Cold Salad from Germany?

Question

When I was in the Army, we used to eat at a Gasthaus in Grafenwhor called Mom's(I think) that served a chilled vegetable salad before the meal. It had julienned carrots, a white vegetable, similar in texture to carrot, julienned (this could have been parsnip?). Also had tomatoes chopped big. The liquid in the salad was seasoned, and a little sweet. I am hoping someone can tell me for sure what the vegetable marinade/salad dressing could be, and what the white vegetable was for sure. Also, feel free to email any german cold salad recipes. Thanks!

Answer 1

Kartoffelsalat - German Potato Salad

5 lbs potatoes (baking potatoes are NOT recommended, as they are too flaky)
1/2 cup diced smoked bacon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
3/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped chives

Place unpeeled potatoes in cold salt water and bring to a boil.
Boil gently until potatoes are tender, but still firm.
Do not overcook.
Pour off the boiling water and allow potatoes to cool until easy to handle.
(The drained, unpeeled Potatoes can also be placed in a refrigerator overnight).
Peel cooled potatoes, slice, then place in a large bowl.
Slowly sauté the bacon in a skillet until the bacon pieces are crisp and golden brown.
Do not burn the bacon and do not drain the fat in the skillet.
Remove the skillet from the heat and add the oil, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper.
Pour this mixture over the sliced potatoes in the bowl.
Add the green onions and the chives.
Gently toss the potatoes so all ingredients are evenly blended.
Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Answer 2

Cold vegetable salads are usually dressed with oil & vinegar with a little sugar, herbs, salt & pepper. The white vegetable you speak of could have been knob celery or kohlrabi, which are very popular in Germany. Cooked and raw are sometimes added. Here is a sweet/sour dressing that could work.

4 tb vinegar
6 tb vegetable oil
1 ts sugar
1/2 ts salt
Herbs like parsley & dill would be typical.
Mix together in a jar and shake, pour over salad and marinate for 15 to 20 minutes before serving icy cold.

Answer 3

The white veggie must either have been radish or celery. But they use the celery kind that has a large round root. They use the root, not the leaves of this kind of celery. It's very tasty and I'd think that's what was on your salad.
The salad dressing might simply have been oil+vinegar+salt+pepper+sugar+fresh herbs like parsley, chives, basil and so on.
Hope that helps. If you look up German recipe sites the spelling for celery is SELLERIE. Good luck.

Answer 4

Did you not ever have their "cold" potato salad - a Gasthaus in Uttigan, near Wurtzburg, called "Roses" served a cold potato salad that was marvelous. I know every country has a "cold" potato salad, but maybe it was the marinade/dressing, whatever, it was almost as good as their "hot" potato salad!!!!

Answer 5

Gosh, I cannot find anything like the salad you described, but I did put on an Oktoberfest once and researched German recipes heavily. We loved this:

Cucumber Salad
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Ingredients: One large salad cucumber, one onion, half cup of sweet cream, vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, dill, tarragon and borage(I've no idea what this is, I left it out).

Directions: Cut a peeled cucumber into thin slices, salt lightly and let stand for an hour. Add finely diced onion, seasonings and finely chopped herbs. Mix the salad well and let soak thoroughly. Cover with cream before serving.

Answer 6

Below is a link to a website with a variety of ethnic recipes. The link is specific to German salads.