Food, Drink and Mealtimes

Food and drink is a core GCSE German topic that appears in reading, listening, speaking and writing exams. You need vocabulary for different food groups, the ability to express preferences, knowledge of German mealtimes and cultural traditions, and confidence ordering in a restaurant.

---

1. Food Vocabulary (Essen)

Fruit (das Obst)

German	English
der Apfel (die Äpfel)	apple
die Birne (die Birnen)	pear
die Banane (die Bananen)	banana
die Orange (die Orangen)	orange
die Erdbeere (die Erdbeeren)	strawberry
die Kirsche (die Kirschen)	cherry
die Traube (die Trauben)	grape
die Wassermelone	watermelon
der Pfirsich (die Pfirsiche)	peach
die Zitrone (die Zitronen)	lemon

Vegetables (das Gemüse)

German	English
die Kartoffel (die Kartoffeln)	potato
die Tomate (die Tomaten)	tomato
die Gurke (die Gurken)	cucumber
die Karotte / die Möhre	carrot
der Salat	salad / lettuce
die Zwiebel (die Zwiebeln)	onion
der Knoblauch	garlic
der Pilz (die Pilze)	mushroom
die Erbse (die Erbsen)	pea
die Bohne (die Bohnen)	bean
der Kohl	cabbage
der Blumenkohl	cauliflower
der Spinat	spinach

Meat and Fish (Fleisch und Fisch)

German	English
das Hähnchen	chicken
das Schweinefleisch	pork
das Rindfleisch	beef
das Lammfleisch	lamb
die Wurst (die Würste)	sausage
der Schinken	ham
der Fisch	fish
der Lachs	salmon
der Thunfisch	tuna
die Garnele (die Garnelen)	prawn

Dairy and Other Foods

German	English
die Milch	milk
der Käse	cheese
die Butter	butter
das Ei (die Eier)	egg
der Joghurt	yoghurt
die Sahne	cream
das Brot (die Brote)	bread
das Brötchen	bread roll
die Nudeln	pasta / noodles
der Reis	rice
das Müsli	muesli / cereal
die Marmelade	jam
der Honig	honey
die Schokolade	chocolate
der Kuchen	cake
das Eis	ice cream
die Torte	gateau / tart
die Kekse	biscuits
die Pommes frites / die Pommes	chips / fries

---

2. Drinks (Getränke)

German	English
das Wasser	water
das Mineralwasser (mit / ohne Kohlensäure)	mineral water (sparkling / still)
der Saft (der Orangensaft, der Apfelsaft)	juice (orange juice, apple juice)
die Limonade / die Limo	lemonade / fizzy drink
die Cola	cola
der Tee	tea
der Kaffee	coffee
die heiße Schokolade / der Kakao	hot chocolate
die Milch	milk
das Bier	beer
der Wein	wine
die Apfelschorle	apple juice mixed with sparkling water

Exam tip: Apfelschorle is a very popular German drink — apple juice mixed with sparkling water. It often appears in listening and reading texts. Knowing this cultural detail can help you answer comprehension questions.

---

3. German Mealtimes (Mahlzeiten)

German	English	Typical Time
das Frühstück	breakfast	6:30–8:30 am
das Mittagessen	lunch	12:00–1:30 pm
das Abendessen / das Abendbrot	dinner / supper	6:00–7:30 pm
der Snack / die Zwischenmahlzeit	snack	between meals

German Mealtime Customs

• Frühstück: Typically Brötchen (bread rolls) with cheese, ham, jam or honey. Müsli and yoghurt are also common. Coffee is the standard adult drink.
• Mittagessen: Traditionally the main hot meal of the day, often with meat, potatoes and vegetables. In modern Germany, many people eat a lighter lunch.
• Abendessen / Abendbrot: Often a cold meal — bread with Aufschnitt (cold cuts), cheese and salad. The word Abendbrot literally means "evening bread."

Exam tip: The concept of Abendbrot (a cold evening meal of bread, cheese and cold meats) is distinctly German. It frequently appears in GCSE reading texts.

---

4. Expressing Preferences

German	English
Ich esse gern Pasta.	I like eating pasta.
Ich esse nicht gern Fisch.	I don't like eating fish.
Ich esse am liebsten Pizza.	I like eating pizza best of all.
Ich trinke lieber Saft als Cola.	I prefer drinking juice to cola.
Mein Lieblingsessen ist Hähnchen.	My favourite food is chicken.
Ich bin Vegetarier(in).	I am a vegetarian.
Ich bin Veganer(in).	I am a vegan.
Ich habe eine Allergie gegen Nüsse.	I have a nut allergy.
Ich darf kein Schweinefleisch essen.	I am not allowed to eat pork.
Ich vertrage keine Milchprodukte.	I can't tolerate dairy products.

graph LR
    A[Express a food preference] --> B{Strength of preference?}
    B -->|Like| C["Ich esse GERN Pizza<br/>(positive degree)"]
    B -->|Prefer one to another| D["Ich esse LIEBER Pizza ALS Salat<br/>(comparative)"]
    B -->|Favourite of all| E["Ich esse AM LIEBSTEN Pizza<br/>(superlative)"]
    B -->|Dislike| F["Ich esse NICHT GERN Fisch"]
    B -->|Stronger noun version| G["Mein Lieblingsessen IST Pizza"]
    style A fill:#4a90d9,color:white
    style C fill:#2d6a2e,color:white
    style D fill:#d4a017,color:white
    style E fill:#a83232,color:white

---

5. Ordering in a Restaurant (Im Restaurant)

German	English
Ich möchte bestellen, bitte.	I would like to order, please.
Ich hätte gern...	I would like...
Als Vorspeise nehme ich...	For a starter I'll have...
Als Hauptgericht hätte ich gern...	For the main course I'd like...
Als Nachtisch / Dessert nehme ich...	For dessert I'll have...
Die Rechnung, bitte.	The bill, please.
Zahlen, bitte.	I'd like to pay, please.
Zusammen oder getrennt?	Together or separately?
Getrennt, bitte.	Separately, please.
Das Essen war lecker / ausgezeichnet.	The food was delicious / excellent.
Die Bedienung war freundlich.	The service was friendly.
Ich möchte mich beschweren.	I would like to complain.
Die Suppe ist kalt.	The soup is cold.
Das habe ich nicht bestellt.	I did not order that.

German Restaurant Culture

• Tipping in Germany is usually 5–10%, rounded up. You might say: "Stimmt so" (Keep the change) or give a specific amount.
• Tap water is not usually served free — you typically order Mineralwasser.
• Trinkgeld (tip) is not obligatory but is expected for good service.

---

Summary Checklist