It is general knowledge that Europe imported the potato from South America about 400 years ago and that
Frederick the Great made enormous efforts to introduce this staple food in Prussia. Potatoes fed Prussia's growing population and made its food supply less dependent on the harvesting of cereal grains.
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Frederick inspecting the harvesting of his favorite staple food
that the farmers subserviently present to the "potato king". |
Rumors were frequently spread that Frederick's troops were superior to other armies solely fed on cereal grains because of the potato (not spinach!) diet of the Prussian grenadiers.
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Frederick on the eve of the Battle of Torgau (1760) that he nearly lost.
Somewhat dreamily he observes a country lass boiling potatoes on an open fire.
Did the miracle tuber perhaps save Frederick's upcoming day? |
Potatoes are still popular in Europe. Here in Germany kids in particular adore them in the form of
pommes frites (French fries) called
Pommes rot with ketchup or
Pommes weiß with mayonnaise or even
Pommes rot-weiß. Another popular preparation is frying sliced potatoes in a pan.
Following the white asparagus season ending at
Sankt Johannis (June 24) restaurants in the Freiburg region seamlessly continue with
Brägel weeks in the beginning of July before the chanterelle season takes over.
Brägel are not to be confused with
Brägele that are generally considered to be like
Bratkartoffeln (home fries) as served in northern Germany. And then there are still the
Rösti in Switzerland.
Let us work on the difference of all these delicious potato dishes and start with
Brägel.
Brägel are made from thinly grated boiled potatoes that are formed into a patty, seasoned with pepper and salt, and baked in a pan on both sides using
Schmalz (lard).
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Brägel (©Hochschwarzwälder Brägelwochen 2015) |
This sounds like
Rösti, but the Swiss speciality is made instead from raw potatoes.
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Rösti (©Wikipedia/Musskelprozz) |
Some people take the word
Brägele to be a diminutive of
Brägel but they are mistaken.
Brägele served here in Freiburg are sliced potatoes. The slices are fried in a pan with bacon and onions and are called
Bratkartoffeln (home fries) in High German.
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Brägele with Wiener Schnitzel (©fudder) |
Red Baron's experience is that
Brägele are not as tasty as
Bratkartoffeln served in the north of Germany. Why is it so? I can only guess. It seems judging from the consistency of the fried potatoes that
Brägele are generally made from boiled potatoes whereas in the north
Bratkartoffeln are usually made from raw potatoes. This means that
Bratkartoffeln come out crustier and have more bite (
al dente) than
Brägele.
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Here are Bratkartoffeln (home fries) I had in Hamburg last year
with gebratene Pfifferlinge (chanterelles sautées) served with Rührei (scrambled eggs). |
I have never had
Brägel so far but it would be interesting to taste the difference to
Rösti.
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