Exberliner Issue 167, January 2018

Round-up
The next wurst thing
REGULARS
Food
By François Poilâne
Vegan and vegetarian “butcher” shops are all the
rage in Berlin, but whose fake meat reigns supreme?
We put three to the test. By Jane Silver
L’HERBIVORE
Flavour HHH Meatiness HH
Vegan/Organic? Yes
Opened in Friedrichshain two years ago by
locals Johnny Theuerl and Eric Koschitza, this
was Berlin’s first shop to hit upon the idea of
displaying plant-based meat behind a “butcher
counter”, and the look is quite convincing. Only
when you get close do you realise the sausages,
burger patties and roasts on offer are vacuumsealed
substitutes made from a wheat gluten/
lupine mixture. Produced in-house, the vegan,
organic goodies are available to take away or eat
on the spot in burger or sandwich form (€4-6).
You can also find them at bio markets if you
don’t want to make the trek to Petersburger
Straße. Despite the familiar shapes, Theuerl is
adamant that “we’re not trying to be like meat”
– thus inventive add-ins like pumpkin, dried
fruit and kidney beans. Though the taste isn’t
bad (the chilli-malt burger and smoky, boil-inthe-bag
Frankfurter were our favourites), the
rubbery texture of the seitan leaves something
to be desired (amplified in the veggie-stuffed
“Christmas roast”, €25). You’ll definitely want
to crisp up the burger patties (€3-3.50/2) in
some oil, and add sauces for lubrication.
Petersburger Str. 38, Friedrichshain, Tue-Wed
11:30-20, Thu-Sat 11:30-21
L’Herbivore
DIE VETZGEREI
Flavour HHH Meatiness HH
Vegan/Organic? Yes/Mostly
Die Vetzgerei’s “sushi” sausage
Der Vegetarische Metzger’s frozen fare
After a successful crowdfunding campaign
last summer, Sarah and Paul Pollinger
reopened the former Prenzlauer
Berg branch of English bookstore Shakespeare
and Sons as a chic tiled showroom for their
seitan-, tofu- and vegetable-based sausages,
patties and spreads. The space, split between
an eat-in area and a glass butcher counter,
seems far too large for the limited selection of
products on offer. But the vegan couple, whose
last venture was a leather-free shoe company
called Freivon, say they’re only just beginning.
Here, they and chef Hendrik Madeja experiment
with sausage flavours like the rather
polarising “sushi” with curry, seaweed and
wasabi (€1.90/100g) and picnic-ready dishes
like a Hungarian-style Wurstsalat made with
their paprika “Beißer” (€2.30/100g). Nothing
here will fool you into thinking you’re eating
meat, but if you’re looking for a mostly organic,
additive-free Brotzeit alternative, you could
do worse than the salami-like Aufschnitt with
seitan, oat, smoked tofu and tomato paste. Try
a selection in-store with bread for €4.50 before
you commit. Raumerstr. 36, Prenzlauer Berg,
Mon-Sat 10-18
DER VEGETARISCHE METZGER
Flavour HHHH Meatiness HHHHH
Vegan/Organic? Mostly not
It’s a little unfair to throw this one in the
mix. Far from a small local producer, this is
the Berlin branch of a Dutch fake meat titan
whose products are developed in conjunction
with scientists at Utrecht University and
sold in 15 countries, from the UK to South
Korea. But co-founder David Meyer is a native
Berliner and, honestly, any vegetarian with
fast food cravings should stop by his Bergmannstraße
storefront at least once. Whether
taken away in a freezer box or eaten right
there, Vegetarische Metzger’s soy, wheat and
lupine burger patties (€2.90/2), chicken nuggets
(€3.90), schwarma (€3.90) and bratwurst
(€3.20/2) are virtually indistinguishable from
their animal-based counterparts. (Which is
both a compliment to Meyer and co. and a
testament to the sad state of industrial meat;
don’t expect these guys to replicate a Wagyu
steak anytime soon.) Vegans, tread carefully.
The burgers, brats and quite a few other products
owe their considerable meatiness to whey
protein and “free-range” egg whites, whatever
that means in Holland these days. But their
flagship chicken, made with pressed soy protein,
is completely animal-free and shockingly
toothsome. Bergmannstr. 1, Kreuzberg, Mon-
Sat 11-22, Sun 13-21 (new restaurant opening
this month, Revaler Str. 8, Friedrichshain)
50 EXBERLINER 150 167