2024/12/11 by Heidi Hein-Kircher
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Central European national history #Christmas #Culture of remembrance #Dish (Food) #East Prussia #Expulsion #Flight (human behaviour) #Fontane #German Colonialism and Identity Studies #Homeland #Migration (human) #Pomerania #Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, Christianity #Theodor #Tradition
paper · doi:10.25355/0qfn-6h54
openalex publication_date 2024/12/11 · openalex created_date 2025/12/03 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
The period in the run-up to Christmas is full of customs, traditions, and special foods. Gänseschwarzsauer is a soup made with goose (“Gänse” in German) blood and dried fruit. Its name derives from the fact that the blood is very dark red in colour (hence “schwarz” or black in English) and vinegar is added to prevent the blood from clotting (hence “sauer” or sour). The dish was brought to West Germany by refugees and displaced people from East Prussia and Pomerania, but it never caught on.