5 classic German foods you should give a try

German cuisine is considered meat-heavy. But the cliché is only partly true. We’ll show you five typical specialties from Germany - from hearty to vegetarian to sweet.

Bet you wouldn't have guessed that one of them is actually a German invention. Let's start with a classic: the Schweinshaxe. This knuckle of pork probably corresponds to the image that many people have of German food.

Served with a side of Bavarian folk music, like here in Munich's Hofbräuhaus. Wolfgang Reithmeier uses basic ingredients when preparing this typical Bavarian specialty. But he's very particular about the origin and quality of the meat.

And this is how the knuckles are prepared: The front leg of the pork is seasoned with garlic, salt, pepper and a mixture of caraway seeds. After resting for an hour, the meat goes in the oven - for 30 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius, to begin with. Then it's basted with a dark beer - and put back in.

After two hours, the pork knuckle is basted two more times with black beer and grilled at a high temperature until a perfect, slightly caramelized crust is formed. The Schweinshaxe is traditionally served with a potato dumpling and gravy. When boiled, the pork knuckle is known as Eisbein, a dish more popular in northern Germany, where it’s usually eaten with sauerkraut and potatoes.

Either way the pork knuckle is an absolute staple of German cuisine. Time now for something vegetarian: this vegetable is the headliner on many German menus in springtime: asparagus. The season lasts about three months and during this time, Germans eat an average of around 1.

4 kilograms of asparagus per person. Asparagus has been grown in the region around Beelitz, south of Berlin, since the middle of the 19th century. The soft sandy soil here is ideal.

Around 10 percent is green asparagus, which grows above ground, and 90 percent is white, and grows underground. As soon as the tips begin to peek out of the soil, the white asparagus is harvested - mostly by hand. Because of the complicated harvesting process, it was seen as a luxury in the past, which only the wealthy could afford.

That's why it was also known as the royal vegetable or white gold. In Germany, it's served with hollandaise sauce and potatoes. Some have it with a schnitzel.

But the absolute spring classic is a vegetarian dish: asparagus served with breadcrumbs browned in butter. Our next stop: the bakery. This is a specialty that is associated with Germany all over the world:the pretzel.

Especially in southern Germany, life without pretzels is unthinkable. A distinction is made between the Bavarian and Swabian varieties. The dough consists of wheat flour, water, yeast and a mixture of salt, malt and either margarine, butter or lard.

The dough is divided, rolled out and then skillfully twisted into its shape. This takes alot of practice! After the pretzels have risen, they’re coatedwith diluted baking soda.

Symmetrical and deep golden brown - this is what a Bavarian pretzel should look like. The Swabian version differs mainly in its shape. It's all about the so-called belly and the thin arms.

Regardless of your preferred shape, the pretzel is undeniably the flagship of German baking. Could the same be said about our next German specialty? You really have to like eating fish to find out.

The fish rolls are particularly popular in northern Germany - in every possible variation. You’ll mainly find the beloved snack by the coast, at little stands like this one, in the port of Hamburg. Always with fresh fish and usually topped with some onions.

The king, or should we say chancellor of fish rolls, is the one with Bismarck herring. Herring fillets are marinated in vinegar and salt and mixed with mustard seeds, onions, bay leaves and allspice. The herring is then left to marinate in the spicy broth for a week.

It’s named after the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who ruled at the end of the 19th century. According to legend, a local merchant sent him a barrel of the pickled herring - and got permission to name it after him. Today, the Bismarck roll is the classic fish roll.

A street food that is a must-try for any visitor to northern Germany. Moving on to dessert. The typically German spaghetti ice cream!

Typically German? It sure is! The noodle-shaped ice cream with strawberry sauce and white chocolate sprinkles was created here: in Mannheim in southwest Germany.

Dario Fontanella, the son of Italian immigrants, came up with this unusual creation in his father's ice cream parlor. It first appeared on the menu in 1969. Inspired by a dessert he had eaten on vacation.

For spaghetti ice cream à la Fontanella, you need milk, cream, thickener, egg yolk powder and sugar. Plus some vanilla extract and lemon. The ice cream mixture is made at minus 8 degrees Celsius.

To make the red sauce, strawberries are pureed. Then you're good to go: The vanilla ice cream spaghetti is placed on a portion of cream, with the strawberry puree acting as the tomato sauce, and white chocolate sprinkles as Parmesan. This is definitely the sweetest spaghetti dish you’ll ever try.

What are some of the typical specialties in your home country?