gut durchgebratenes Steak
The English phrase "well done steak" is translated into German as gut durchgebratenes Steak.
In German, a well done steak refers to meat that has been cooked thoroughly throughout until it is brown and no longer pink. To ensure your steak is cooked through and has no pink meat, you can specify ohne rosa Fleisch.
Which one should you use?
If you want to specify the level of doneness simply when ordering, you can use the adjective durchgebraten to mean the meat is cooked through. Note that while you might use gut durchgebraten for well done, Germans often use the English loanword medium to describe a steak that is cooked to a medium level.
Did you know?
- In Germany, if you ask for meat medium, it is often slightly more 'well done' than a US 'medium', typically appearing more brown than pink.
- In some traditional German regions, ordering a steak durchgebraten might be seen as a culinary faux pas, as many Germans prefer meat with a pink center.
- The word Steak was borrowed from English, which had originally taken it from the Old Norse word steik.
Examples in context
- Bitte ein gut durchgebratenes Steak.A well done steak, please.
- Ich hätte gerne ein durchgebratenes Steak.I would like a well done steak.
Example conversation
A restaurant during dinner.
- JuliaMöchtest du ein Medium-Steak oder ein gut durchgebratenes Steak?Do you want a medium steak or a well done steak?
- MaximilianIch hätte gerne ein gut durchgebratenes Steak, bitte.I would like a well done steak, please.
- JuliaAlles klar, Maximilian, das bestelle ich für dich.All right, Maximilian, I will order that for you.
- MaximilianDanke, Julia, das ist sehr lieb von dir.Thanks, Julia, that is very kind of you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Steak, gut, CC BY-SA 4.0.
