Things You Didn't Know Were German

(Ok, except for you genius know-it-all's out there, you knew. We know you knew. No need to rub it in, Einstein)

While doing research for a recent post, As German As..., I came across so many things that I had no idea where German or that I never knew had their roots in German traditions.

It isn't hard to imagine that America and Germany shares a lot of similar customs and inventions. After all, roughly 17% of Americans come from German decent.

So I thought I would compile a list of the most interesting tidbits that I found while scouring the internet. Kept them, at least tried to, short and sweet.

Here goes, "Things You Never Knew Were German":

(You can skim. It's long, I don't blame ya!)

Starting off with holiday traditions and figures. Our modern day Christmases seem to be deeply rooted in German customs.

*Nutcracker (both story and figurine)
The carving of nutcrackers began as a small, cottage industry in the wooded regions of rural Germany. They were, and are, known for their intricate detail and decoration.
Also, before the 'nutcracker' became synonymous with the Russian ballet by Tschaikovsky (and also synonymous with the ever hilarious short videos on America's Funniest Videos, yeah right), the Nutcracker was the hero of an early 19th century story by Berlin's E.T.A. Hoffman. The story was later adapted for the famous ballet.

Of course, had to pick the house with the German Sheppard with it! (Sources 1, 2)

*Gingerbread Houses
The Gingerbread house was first noted in the Grimm's fairytale Hansel and Gretel and followed in a little known German opera by the same title. The first showing of the Opera took place just days before Christmas. Because of this, it became a holiday tradition in German Opera houses to build miniature replicas of the gingerbread house from the story. The tradition then spread to bakeries and eventually to homes.  

*Advent Calendars
The origins of this Christmas tradition come from the German Lutherans as early as the beginning of the 19th century. The calendar started off simple; a written way to count down the days until Christmas. Eventually, lighting 24 candles for the 24 days became popular. And very early in the 20th century, Gerhard Lang was credited with printing the first Advent calendar. Several years later, he decided to add hinging doors that would open to reveal the date or a Bible scripture. It wasn't until after WWII that the calendars began to be filled with candies and treats for the days before Christmas.

(sources 1, 2)

*Christmas Tree
The tradition of decorated the Tannenbaum (hello, German word) dates back to the 16th century. Although it is documented that trees were erected in present day Estonia and Latvia in the 15th century, it was the Germans who really started decorating the trees. They adorned the fir trees with wax candles (yeah, sounds safe), fruits and trinkets. This tradition remained confined to the upper Rheinland region of Germany for some time, until the idea eventually began to spread throughout the Christian world when royal families from neighboring countries got wind of it. 

Hallmark, you can thank Germany for the bazillions of ornaments you sell every year.

Many modern day Easter traditions are also believed to have been started in Germany:

*Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny, at least as we know it today, first appeared in 16th century writings in Germany. In the 1700s, Pennsylvania Dutch settlers brought the tradition of the Easter Bunny with them to the new world. Their children believed that if they were well behaved, the Easter bunny would come and lay eggs and treats into nest the children made out of upturned hats and bonnets.

*Easter Eggs Hunts
While evidence on this isn't as firm as some of the others, it is believed that the tradition of hiding Easter eggs was first started in Southern Germany. While the legend of the Easter bunny laying eggs in the grass had been around for sometime, the Germans decided to go all out and actually have children hunt for the eggs in hard to reach and see places. Leave it to the Germans to step it up a notch or two!

(sources 1, 2)

A tradition that I think has been lost in America for sometime. Look at this photo. Really, are we even hiding the eggs anymore or what!?

Anyways, moving on from traditions:

*Gummi Bears
I don't know about ya'll, but before we moved to Germany, I always thought of Gummi Bears as an American product. The sweet treats were invented in the 1920's by Hans Riegel, Sr when he started the Haribo company. Not only do they produce the world famous Gummi Bears, and all other chewy candy under the Haribo name, but the company also makes all Trolli brands of gummy candy, like the popular gummi worms.

Gummi Bears! Bouncing here and there and everywhere! (source)

*Prefabricated Houses
Ha, take that one, you 'American white trash stereotypers!" The pre fab home - oh come on, let's just call them like they are - the trailer home was invented by Warner Sell of Berlin. After WWII, there was a need for places to house the U.S. forces occupying the area. Sell's company manufactured over 5000 prefabricated houses and the soldier boys lived it up in high style!

I even choose a fancy one to show ya'll! (source)

(and hey, I am not judging, there are some really nice PreFab homes out there, I know!)


*Wedding March/Here Comes the Bride
First known as the "Treulich geführt", the song that is forever linked to brides in white gowns, was composed in 1850 by Richard Wagner for his opera Lohengrin. Although the song is now traditionally played as the bride makes her way down the aisle, it was sung (yes, it even has words to go along) in the opera after the ceremony by the members of the bridal party. You might get your bridesmaid to agree with you on the style of her dress, but good luck convincing her to sing you a song in German!

(source)

*Pretty much everything Disney has done
From cashing in on Grimm's Fairy Tales, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White to name a few, to building a close replica of the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Disney movies and theme parks have relied heavily on German influence. But most of you smarty pants probably already knew that :)

Pretty dang similar!

*Traditional items at an "American" picnic
Just about all the ingredients to make a perfect 'All-American' picnic come from German origins. There is the hot dog, or a Frankfurter, a pork sausage that finds its origins in 13th century Germany. Then, you can't forget the condiments. Ketchup, which was developed by Heinz, a son of German immigrants, and Mayonnaise, developed by Hellman, a German immigrants. Then of course there is the Potato Salad. Although there are many different versions to this dish, one of the most popular variations is the traditional German Potato Salad. And happens to be my favorite as well :)

It wouldn't even feel like the 4th of July without these babies! (source)

*Light Bulb

Poor Heinrich Göbel. He is credited with developing the incandescent light bulb over 25 years before Thomas Edison had his bright idea. There was just one little thing Göbel forgot to do....apply for a patent. (Although, I will have to admit with this one, that he was born and grew up in Germany but was in the US by the time he developed his idea).

No Patent? Not so bright of an idea. (source)

*The Perm (Permanent Wave)
German hairdresser Charles Nessler invented a very early version of the perm. He used a mixture of cow urine and water to achieve those bouncy, poodle-like waves. Smellin' good ladies! Before coming up with just the right mix of harsh and damaging chemicals, he ran test trials on his wife. Two of which burnt off most of her hair and resulted in scalp burns. Call me crazy, but I think that might be grounds for divorce.

Thanks for giving me a dog's hairstyle in the 4th grade, Germany! (source)

Yes, I know, long enough! But there were just too many to choose from. Now, the last one. A bonus for all my Texan and Southern-At-Heart readers.

Bonus:

*Chicken Fried Steak
Although the origins about this delicious, plate-swamping treat vary (I mean, we can't even agree about who or where it was first served in the Lone Star State) most sources say that it is attributed to German and Austrian immigrants in Texas who brought over the recipe for Weiner Schnitzel. Of course, American took it up a notch and really fried the heck out of that sucker and smothered it in gravy. It is believed that it started being referred to as Chicken Fried Steak, and not Wiener Schnitzel, during the war with Germany.

Mouth watering, heart clogging goodness (source)