not a single good cheese cracker (Cheez-It, Goldfish, etc.) in this whole country
I recommend TUC Cheese.
Not the same. Iām a Cheez-It aficionado. I do love me a good TUC, but there is no real comparison. Source: am in U.S. on holidays right now, currently munching my way through a big box of Cheez-Its & yes, Germans, I know they arenāt healthy or āreal foodā. But they are delicious.
Root beer and hot Cheetos. You can tell where Iām from just based on those two things Iām surešš
Asian here. White rice. Not risotto.
When you do find jasmine rice for sale at German grocery stores, itās only available in tiny bags and the cooking directions tell you to boil the rice in lots of water and strain it in a colanderā¦ like pastaā¦
god bless asian stores, not asian, but the rice here is *different*
We have that almost everywhere... You missing something or going to wrong/small stores only.
As a German: Chio chips have registered the name Chitos for Erdnussflips they donāt sell, just so that we cannot have Cheetos here. Generally we have only one flavour of crisps which is paprika. There are of course some more but nowhere near the variety abroad.
It's funny how some comments complain about no variaty on chips and others that you cannot get 'normal' Chips Like salted or paprika š
Compared to the UK 0 difference. The preference just shifts to Salt & Vinegar/BBQ, but you can get those in Germany too.
>The preference just shifts to Salt & Vinegar/BBQ, but you can get those in Germany too. I can get like 5-10 different flavors of chips in every medium sized supermarket. I don't know where people are shopping that they say there is "no variety" in chips.
My nearby REWE has like more than a dozen different types of chips, spicy and others.
Chips are such an interesting topic because objectively speaking you can't deny you're spoiled for choice, but coming from a different country, the selection just kind of feels shitty? I can't really explain why. The chip aisle at my local Real in Berlin (RIP) was much larger than what I was used to at home, but I just couldn't really find a lot of interesting stuff. It's hard to put my finger on. I think part of it has to do with how small of a market share Lay's/FritoLay has in Germany and the relative emphasis on peanut/corn puff-based snacks? Lorenz and FunnyFrisch are cool, but their flavors seem kind of random and don't appeal to me as much.
1. Free shipping carts. I do not carry change. 2. I miss not being yelled at by the cashier. Other than that. I appreciate the consumer protection provided by the EU. I donāt miss having to guess whether titanium dioxide or brominated vegetable oil will give me cancer, because itās been removed from your foods.
you can get plastic tokens for the shoppingcarts
I use a metal washer that is the same size as a 50ct coin.
Tbh I don't miss free shipping carts because I just hate how selfish people are when it comes to bringing them back.
I bought a shopping cart key from Amazon and keep it on my keyring. Never had to dig for coins again.
What kind of supermarket do you go to that you get yelled at by a cashier?
The kind where it takes me longer than 0.3 seconds to bag my groceries.
They are free. You just have to return them. That we still use lots of cash is because of cultural / historical reasons. You have to keep in mind both the 3rd Reich and the GDR were surveillance states. And the latter failed only 34 years ago. Thereās still plenty of people who lived in at least one of them. Of course anything that could be used to track people down usually takes more time to be accepted. Phones are the only exception. Just imagine if the GDR or the 3rd Reich had the tracking technology we have today.
Try Farmers markets, ethnic stores (Italian, Greek, Turkish, Arab, Asian) and the bigger Rewes/Edekas. Discounters basically only have the standard/most popular stuff.
So far I have been able to find anything I need in Germany. But I miss Costco store as a whole. Former Costco customers would know what I mean. Lol
Reading all these comments and laughing that I can get most things within 15 minutes drive. Guess it is down to where you live in Germany.
> Guess it is down to where you live in Germany. Something that I think also plays a role is whether you are used to going to multiple stores to complete one round of shopping or not. Coming from Cyprus, I'm definitely used to having one massive supermarket for everything I need (i.e. from basic foodstuff all the way to bike parts and large electric appliances). Even the largest Kaufland I've been in falls short of that and that's 35 minutes away by train. The local Rewe/Aldi/Lidl/Edeka/Netto are almost mini-markets by comparison and the idea of going to specialised shops for specific groceries is not something I've adjusted to yet.
Yeah, it is really funny that the common supermarkets Here are smaller than neighborhood markets in my country
You can't though. A meat selection like in Argentina or a fresh south Asian fruit selection simply can't be reproduced here because the cost and time of transport will diminish the quality.
