literally: “dish of Gods” / meaning: jello
When looking at the label, the expectations rise sky high. As soon as you dig into it, however, you will ask yourself: Of all the treats in the world—why on heaven and earth does this gooey mess bear such a sophisticated name?
The answer is quite simple: It’s just a marketing trick. Götterspeise goes back to the German food company Dr. Oetker. They started selling their jelly powder in 1912 under that name—after Jell-O had already been a huge success in the USA since 1845. Before that, the term Götterspeise had been used for any kind of particularly sweet and tasty dish. That’s why Dr. Oetker couldn’t have the name protected. And so, it soon became the general German term for jello.
Luckily, there is also another name for this dish. Götterspeise is also called Wackelpeter, which is the equivalent of a “wobbling Peter.” Less divine, but more funny!
