Food is usually the fastest way homesickness shows up during an Ausbildung — not the big cultural adjustments, just the specific craving for dal that tastes right or a spice mix you can’t find on a German supermarket shelf. The good news is that Indian ingredients are more available in Germany than most newcomers expect, once you know where to look.
What German supermarkets already have
Mainstream chains like Edeka, Rewe, and Kaufland stock the basics you’ll use constantly: rice, lentils in limited varieties, onions, garlic, ginger, chilli, and increasingly a small “world foods” or “international” aisle with common spices, curry pastes, and sometimes paneer or naan. It won’t cover everything, but it’s enough for daily cooking without a special trip — start here for staples before assuming you need a dedicated Indian store for every meal.
Dedicated Indian and South Asian grocery stores
Indian grocery stores are concentrated in Germany’s larger cities, where there’s enough of a South Asian population to sustain a dedicated shop. Berlin has the largest and most varied scene, particularly around Kreuzberg; Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, and Cologne all have established stores too, often run alongside a broader South Asian or “Asia” grocery offering. If you’re placed in a smaller Ausbildung town without a dedicated Indian store, the nearest Turkish, Middle Eastern, or general Asian supermarket is usually your next best option — they frequently stock overlapping staples like basmati rice, lentils, and common spices, since supply chains for these ingredients cross several cuisines.
Rather than rely on a list that goes out of date, search “[your city] + Indian grocery” once you know your placement — store openings, closings, and stock change often enough that a live search beats any fixed directory.
Online Indian grocery delivery
If your town doesn’t have a physical Indian store, online delivery fills the gap. Jamoona, for example, is an online Indian and South Asian grocery retailer operating out of a large warehouse near Frankfurt, shipping across Germany via DHL and DPD, with free shipping above a minimum order value — useful confirmation that a nationwide delivery option genuinely exists even if you’re nowhere near a big city. Several similar online retailers operate the same way; search for current options and compare shipping times and minimum order thresholds before committing to one as your regular supplier, since pricing and delivery terms change.
Cooking practically as a trainee
Ausbildung schedules don’t leave much time for elaborate cooking on weekdays, especially with block classes at vocational school on top of your work hours. Batch-cooking dal, rice, and a simple sabzi on a free evening or weekend, then freezing portions, is a common and practical routine among Indian trainees and students in Germany. A pressure cooker or instant pot (widely available in Germany, sold as “Schnellkochtopf” or under international brand names) is worth bringing from India or buying locally in your first month — it cuts cooking time significantly and is one of the more common items Indian trainees say they wish they’d bought sooner.
Eating out: what’s realistic
Larger German cities have a genuine number of Indian restaurants, ranging from casual curry-and-rice counters to full sit-down restaurants, though quality and authenticity vary as much as anywhere else in the diaspora. Smaller towns may have only one or two options, sometimes labelled generically as “Indian” or “Asian” restaurants. Restaurant discovery apps and reviews work the same way in Germany as anywhere else — check recent reviews specifically from other South Asians for a more reliable read on authenticity than star ratings alone.
Vegetarian and Jain considerations
Germany is generally good for vegetarians by European standards — most restaurants, including non-Indian ones, mark vegetarian and vegan options clearly on the menu, and supermarket labelling for vegetarian and vegan products is consistent and reliable (look for the green “V” symbols used by most major chains). Strict Jain requirements (no onion, no garlic, no root vegetables) are harder to accommodate outside your own kitchen, so if this applies to you, expect to cook the large majority of your meals yourself rather than relying on restaurants.
Festivals bring the best sourcing tips
Local Indian community events and festival gatherings are often where you’ll pick up the best practical tips on where to buy what — from someone who has already solved the exact problem you’re facing. See our guide to Indian community, temples, and festivals in Germany for how to find that network in your city.
Settling in takes longer than the first grocery run
Food is usually the easiest part of settling in to solve practically — the harder part is often emotional. If the adjustment feels heavier than you expected in your first few months, our guide to culture shock and homesickness covers what’s normal and what actually helps. And if you’re still deciding where in Germany to train, our breakdown of cities for Indian Ausbildung students factors in exactly this kind of community access alongside cost of living and apprenticeship availability.
Where this comes from
Details on Jamoona’s operations (warehouse location, shipping, minimum order for free delivery) are from the retailer’s own official website: jamoona.com.