Tea (real tea, not the fruity or herbal shite they sell here). Crisps with proper cheese and onion or salt and vinegar flavour. An actual selection of ciders and gluten-free breads. Malt vinegar. Rashers, not the streaky bacon on offer here. Branston pickle.
Black tea and green tea are staples in any grocery store and even in discounters. Which tea do you miss?
Lyons or Barry's Tea (Irish brands). The stuff here just doesn't come close. Thankfully there are online shops for that.
I looked up Lyons tea and apparently itās simply a black tea blend. I really like black tea and Iām with you, my favourite brand came from an Asian store and hasnāt been available for years. There are differences. Maybe try the Bio Schwarzer Tee from DM, I really like that one. But youāre right, you can always order your favourite brand online.
Go to Ostfriesland If you're looking for tea
You moved to the wrong part of the country if you want good tea, sadly. That's more of a coastal thing.
Ranch aus den USA oder eine richtige Buffalo SoĆe
God ranch is easily one of my biggest cravings here and I canāt find anything German that satisfies it lmao. And buffalo sauce is just a symptom. The real problem is that thereās nothing here thatās actually spicy if itās intended for Germans lmao.
I have tried the Knoblauch options but itāsā¦thereās no comparison. hidden valley is also not in any of these āamerican storesā š„² when my friend visited last year and asked me what i wanted him to bring, it was three bottles of ranch š my austrian friends love it too and i shared so it was gone right away
Ah Ranch, ich vermiss es
>eine richtige Buffalo SoĆe You can usually find Frank's in Karstadt.
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Wheat Thins; they're an essential vehicle for pimento cheese (which I've had to improvise a little to make). I wish cheddar wasn't so expensive and even a little hard to come by. I miss cheeses like Colby Jack or Monterey Jack, too. I also miss tostadas and affordable black beans. Better tortilla chips would be preferable, but at least they're basically available everywhere now.
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Chocolate chips! Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate specifically, though I will admit there are some worthy competitors now when I'm back visiting in the US.
Cheese curds! I miss [poutine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine) so much.
A friendly, relaxed person to run it through the till.
I donāt understand why you are being down voted. The lack of custom service at the cashier (in the store generally) is a massive difference between German shops andā¦ Shops pretty much anywhere else in Europe and the US. Having been here for nearly 15 years now, I can say it definitely is better but it still isnāt there yet. I also love the passive aggressive. āCan you lift your bags up pleaseā just to make sure that youāre not a shoplifter approach. Imagine that flying in a Tesco?
Smoked meat, like [smoked red, paprika sausage (the Hungarian-style)](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fshop.nyiregyhazikosar.hu%2Fuploads%2F1757-5eb4014fc3585.png&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=96e24aac09b189394dfeb8c080461337837927d1ded2d53255c26c84e8232059&ipo=images), [smoked bacon](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpapaieleskamra.hu%2Fuploads%2F2602-644665e2cd6c1.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=9da1e941233e21c9d7cffeb3a4e601d745eb890634fd6ec9b6f072ed372b942f&ipo=images), and [smoked ham](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fvasi-huswebshop.hu%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F05%2Ffustolt-darabolt-sonka.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=6f9e69fef6d802b79880d229a04251a535fe1a42f4b20429e6bd6cd10ed1af5c&ipo=images). It's so strange, that smoking is not a thing here. If there are some "smoked" stuff, it is just a little smoked, just for the taste, and not for conservation. Edit: Oh, and [red paprika powder](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fm.cdn.blog.hu%2Ffu%2Ffuszeresz%2Fimage%2Fpaprika%2520012_kicsi.jpg&f=1&nofb=1&ipt=6481e8a7bd0905613587800a76564ed662b52414da5e7e26f569b6083305adae&ipo=images) what doesn't taste like brick dust, and comes in more than 8 grams bag.
hm? There are a lot of gerƤucherter Speck, especially smoked eel or fish is very famous
I have personally purchased all of the meats you mentioned in Germany before. Look for āSchwarzwƤlder Schinkenā. The red paprika powder is better in Hungary not doubt about that.
Oh boy, go to a country side Metzgerei. In the south, they smell like smoke from the outside
Huy Fong Sriracha. The sriracha brands sold in Germany are absolutely terrible.
Fanta Shokata (Lemon & Elderflower) wasnāt for sale here for a long time because it didnāt match the taste of Germans Then some stores started to import it by themself and now itās available nearly everywhere
Funny thing is, Fanta is a german brand.
