Again, thank you to Beckey Dodds for the information.
Germany is a rich agricultural country with many cuisines. Germany, a powerful empire, was unified in 1871, until then they had no capital. In the unification, Berlin was chosen as the capital city, and remained that way until the end of World War II in 1949, then the country divided into West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) with Bonn as it's capital and East Germany (German Democratic Republic) with East Berlin as it's capital. The country remained that way until the decline of the USSR and the end of the Cold War allowed for German reunification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern productivity and wages up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and ten other European countries introduced a common European exchange currency, the Euro.
Consisting of what had been several loosely integrated kingdoms, dominated to the west by Prussia, Saxony and Bavaria, each kingdom had its own specialties which it shared during the first four brief decades of unity. Some of the specialties such as the Konigsberger Klopse, meatballs made of ground pork, beef, bacon and anchovies, served with a creamy sauce, has achieved the status of a national dish. Regional specialties are dictated by what has been traditionally grown, raised or caught in the area.
Pork is the most common meat and Germans can do magical things with it. Sausage making has become an art form and it is said there are as many varieties of sausages as there are towns. Cabbage is the national vegetable.
