What do expats miss the most, really? 28. November 2025
Well, first and foremost, it's definitely family and friends you've left behind in your old home. That longing stays with you—no matter how well you settle into your new country. The language barrier, your native dialect, the distance, and that feeling of not being able to just pop over spontaneously—that can be quite hard.
At the beginning, of course, you miss a lot of foods you're used to. I certainly did: German bratwurst, sauerkraut from that well-known brand in the yellow tin, blood sausage, Palatinate potatoes, and so much more. You just want the familiar comfort food on your plate.
But eventually you get used to it, and honestly, it's not really so bad anymore that you don't have it. Okay, Palatinate potatoes—well, that's always going to be a thing for me as someone from the Palatinate.
But what I'm really getting at: What was truly, absolutely the worst thing I missed was bread. German bread.
That's what I longed for most. I spent over a year perfecting my bread. Baking, throwing batches away, baking again, buying proofing baskets, and really trying everything imaginable.
Eventually I got fed up and thought: I can do this. I'll just get used to Danish bread. So for a while I only ate sliced white bread. Horrible. When I visited Germany, I sometimes hauled eight kilos of bread back home, portioned it, and froze it. Pretty annoying, the whole thing.
And then—finally—I found the perfect recipe for me. The only thing that still bothered me was the crust being a bit too thick. So I treated myself to a cast iron Dutch oven. And I have to say: Now it's really perfect.
I just finished breakfast and actually ate three beautiful slices—with delicious Danish salted butter and wonderful Danish heather honey.
And as I was finishing my last slice of honey and butter, I thought:
You get used to so many things. To your new life, to new habits, new favorite places. But some things just stay as a piece of home. Even if it's just good bread.
