The Aldi Items You Need To Try During German Week

Did you know there's such a thing as German Week? Well, according to the American Association of Teachers of German, the celebration kicks off on October 1, and presumably consists of such fun-filled festive activities as congregating German verbs. (All together now: Ich bin! Du bist! Er/sie/es ist!) Try to reign in your excitement, since there's another German week that might be a bit more fun to celebrate. According to Aldi, a grocery chain that was born in das Vaterland, German week begins on September 16, and there's no better way to celebrate it than by buying up all of their German Weekly Specials.

But wait, isn't it a bit early for Oktoberfest? Actually, no. ABC News explains that while the first Oktoberfest was held to celebrate the October 1810 wedding of Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig, over the years the festival was lengthened to start in September and carry on through the end of October (kind of like pumpkin spice season in the U.S.). So Aldi is actually right on point with their celebrations of gutes deutsches Essen. Check out the following German goodies and see if you don't agree they're sehr wunderbar!

Bread, they say, is the staff of life, and you can't get a sturdier staff than that provided by these hearty German breads. Aldi's Deutsche Küche brand features three different types: two are typically German (pumpernickel and rye), while the third is a very healthy-sounding sunflower seed bread.

According to commenters on the Good at Aldi blog, the sunflower seed bread is also rye-based, and Aldi's rye is very true to the type often found in Germany. Opinions varied as to its taste, with the word "acquired" being bandied about, but the consensus seemed to be that if you're a fan of true whole-grain, natural-tasting breads, then Aldi's certainly fills the bill (as well as your belly).

If you're looking for a little German junk food, you may like these potato sticks flavored with "herbs of the Alps" — which, while we mainly associate them with Switzerland, are actually a German thing as well. Alps, that is, not herbs. The Alps, like the Rockies, are an international mountain range, and they do extend into Germany's Bavarian region (via Lonely Planet).

As to what types of herbs they typically use in the Bavarian Alps, who knows, but The Budget Reviews says these Deutsche Küche potato sticks are flavored with garlic, parsley, and onion and taste kind of like sour cream and onion dip, only much, much better. One Redditor goes so far as to call them "crack cocaine". Except, you know, at just $1.19 a bag you won't have to resort to a life of crime to feed this addiction.

If you're planning a special dinner to celebrate German week, you'll need a main dish, and you couldn't do better than centering your meal around Aldi's Deutsche Küche Pork Schnitzel. The Aldi Nerd says they come in a package of six individual cutlets, and says the pork loin is coated with a cracker crust that gives it a nice salty crunch. The cutlets can be easily pan-fried in a little oil, and make the perfect portion size. As for the taste? Wirklich gut!

Along with your main dish, you'll need a side, and nothing goes with schnitzel like spaetzle. According to the German Food Guide, these egg noodle/dumpling thingies are a beloved part of the German food identity. So, yeah, pretty much a must for your German Week meal. Aldi's spaetzle comes in three different varieties: cheese and onion (the cheese in question being mozzarella — Germany, after all, is right next door to Italy), garlic sage (also with mozzarella), and mushroom.

Of course you'll need a delicious German dessert to finish off your meal, and you haven't lived until you've tried Bienenstich, which translates to "bee sting cake." As the name implies, this cake contains honey, and the International Desserts Blog explains that it consists of a double layer of yeast cake sandwiched with a vanilla cream filling and topped with an almond-honey cream. While the very best Bienenstich can probably be found only at a small, out-of-the-way bakery in Munich (or Milwaukee), Aldi's Deutsche Küche version is also pretty darn good — and at a price ($6.99) that won't sting you.

Of course, what Oktoberfest celebration would be complete without a stein of beer (try Aldi's Wernesgrüner Pilsner) and a big fat pretzel? Of course Aldi's got you covered here, as well, with Deutsche Küche Bavarian Soft Pretzels. These frozen pretzels are, of course, the soft-baked kind and come in two varieties: the traditional twisty-shaped ones and the more dip-friendly sticks. Speaking of dips, the Aldi Craves test kitchen has a recipe for an entire German snack spread complete with pretzels, pickles, rye bread, and a Bavarian beer-cheese spread. Now that's something we can all raise a stein to: Eins, zwei, g'suffa!