flipEvening Abendbrot — Rye Bread, Westphalian Ham, and Cheese
Evening Abendbrot — Rye Bread, Westphalian Ham, and Cheese
Why this dish? In the Stieglitz household, the real hot meal was at noon; in the evening, as in all German families, the Abendbrot was laid out—a cold table of breads, cold cuts, and cheeses. Alfred grew up with this rhythm in Hoboken, and he rediscovered it during his student years in Berlin.
A no-cook supper: slices of dense rye bread, smoked ham, cheese, butter, and pickles, which everyone composes to their liking. Simple, nourishing, and deeply familiar for a German household.
You see, in the evening at home we never lit the stove: my mother had the rye bread, the ham, the cheese brought in, and we helped ourselves, just like in Berlin in my youth. Cut the bread thick, spread the butter right to the edges—a German cannot abide a dry corner—and lay the ham in wide folds. A crisp pickle on the side, and that is all: it is simple, but it is right, like a good photographic print.
- •Sourdough rye bread — one loaf (base of the meal)
- •Smoked Westphalian ham — a few thin slices (cold cut)
- •Firm cheese (Tilsit or Emmental type) — a portion (protein)
- •Butter — as needed (fat and binder)
- •Sour pickles — a few (acidity, contrast)
- •Mustard — a little (condiment)
Evening Abendbrot — Rye Bread, Westphalian Ham, and Cheese
A no-cook supper: slices of dense rye bread, smoked ham, cheese, butter, and pickles, which everyone composes to their liking. Simple, nourishing, and deeply familiar for a German household.
Why this dish? In the Stieglitz household, the real hot meal was at noon; in the evening, as in all German families, the Abendbrot was laid out—a cold table of breads, cold cuts, and cheeses. Alfred grew up with this rhythm in Hoboken, and he rediscovered it during his student years in Berlin.
You see, in the evening at home we never lit the stove: my mother had the rye bread, the ham, the cheese brought in, and we helped ourselves, just like in Berlin in my youth. Cut the bread thick, spread the butter right to the edges—a German cannot abide a dry corner—and lay the ham in wide folds. A crisp pickle on the side, and that is all: it is simple, but it is right, like a good photographic print.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sourdough rye bread — one loaf (base of the meal)
- Smoked Westphalian ham — a few thin slices (cold cut)
- Firm cheese (Tilsit or Emmental type) — a portion (protein)
- Butter — as needed (fat and binder)
- Sour pickles — a few (acidity, contrast)
- Mustard — a little (condiment)
Ingredients
- Whole-grain rye bread — 4 thick slices (base of the meal)
- Smoked dry-cured ham (Westphalian or Black Forest) — 120 g (cold cut)
- Tilsit or Emmental cheese — 120 g (protein)
- Salted butter — 40 g (fat and binder)
- Sour gherkins — 6 to 8 (acidity, contrast)
- Mild mustard — 1 tsp (condiment)
Method
- Take the butter out ahead of time so it is spreadable.
- Slice the rye bread fairly thick and butter generously right to the edges.
- Arrange the ham in soft folds and the cheese in slices on a board.
- Serve the pickles and mustard on the side.
- Everyone composes their own open-faced sandwiches at the table, no cooking.
How it was made : The Abendbrot ("evening bread") is the traditional cold meal of German-speaking countries: after the hot midday meal, the evening passes without cooking. German Jewish families who emigrated to the United States in the 19th century, like the Stieglitzes, long preserved this structure.
The contemporary twist : Arrange the board like a still life: that is the whole spirit of Stieglitz's photography—light and raw matter, without artifice.
Alfred Stieglitz · Charactorium
