Thanks to the wonders of Google Translate, it's no longer as intimidating to move to another country. So we assumed the groceries would be a breeze for Google Translate after pages of rental agreements, insurance documents, etc, right?  W R O N G!
        Navigating kitchen staples have actually been harder because some items translate literally instead of to the German equivalent. And there are some things just unique to Germany/Europe overall. So here's everything we've picked up over the year that should make your first time way easier~

Allergens

Allergies/Food restrictions have actually been amazingly easy to navigate in Germany. All common allergens are required to be bolded on food labels and the spectrum for common allergens is larger than in the US for more reassurance. So if you have some dietary restrictions, you no longer have to spend all day nit picking every food label~ It has been a godsend with my husband's Celiacs.

Dairy

Milk

Milk might be an overwhelming item for your first grocery trip 😂 In the US, it's usually just different levels of fat and then brands. But in Germany, there are also several levels of pasteurization to provide you with an overwhelming amount of options.
          Rohmilch - raw milk; only found on farms
          Vorzugsmilch - filtered raw milk that has not been heated or homogenized
          Frischmilch - pasteurized milk; closest to milk in America
          ESL Milch (Laenger-Frisch Milch) - longer-lasting fresh milk; should last about a month refrigerated
          H-Milch - long life milk; unopened, can last 6 months at room temp
Once you've decided which milk you'd prefer, you can narrow it down to the usual level of fat you prefer.
               Landmilch - country milk; no fat removed
               Vollmilch - whole milk; minimum 3.5% fat
               Fettarme milch - lowfat milk
               Magermilch - skimmed milk

Condensed Milk

This one will trick you! Germany has something called 'Kondensmilch' which is actually unsweetened evaporated milk and not the traditional sweetened condensed milk you think of in the US. To get the right thing, look nearby for 'Nestlé Milchmädchen' or a Russian/Turkish can label that translates into condensed milk.

Sour Cream

Another tricky item that Google will translate to Saure Sahne, but what you're actually looking for is Schmand. In the US, sour cream contains at least 18% fat so you'll want to select the Schmand accordingly. I've found Saure Sahne to be closer to Mexican crema.

Cheese

          Quark - a very popular dairy product in Germany; the texture/taste is if cream cheese and sour cream had a baby
          Emmental - what Americans call 'swiss cheese'
          Butterkäse - a mild, semi-soft cheese with a creamy buttery taste
          Tilsiter - a mild, semi-hard cheese with many small irregular holes
          Körniger Frischkäse - cottage cheese; don't listen to google translate, it's not hüttenkäse
          Edelpilzkäse - blue cheese
          Frischkäse - cream cheese; you may find the texture slightly different as Germans like it particularly spreadable and gelatinous

Baking

Brown Sugar

German brown sugar is closer to sugar in the raw and dry instead of moist like in the US. If this will interfere with your American recipes, you can find some brown sugar or molasses on Amazon.

Flour

Flour is numbered in Germany rather than labeled terms such as “all purpose." The lower the number, the more processed the flour is. The higher the number, the more whole grain. Here's a list of the equivalent terms:

Type 405 – all-purpose white flour
Type 550 – baking flour
Type 812 – bread flour
Type 1015 – bread flour, darker bread
Type 1050 – white, whole wheat
Type 1600 – bread flour, whole grain