What German product is the equivalent of cream in a recipe from the United States? I'm looking at a Bolognese sauce recipe from a US cookbook and it contains the following ingredient:


  1 cup cream, half-and-half, or milk


Now I'm wondering what exactly the german equivalent of cream is, as there are many different types.

Does cream in US recipies generally refer only to regular cream ("süße Sahne, Schlagsahne") or to sour cream ("saure Sahne, Schmand") or Crème fraîche as well? 

I'm mostly wondering because I read that sour cream or Crème fraîche are especially suited for hot sauces as they don't curdle easily. 

I'm interested in both, what is usually meant by cream in US recipies and which type of cream would be appropriate for something like a Bolognese sauce or similar hot sauces.
"Cream" is most certainly süße Sahne. A modifier gives you knowledge about the fat percentage. Half and half refers to 20% fat, which you could mix yourself if needed, but few recipes are that sensitive, so you can use milk (Vollmilch, 3.5) or whipping cream (Schlagsahne, 30 to 35 percent). The only problem is double cream. That's Konditorsahne, at inner 40 percent, and not available retail in Germany. If it has to be whipped, you have to find a high-ish Schlagsahne (33 instead of 30), drizzle some Sahnesteif, and cross your fingers. 

If the recipe needed a cultured product, it would have specified Greek yogurt (10) or sour cream (10 to 20, use saure Sahne or Schmand for that). Creme fraiche is not used in traditional American recipes, as it is a rare and expensive imported product. You can use it in a recipe calling for sour cream, obtaining a product with a richer mouthfeel and less tanginess. 

The "what type of cream is suitable" question is unrelated to terminology and should be asked separately. Briefly, the answer is "all of them".