Aldi Shoppers Swear By This Authentic German Rye Bread

If you know German rye bread, you know German rye bread. We're not talking about the loaves of rye tucked in among the Wonder Bread and Pepperidge Farm at your local grocery store. We're talking about the real deal — bread baked according to the traditions documented by the German Bread Institute. As reported by CNN, bread is a big deal in Germany. It's such a big deal that, in 2015, UNESCO officially added German bread to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list, a compilation of traditions, practices, and rituals passed through history from one generation to the next. Yep. It's a big deal. Aldi has it. And Redditors are spreading the news.

"Aldi has REAL rye bread. Has anyone ever tried this?" asked Redditor @samhaincemeterygirl in a post that's since been 91% upvoted.

"Yes, it's delicious! Just like I know it from Germany. Best with butter or butter and gauda [sic] cheese ... Yummy," responded @DoingThisRightNow, while another poster shared, "It's delicious, very dense but awesome. It's not like normal bread since it's packaged from Germany."

Some Redditors, like the original poster, lamented the hit-or-miss availability of Aldi's German rye bread, as she said, "Yeah! I wish they sold it continuously because I live in a small town and not a single place here sells legitimate rye bread. This might be my first time having the real thing. I've always loved rye bread but I eventually learned that it wasn't full rye most of the time."

According to Fooducate, the Deutsche Kuche Whole Rye Bread sold at Aldi contains just six ingredients: whole kernel rye, water, wholemeal rye flour, salt, oat fiber, and yeast. That falls in line with the authentic practice of making this bread in Europe. As reported by The New York Times, traditional German bread has only six ingredients and never contains milk, sugar, fat, additives, or preservatives. In fact, under guidelines set by the German Bread Institute, it's unacceptable to use bleached flour.

Comments on Fooducate's post were in line with Redditors' observations about the bread. As one observer @sara7venus pointed out, "It is made in Germany, and therefore has very wholesome ingredients. They do not allow GMOs in food." Another person @Bruce32 shared a favorite preparation: "An excellent product! Low carbs, good taste especially lightly toasted. I eat this with curried egg salad and lettuce with nasturtium leaves." Another commenter suggested trying the bread toasted with almond butter.

But like the Redditors, a few Fooducate commenters, including @Juergen, expressed frustration about the limited availability. "For us the question is not 'where' but 'when.' It seems that every U.S. Aldi store carries it — twice a year. They consider it a seasonal item with supplies coming in spring and fall." But @Juergen also offered a solution, suggesting, "We buy 12-15 bricks at a time and store them in a cool place not in the fridge ... Been doing it for years, never gone bad on us."