20 of the most delicious fruits in German

20 of the most delicious fruits in German

by Anne Walther

Updated April 24, 2023

When thinking about a tropical country, Germany may not be the first one to pop to mind. Still, it has some amazing and sweet fruits to offer – some better known and others of which you may have never heard. Especially when you find yourself at a German farmer’s market, you may be surprised at the variety of fruits the stands have to offer. But of course, to buy yourself some of those healthy snacks, you will need to learn their German names. Well, you are in luck: here they are!

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1. Apple

der Apfel – die Äpfel

A classic among the German fruits! Try it in an apple crumble or combined with Kartoffelpuffer.

2. Pear

die Birne – die Birnen

Did you know? Pears not only have delicious fruit, but the trees also provide great wood to build furniture.

3. Orange

die Orange – die Orangen or die Apfelsine – die Apfelsinen

Christmas time usually is when Germans consume oranges the most and they use them to make mulled wine known as Glühwein, a delicious drink you can find at any German Christmas market.

4. Mandarin Orange

die Mandarine – die Mandarinen

Much like their larger siblings, the smaller mandarin oranges are also typical around Christmas time, so much so that people buy them in large wooden boxes.

5. Banana

die Banane – die Bananen

For Germany, bananas are not only a delicious and healthy snack – their juice is also combined with wheat beer to make the summer drink Bananenweizen.

6. Peach

der Pfirsich – die Pfirsiche

The name peach and the German Pfirsich both relate to the history of peaches and stem from its original name: the Persian apple. 

7. Apricot

die Aprikose – die Aprikosen or die Mirelle – die Mirellen

Apricots are the center of the annual Mirellenfest in Krems in Austria, where you can eat many different types of food with apricots as the main ingredient.

8. Plum

die Pflaume – die Pflaumen or die Zwetschge – die Zwetschgen 

Plums have a long history of cultivation in Germany and are an important ingredient in many traditional foods, such as Zwetschgenknödel

9. Mirabelle plum

die Mirabelle – die Mirabellen

Mirabelle plums are smaller than usual plums and yellow in color. 

10. Cherry

die Kirsche – die Kirschen

Cherries are another beloved fruit in German households. And Germans not only eat but cultivate both sweet and sour varieties of this product. Particularly in the east, you can sometimes find small public cherry plantations.

11. Gooseberry

die Stachelbeere – die Stachelbeeren

Germany is the largest producer of gooseberries worldwide and is responsible for almost half of the world’s harvest.

12. Quince

die Quitte – die Quitten

Quinces are similar to apples in taste, but due to their firmness, it is best to eat them only cooked or as jelly.

13. Strawberry

die Erdbeere – die Erdbeeren

During summer, some strawberry plantations in Germany allow you to go to the field and pick your own harvest.

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14. Raspberry

die Himbeere – die Himbeeren

Raspberries are not only delicious but their leaves are also used in traditional medicine to treat stomach problems and inflammations.

15. Blackberry

die Brombeere – die Brombeeren

Similar to raspberries, blackberry leaves are known to be useful against inflammations.

16. Blueberry

die Heidelbeere – die Heidelbeeren or die Blaubeere – die Blaubeeren

Blueberries can be found in the wild, particularly in pine forests and are known in traditional medicine to help against diarrhea.

17. Kiwi

die Kiwi – die Kiwis

Kiwis never was a common fruit choice in Germany. At least not until 1970, when its consumption rose from 900.000 to more than 85 million within only 9 years.

18. Pineapple

die Ananas – die Ananasse

Did you know? Unlike many other fruits, pineapples don’t continue to ripen after harvest.

19. Currant

die Johannisbeere – die Johannisbeeren 

Currants are not only used as food, but the flowers of black currants are also an ingredient in perfumes.

20. Grape

die Weintraube – die Weintrauben

Although Germany is not a very famous wine country, grapes are grown in many different regions and many festivities around wine exist.

Here you can also find a list of all fruits and their German names:

the appleder Apfel
the peardie Birne
the orangedie Orange
the mandarin orangedie Mandarine
the bananadie Banane
the peachder Pfirsich
the apricotdie Aprikose
the plumdie Pflaume
the mirabelle plumdie Mirabelle
the cherrydie Kirsche
the gooseberrydie Stachelbeere
the quincedie Quitte
the strawberrydie Erdbeere
the raspberrydie Himbeere
the blackberrydie Brombeere
the blueberrydie Heidelbeere
the kiwidie Kiwi
the pineappledie Ananas
the currantdie Johannisbeere
the grapedie Weintraube

Hungry yet?

All this talking about fruit surely can get you in the mood for a healthy snack – and you are now more than ready to shop for fruits in German! To find the best quality, make sure you do not stop at supermarkets only but scan local farmers’ markets too.

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Anne Walther

Anne is a German freelance writer and communication consultant. In addition to her job, she is the founder and coach of the Dutch non-for-profit organization CLUB Coaching. Due to her work, she resides in both Germany and the Netherlands. Whenever her time is not occupied with communication in all its forms, she spends time with her six pets, gardening or being creative with fashion and design. You can follow her on LinkedIn.

Anne Walther

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