One of the things that we have in common with out German relations is the profusion of magazines. The printed word is alive and well in Germany. According to my pen pal the question is not “To print or not to print?” it is “Wrap or not wrap.” The protective plastic shipping slip is looking on its last days as environmental concerns regarding these choices grow. But I digress.
My pen pal sent me three magazines for my birthday. It would seem that this is a new tradition, one that I thought I would share. I have been a fan of Lecker. For a long time. Mostly because the recipes and the art direction are right up in my wheel house. The other two are new to me.
Meine Gute Landküche , I take to be a regional cooking magazine. Each entry comes with a small map of the region that it comes from. The title’s literal translation is “My Good Country Kitchen“. But I think it more accurately means “regional kitchen“. My pen pal lives in Hesse and there were quite a few recipes of her region. I can’t wait to try them. Due to import restrictions, I will not be able to taste the Weiswurst made popular by her people. But there are some wirsing (savoy cabbage) recipes that are native to Hesse that will be interesting.
One of the things important to me in enjoying a magazine is the hand feel. By hand feel I mean the weight of the paper, the finish of the paper and the size format of the magazine. Landküche, has great hand feel. The pages are smooth, almost soft finished and gives the photos within an almost artistic quality. It is also a good sized magazine. I like Lecker because it lays flat the “wrong way” while I like Landküche because it is taller than most. This means you get big pictures and lots of story instead of sacrificing one for the other as with a good many magazines.
No, I have not tried anything out of it. I am still translating.
Chefkoch, just means chef. I know it is a let down. I hoped it would be a little more glamorous. But let me explain. A chef in German, means chief or boss. Koch means to cook. So chefkoch would literally be kitchen boss. But in colloquial german it just means chef. This one is simple. The layout is simple. The pages are streamlined. And I like the hand feel of this one as well. The pages are glossy but not thin like the Sunday circulars here. There are quite a few recipes I want to try out from this one. But it is going to take some translating. A lot of translating! I am easily overwhelmed by the pictures, and the salivating that they cause.
I shared some links, to a facebook page and the actual sites, so that you can explore these pages yourself. The websites are great fun. But there is really nothing like having the magazine in your hand. It goes where ever your wifi does not. Try one and see what you think.
And try not to be too disappointed that you won’t be eligible for any of the sweepstakes in the pages.