Alfred Wegener at the table

The day is organized around four times: Frühstück (breakfast of bread, butter, and coffee), Mittagessen (the real hot meal at midday, often a single stewed dish), Abendbrot (cold evening meal, bread and toppings), and the ritual of Kaffee und Kuchen in the afternoon, coffee accompanied by a cake. In Wegener's middle-class scholarly household, and even more so on expedition, this framework simplifies around rye bread and the hearty one-pot dish that sticks to the ribs.

Dense black rye bread and caraway (meadow cumin) run through all German cooking of this era — from daily bread to stews. Earthy and aniseed flavor, it also aids digestion of the rich, heavy dishes of northern winters.