Currywurst

Rhineland. The Rhineland cooks hearty German comfort, sauerbraten pot roast, potato dishes, and rye breads, washed down with kölsch beer. River trade and Sunday roasts define its table.

Germany. Sauerbraten is a category rather than a recipe, and the regional versions really do differ: the Rhineland one is thickened with crumbled Lebkuchen and sweetened with raisins and beet syrup, the Swabian with flour, the Franconian with soured cream. The Bavarian brewing rule of 1516 is likewise narrower than its reputation, being Bavarian, not the first of its kind, and named Reinheitsgebot only in the twentieth century.

Europe. European cooking is built on the land and the seasons, wheat, butter, and cured pork in the north; olive oil, tomatoes, and seafood around the Mediterranean; preserved vegetables and hearty stews through long winters. Centuries of peasant tradition, guild craft, and royal courts refined techniques from French mother sauces to Italian fresh pasta and Central European baking. Regional identity runs remarkably deep, with a single dish often changing from one valley to the next.