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Sculptures of raw meat and other weird German foods

August 29, 2018

Germany perhaps doesn't beat Asia in terms of dishes that surprise foreigners, but there are still a few that need some time getting used to — from a raw meat hedgehog to mustard donuts, here are our favorites.

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Deutschland - Mettigel
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Scholz

The Old Low German word "Mett" was originally a general term for food. In modern English, it became the word "meat."

Nowadays in Germany, Mett refers to raw minced pork meat. It's also known as Hackepeter in Berlin.

The appetizing snack is still served on bread rolls in many German butcher's shops and bakeries — and it will forever keep amazing foreigners who haven't grown up it with it. 

From the 1950s to '70s, it was typical to serve a big plate of Mett at parties in the shape of a "Mettigel," the Mett hedgehog.

Read more: 10 things you won't find at a German grill party

The "Mett Damon" a meat sculpture depicting Matt Damon
The "Mett Damon" depicts actor Matt DamonImage: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Naesert/S. Stache

Museum-worthy Mett creations

Even though the EU warns against eating raw meat, the party treat is actually making a comeback in some meat-lovers' circles, inspiring humorous creations such as "Kermett" the frog, "Mettallica" or "Mett Damon." There's even a very popular Facebook community called the Museum of Modern Mett.

There is arguably nothing that beats Hackepeter in terms of weird German foods, but the gallery above will introduce you to a few other unusual specialties, while the one below lists German foods that are tastier than they sound.

You'll find more from Meet the Germans on YouTube or at dw.com/MeettheGermans.

Portrait of a young woman with red hair and glasses
Elizabeth Grenier Editor and reporter for DW Culture