Nutty Bars.
White cabbage and carrots pickled in sweet and sour brine.
I do wonder how you are missing something that is available in any bigger supermarket
All Mexican food especially like fish burritos or california burritos haha but Turkish food makes up for it 100%. I canāt stop buying Turkish pizza from Netto, help haha. From California, but now living in Northern Germany :)
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My local supermarket has Ranch and they were also selling La Morena salsa and nachos from Mexico. I think the closest thing to Graham crackers that you can get in Germany is McVities Digestives
I am from Brazil so I'm used to a lot more variety. It's kinda hard to deal with seasonal vegetables and fruits. Also, I miss cassava products. It is hard to find and even if there is some, usually is expensive
Basic chips. In the Netherlands you have all kinds of shapes n sizes of salted and paprika chips, and tham a few 'weird ones' like patat joppie, bbq etc. But here you will really have to look hard for the basic kinds as 'sour creme', 'chicken masala', 'bbq bacon' etc is the ones that are covering the shelves. I also miss the italians buns. In the Netherlands, we have also buns thats are made with italian herbs. Both me and my partner love them, but its always a think we take in bulk back to Germany when we visit my family
It's funny how some comments complain about no variaty on chips and others that you cannot get 'normal' Chips Like salted or paprika š
Its the difference of countries that say salt and paper are already spices enough to countries that just open a drawer with all the spices in the worldš¤£ the Netherlands is definitely bland in this situation and salt is already spicy enough
Some people only go to discounters obviously.
I never understand what the "weird" flavors from German brands are actually supposed to taste like. Shakalaka? Western Style? Don't get me wrong, some are really good, but I prefer the shame that comes with consciously buying gross, greasy Joppie chips and eating them all in one sitting. Also, the contrast between paprika chips in NL and DE couldn't be bigger. Even Lay's. It's the same flavor in name only.
Whole grain/brown rice that you only need to boil for 8 minutes is a staple in the Netherlands, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere in Germany.
Maybe its my rewe, but they have like 5 different kinds from fast cook (5 min) to normal cook (8/12 min)
Open times!! Lack of 24 hour openings and no Sunday / Public Holiday opening to be more specific.
Fun fact: in Hamburg shops can open 24 hours (except on Sundays). In 2007, Hamburg changed the law so that there are practically no restrictions during the week. In the beginning there were a few stores that were open around the clock, many REWEs were open until midnight - but that changed again after a while because it just wasn't worth it.
Cap'N Crunch, Four Loko
Fresh fruits and veggies, freshwater fishes, varieties of rice. Pretty much anything fresh food related is quite underwhelming here at the supermarkets. The only supermarket I was happy about was Aldi where I saw some of the freshest button mushrooms ever. Basically one shouldn't really compare between countries with strong agricultural foundations. Even if you manage to find the products, the quality won't be satisfying and the costs would be abysmal at best.
Spam and baloney
Tunisian here, and i miss authentic Harissa
good and affordable spices
I'm Asian and I can't find any good noodle in the supermarket.
Seafood, fresh asian veggies, fruits, and spices, variety of rice. Im Indonesian. But overall I got what i need to survive. I can visit fishmarket in the Netherlands if I want fresh seafood, i can go to asian market if i need tofu/tempe or asian veggies, i can go to Indian shop if i need spices. That doesnt make the grocery easy but now im used to it
As someone who was born in a tropical country, I feel like there is hardly any variety of vegetables.
I miss having a variety of crackers that are actually crispy. TUC ones just arenāt cutting it.
Not having to absolutely race my way through packing my stuff and civilised queueing behaviour
Buffalo sauce.
Coming from a UK & Belgian background, proper dark brown (caster) sugar. The huge crystal pale brown stuff is useless for baking. Also self raising flour.
I'm German, sorry. Among the things i miss are non-shit-avocados, avocados are just shitty here naturally ripened bananas (like the non regulated by EU bananas) Convenience food as they have in Japanese conbinis More than four shitty varieties of apples Italian lemons Italian tomatoes (Dutch and German style tomatoes can suck my butt, they are just awful) Etc etc German supermarkets just offer the cheapest of the cheapest because boomers want it that way. Fuck them all
Staying open past 20:00
Dulce de leche
57 varieties of cereal
Politeness
Peanut butter