That would mean nothing in Hamburg or Liverpool, where one is used to reckoning by loads and tons, but every 'place has its measure', which amounts to a good reputation, considering these 800 Schock.

Incidentally, Lübbenau does not lag behind by selling an article which could perhaps invite ridicule, cucumbers and horse radish are of equal birth...The secret of the Spreewald gherkins' special taste remained hidden, even to the satirist Fontane.

In this tragicomedy, Daniel Brühl has great difficulty obtaining the Spreewald gherkins that his sick mother (Katrin Sass) dearly loved and which he absolutely needed to convince her of the continued existence of the (in her view) "ideal East German world".

Meanwhile, the gherkins can again be obtained under their trademarked name Spreewälder Gurken, which is a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) in the EU as of March 1999.

At the annual Spreewald-Marathon, which is held in the disciplines of running, bicycling, hiking, canoeing, and skating, the competition is started with, "Auf die Gurke, fertig, los" (On the gherkin, steady, go!)