Germans embrace hard times with the austerity cookbook

Germans are putting themselves on a modern-day "austerity diet", as a new cookbook for tough economic times has become a bestseller almost overnight.

Germans are putting themselves on a modern-day "austerity diet", as a new cookbook for tough economic times has become a bestseller almost overnight.

The Hartz IV Cookbook -- A Cookbook for Hard Times, which was published last month, takes its name from Peter Hartz, the businessman behind Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's latest round of labour market reforms. The reforms came into effect in January, and have seen previously generous welfare benefits slashed for Germany's almost five million unemployed.

"Hartz IV has become a bitter reality for many people," say Sigrid Ormeloh and Nicole Schlier, the cookbook's authors. "But does it have to taste so bad? Do we all have to sneak out of posh restaurants without paying the bill in order to get a good meal these days?"

Apparently not. Under the Hartz IV cookery plan, tasty, nutritional food is cheap and easy to prepare - even if much of it contains stale bread, substitutes vegetables for meat and suggests eating roadside weeds is a cost-effective way of ensuring your recommended daily intake of greens.

"Rocket is a robust weed and easy to find," the authors note alongside a recipe for rocket pesto. "In fact, you'll find lots of it growing on the edge of car parks."

Likewise, the book's recipe for dandelion and daisy salad suggests, once you've found some by the side of the road, you should wash the dandelion leaves in warm water "to get rid of the bitter taste".

The Hartz IV recipes, all which feed a family of four for less than €5 (£3.40), include celery wiener schnitzel, poor man's parmesan and bread omelette. There is even a tip on making your own ricotta cheese.

The book, priced €12, has already sold out in Berlin and its publishers, Lumica Verlag, say that they've been forced to reprint it already.