The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word BAVARIAN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
B
A
V
A
R
I
A
N
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "German" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case german = bavarian.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does BAVARIAN mean?
BAVARIAN noun- A type of custard-like food, made with fruit.