A cold dinner of bread
Abendbrot
In many German homes, dinner is bread with cheese, sausage and vegetables. The warm meal is at lunch.
The word says it: Abend (evening) + Brot (bread). Many families eat a simple cold dinner: dark bread, butter, cheese, cold meats, cucumber, tomatoes, maybe a boiled egg.
The warm meal of the day is often lunch, in the canteen (Mensa, Kantine) or at school.
Today many younger people cook a warm dinner, so this is a custom, not a rule. Families differ.
If a German friend invites you "zum Abendbrot", do not expect a big curry dinner. Expect a nice table of breads and toppings.
You may hear
Was gibt es heute zum Abendbrot?What is for dinner tonight?
India and Germany
In India dinner is usually the main hot meal of the day, with roti, rice and dal. A cold dinner of bread surprises many Indians at first.
German words for this
- das Brot · bread
- der Aufschnitt · cold cuts
- der Käse · cheese
- das Mittagessen · lunch
This is a custom, not a rule: families and regions differ.
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