broiler

Popular pet of East Germans:

a greasy fowl, well plucked and grilled. When a German company acquired the license for broilers in 1957, ready-to-roast chickens were also offered in the West for a short time under the American name Broiler. (from English: ready to broil ) offered.

However, since one feared that the foreign word would mean nothing to the consumer, the golden cockerel was invented as the official language rule. On the other side of the Iron Curtain, the state-owned Industrial Mast Combine (KIM) took over the license for the spit. Whether the pithy advertising slogan "Delicious - always fresh from the market" helped here to success is not known exactly. Still, the broiler moulted. Soon to become a staple in the German Democratic Republic.

The restaurant "Zum Goldbroiler" on Alexanderplatz, which at times served as a meeting place for young fringe groups, became famous. who his broiler. Didn't eat with a knife and fork, but was able to get Alex banned. Has been threatened by the German-Turkish doner kebab since the fall of the Wall, but still sticks to a few frying stations.

Source: Lexicon of Endangered Words | Bodo Mrozek