Germany is a country that is filled with tradition, religious as well as secular, so it is no coincidence that Karneval, Mardi Gras, is celebrated before the arrival of Lent, enjoying life to its fullest for a short period before the start of a Fast was a good idea at any time of the year.

However in Germany the 40 days of fasting that followed Fastnacht, Shrove Tuesday, were never all about deprivation, and by creating 'feel good foods', sometimes by 'bending' or 'reinterpreting' the rules, it was often monks living under religious orders in monasteries and abbeys who made sure of that.


A Lent in Germany, Monks and a Maultaschen Recipe

Francine A. McKenna - German Culture Editor

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Avatar: HOHENZOLLERNBRÃœCKE Cologne with CATHEDRAL and LUDWIG MUSEUM. The Bridge a symbol of how Germany was rebuilt after WWII, it was left in ruins, the Cathedral with roots in the 13th century represents the country's history, Museum of Modern Art the present day.