Literally: “fake rabbit” / meaning: meat loaf
We Germans are very straightforward people. We really don’t have a reputation for pretending. If we are in a bad mood, it will show. Unlike the Americans, we usually don’t force a smile. Some might even say that a German will never fake an orgasm. So how can it be that we supposedly fake something in our kitchen of all places? Like the Falscher Hase, which literally translates to “fake rabbit”.
The name probably comes from the copper or earthen hare pans and roasters in which meatloaf was baked in past centuries—as these were also used in order to roast “real” rabbits. Some sources report that it was customary to form a hare by hand with the minced meat or to give the dish the shape of a hare’s back. It is not entirely clear, however, whether this was done with deceptive intent or simply for aesthetic reasons.
Anyway, the Falscher Hase—or simply Hackbraten, how it is also called (“hash roast”)—is a kitchen stable until today in Germany. And since Germans are a very trustworthy people, you can be sure: if Germans say Mmmmmmmm after trying a dish, it is genuinely lecker!
References:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackbraten
