German cuisine is the traditional cooking of Germany, a hearty, regionally varied style built around pork, potatoes, bread, and pickled vegetables, with roots going back to the Middle Ages. Pork appears throughout, from bratwurst sausages to slow-cooked pork knuckle, often seasoned with caraway, garlic, and paprika. Potatoes show up as potato salad and potato dumplings, and as a side for stews and casseroles, while bread ranges from dense dark rye to soft white loaves, often used for open-faced sandwiches. Regional specialties vary widely: Bavaria is known for rich dishes like Bavarian cream and pork with sauerkraut, while northern Germany favors seafood-based dishes such as the fish stew Labskaus. Baking is also central to the cuisine, from buttery pastries to the layered Black Forest cake.