Recipe for the Jägerschnitzel Made in GDR - a classic poor man's meal

What is a Jägerschnitzel? This controversial issue, incarnated in the flesh, divides East and West Germany into at least two camps, even after 34 years of reunification. In the former West German states, the prevailing opinion is that a Jägerschnitzel is made of veal or pork, with mushrooms floating on top in a creamy sauce, drowning a delicious death – for West German palates.

If you ask someone from the no longer new federal states, the answer appears to be a round breaded briquette in a spiral forest and a fire brigade sauce as red as the ladder trucks of the lifesavers.

The guide for health, well-being and the whole family - every other Thursday.

By subscribing to the newsletter I agree to the advertising agreement .

To be clear: Neither interpretation of this culinary tale is wrong; even the Austrian version beyond the Zugspitze, naked and without breading, has the same value and deserves all its fans. After all, there are regional differences in other recipes, and sometimes even a general difference in the language as to what a word means.

At the beginning of November, social scientist Daniel Kubiak from Humboldt University in Berlin summarized for Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk what remains unequal even after 34 years of reunification and unity. He said: "If you ask 'What is a Jägerschnitzel?' and a West German doesn't know that in East Germany, Jägerschnitzel is breaded sausage with pasta and tomato sauce, then they can't imitate the East German at all." East Germans, on the other hand, are well aware that in the West, a Jägerschnitzel means a schnitzel with a creamy mushroom sauce.

The reason for the Jägerschnitzel variant, which is so popular in East Germany, was likely, as is often the case, the shortages in the German Democratic Republic. Pork schnitzel was by no means always available – and mushrooms were certainly not readily available in supermarkets. After reunification, the cuisine of the East fell somewhat into disuse, but with Ostalgie (nostalgia for the East), the Jägerschnitzel "made in the GDR" is making a comeback.

This recipe is therefore about hunter's schnitzel made from hunting sausage, a delicious poor man's meal that was popular in countless factory canteens, cafeterias and schools in the GDR and continues to be a classic on many people's plates.

Anyone who wants to recreate the Jägerschnitzel at home probably has almost all the ingredients on hand without having to stop at the deli aisle at the supermarket. It's best to start the recipe with the sauce, because once the Jägerschnitzel is fried, it needs to be cooked relatively quickly.

For the sauce, melt 100 grams of butter and mix two tablespoons of tomato paste into it evenly, then stir in two tablespoons of flour. Then add 150 milliliters of water, followed by 250 grams of ketchup, and season the sauce with sugar, salt, and pepper.

Coat the sausage slices (about one centimeter thick) first in flour, then in egg, and finally in breadcrumbs. Heat oil in a pan and fry the schnitzels until golden brown. Serve with 250 grams of pasta, such as spirelli, or fries or potatoes.