When fall comes around one's thoughts drift to vibrant foliage, pumpkins and of course Oktoberfest. In New York, the festivities start early - September is officially known as German-American Friendship Month.

Recognized by the Mayor's office for the fourth consecutive year, German-American Friendship Month honors the German-American culture and the many contributions made by German immigrants by holding an entire month of celebrations, including the 53rd German-American Steuben Parade.

Nevertheless, both the hamburger and the frankfurter, sausages and cured meats of many varieties, egg noodles and countless other American dishes have German origins. Photo: Hofbraeuhaus in Newport, Kentucky

German foodways affect even the proud barbecue cooking of central Texas, an area with major pockets of German influence.

The study said it carried out 85 investigations over eight years to come up with an overall assessment on bio food.

The foundation said that organic products were 'not necessarily healthier, or even better-tasting, than regular groceries.

'Despite being on average 30 percent more expensive, there was little overall difference in quality.'

The most influential of all is the French Michelin Guide. It's been the gourmet's bible for the past 105 years. Michelin gives top eateries stars and if quality is deemed to have slipped, takes them away.

In the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants list announced this week, Joachim Wissler’s Vendome restaurant near Cologne was Germany’s best performer, coming in at number 22, three places higher than last year, when it debuted on the list.

Customers walking through the aisles of some Paris area supermarkets are now likely to find halal meat and processed foods. Whether it's spicy ready-to-eat chicken wings, halal pate, or mock ham made from turkey, halal products are increasingly making their way into mainstream shopping venues. It may not seem like much, but for France this marks a striking change.

People who resist from enjoying that much-desired morning cup of coffee, because of fear of stomach irritation can also take a sigh of relief because scientists have discovered the culprits behind that heartburn and stomach pain in every cup.

The research could lead to a new generation of stomach-friendly brews with the rich taste and aroma of regular coffee, said the scientists.
"This discovery is going to help a lot of people who suffer from coffee sensitivity.

By Tiffany Arnold

In honor of the German tradition of white asparagus season, chef Dieter Blosel shares a recipe he considers a simple German classic — white asparagus with hollandaise sauce.

Blosel, executive chef at downtown Hagerstown’s Schmankerl Stube Bavarian Restaurant, plans to serve white asparagus in honor of “spargel saison,” or “white asparagus season” in German.

The Easter Market in front of Schönbrunn Palace is considered one of the most romantic in Europe. Around 40 stands offer delicacies and Easter decorations, while kids are invited to take part in workshops at which they are shown how to bind palm branches.

Easter egg hunts, meanwhile, take place at the palace’s Children’s Museum.

The Fredericksburg, Virginia, City Council is considering a 10-year incentives deal worth $90,000 to lure the four-star German eatery Bavarian Chef to downtown.

The restaurant also could receive an additional $20,000 in grant money from the Economic Development Authority's JumpStart program to go toward signs and other improvements to the outside of the train station.

Set to open in April, Puck's new eatery, WP24, will feature refined Asian-inspired cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner, in addition to offering stunning panoramic views of the Los Angeles skyline, the announcement said. (Photo: Puck and crew dish it out at Hollywood's Kodak Theater during the 82nd Academy Awards.)

Maverick Scottish beer-maker BrewDog launched a new tipple that packs 41 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) this week. In recognition of its ongoing battle with Germany's Schorschbraeu brewery over the title of 'world's strongest beer', it's called it Sink the Bismarck!

The Golden Imperial schnitzel is on offer at a self-service
counter in the western German city of Duesseldorf for a cool 150 euros
($216). Sprinkled with 24-carat gold, it outshines the sausage and
meatball dishes on the menu, which start at under five euros.

Yet it is not the Midas touch but rather the white Italian truffles
in the breading, sold for 3,000 euros per kilo, and the black truffles
on top that put the 300 gram schnitzel in a class of its own, said
Thomas Huber who runs the Schitzelhuber chain of restaurants.

Exactly who invented the currywurst - that is to say, who came up with the sloppy idea of dousing a boiled sausage in ketchup and curry powder - is one of those disputes which will go on forever.

Link to German-American Society of Tulsa

http://www.gastulsa.org/

Nine German restaurants in Germany kept the top-honor of three-star status, a number which is surpassed only by France within Europe. The new 2010 edition, which also celebrates the famous hospitality guide’s 100th anniversary in Germany, shows the “excellent position of Germany’s top gastronomy in Europe,” chef Martin Herrmann of the Le Pavillon hotel in Bad Peterstal-Griesbach said.

The four on the four-cap list are the same as last year: Steirereck in Vienna's Stadtpark, Hubertus in Salzburg’s Filzmoos, Obauer in Salzburg’s Werfen, and Taubenkobel in Burgenland’s Schützen.

Paprika, curry powder, and parsley were among the most contaminated of those tested and were labelled “not recommended” by the study. Greenpeace announced in Hamburg.

Even the banned pesticide DDT was found in curry.
The highest level of pesticides were found in parsley from grocery store chain Metro’s generic brand Tip, and Greenpeace has filed a criminal complaint against the company.

After a series of price cuts in recent months, the cost of a 250-gram piece of butter  jumped by a third, or €0.20, to €0.85 at Aldi's discount food stores across the nation, the publication Lebensmittelzeitung said. The chain's move comes in advance of likely higher wholesale prices on the dairy market.

The food has gotten so good that street vendors have their own awards ceremony called the Vendys.

"Early Show" resident chef Bobby Flay hit the streets for a taste test of some of the city's best street vendor fare, nominated for the illustrious awards.

Weisswurst – literally white sausage – is made with veal and bacon and similar to bratwurst. With Oktoberfests mushrooming across the United States, Weisswurst has been gaining in popularity as well.

By Armando Mombelli

When the restaurant was first opened 111 years ago, it was ridiculed. These days, it is considered a gastronomic highlight of the city on the River Limmat.

Wolfgang Puck's father, a butcher, abandoned the boy's mother, Maria Topfschnig before their child was born.

Maria was to marry Josef Puck in 1956 when Wolfgang was seven. Joseph Puck adopted the boy.

The study found 25 per cent of 949 participants who were in debt were medically obese compared to 11 per cent of the other 8,318 study participants who weren't.

By Carol Bardelli

By Robert Metz

Researchers at University of Minnesota, University of Texas and St. John's University analyzed vegetarianism, weight, dietary intake and weight-control behaviors data from a population-based study in Minnesota of more than 2,500 males and females ages 15-23.

Guest Column: Use nutrition labels

By Dr. Carole Frier, Des Moines, Iowa