If you have even a passing familiarity with German cuisine — which is by no means monolithic, but rather a patchwork of unique regional styles — then you know that there is generally a predilection for rich braised and roasted meats. This comprehensive post from Taste Atlas outlines a few of the nation's most famous meaty main courses, including jägerschnitzel, eisbein, and rouladen. But topping their list is sauerbraten, likely one of the progenitors of the pot roast we know and love today.
Sauerbraten literally means "sour roast" or "pickled roast," owing to the use of red wine, vinegar, or both to marinate the meat, according to the Daring Gourmet. Typically, a tough cut of beef is used, such as the bottom round or rump. Alternately, Quick German Recipes notes pork, lamb, and venison sometimes take a starring turn. Regardless of the protein used, nearly every recipe for sauerbraten calls for ginger snaps — or, gingerbread — to thicken and flavor the roast's gravy.
In "The James Beard Cookbook" (3rd revised edition, pg. 199), the famously-fastidious gourmet outlines a lengthy, but assuredly-worthwhile process. He allows the beef to mingle with two types of vinegar, red wine, mirepoix, allspice, cloves, bay leaf, and peppercorns for no less than three days before slow-cooking it all for several hours. Always a stickler for authenticity, Beard finishes off his sauerbraten with a hearty handful of ginger snaps.
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