Grütze

German

Etymology

From Middle High German grütze, from Old High German gruzzi (“coarse grains”), of the same root as Proto-Germanic *greutą = English grit, German Grieß.

The term is applied to “ground” fruit because older desserts such as rote Grütze originally included cereal grains, and preserved the name despite substituting starch for the cereal grains; more recent dishes (e.g. gelbe Grütze) are named by analogy to the older dishes. For the “shrewdness“ sense a contamination by Early New High German Kritz cannot be excluded, that apart from being an instance noun to complement today’s kritzeln also meant “wit”.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈɡrʏt͡sə/
Audio: (file)

Noun

Grütze f (genitive Grütze, plural Grützen)

a food of coarsely ground cereal grains: groat(s)
coarse "grains" or bits of fruit, or a dish made from these
rote Grütze = a fruit pudding containing chunks of red fruits (e.g. redcurrants and raspberries)
(colloquial) brains, shrewdness, prudence
Ein wenig Grütze unter der Mütze ist gar viel nütze;
Ein fröhlich Herz unter der Weste, das ist das Beste!
Some brain behind the veil can have a lot avail
A merry heart behind the vest is nonetheless the best.
- 2018 October 22, “Andrea Nahles (SPD) erzählt den Wählern einen vom Pferd”, in Journalistenwatch‎^[1], archived from the original on 2018-11-06:
  Selbst die letzten SPD-Genossen mit Restverstand und noch etwas Grütze unter der Mütze bemerken nun den geistigen Leerlauf der durch das tiefe Tal der endlosen Volldoofheit galoppierenden Frontfrau.
  Even the last SPD comrades with rest intellect and some brains under the hats now notice the mental idle state of the front woman who gallops through the deep dale of endless full-retardation.
(colloquial, derogatory) intellectual poverty, brainlet, retardation
Ihr habt nur kommunistische Grütze in der roten Rübe!
Y’all have only commie offals in your red conks!
(colloquial) rhubarb rhubarb, humbug, aesthetical tripe
gequirlte Grütze ― flapdoodle
- 2014 March 31, “Warum (Remix)”, Ercandize x PA Sports (lyrics):
  Mich zu battlen macht kein’ Sinn wie angeln in ’ner Pfütze
  Deine Crew sind nur paar Salaks, und dein Album ist nur Grütze
  To battle me makes no sense like to angle in a puddle
  Your crew are but a few gits, and your album is but to befuddle

Declension

Declension of Grütze [feminine]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Grütze	die	Grützen
genitive	einer	der	Grütze	der	Grützen
dative	einer	der	Grütze	den	Grützen
accusative	eine	die	Grütze	die	Grützen