The pescetarian food trend reaches Berlin
In August 2020, Wenzel Büchold opened Restaurant Aufwind in Charlottenburg. Since then, he has welcomed guests with two menus: one with fish and one with vegetables. The Aufwind in Charlottenburg might be the first pescetarian restaurant in Berlin .
For those who don’t know the term pescetarianism: it’s the principle of combining a consistently vegetarian diet with the consumption of fish. In other words, a dietary style that celebrates the exception and is gaining more and more followers.
The cuisine on the rise is rigorously intuitive; the flavorful dishes are characterized by natural sweetness and acidity. Since the beginning, only vegetables and fish have been on the menu. Meat and any convenience products, additives or chemicals are dispensed with entirely – instead, everything is simply homemade. Labels and religious battles about food have never interested Büchold in the past when describing his cuisine. Instead, the 38-year-old says, “I cook radically from appetite. If we need a label, then we are appetizer-centric to the max.”
Over time, however, the word pescetarian did catch on – and has also become popular among Aufwind’s guests. And so Büchold has gradually come to understand what is happening in his restaurant: Many who come to him make an exception. They are among those who consciously combine their vegetarian diet with fish once or twice a week. “The exception makes the rule with us,” says Büchold.
For the epicureans, these moments when fish is on the table are exclusive moments. They also appreciate Büchold’s philosophy of serving only fish from Germany. The restaurateur has banned scampi, tuna and salmon from his kitchen. Instead, he relies on regional producers with certified aquacultures and traditional pond farms. Because in addition to enjoyment, Aufwind is also about health and sustainability.
Restaurant Aufwind is located at Windscheidstraße 31 in 10627 Berlin (close to Kantstrasse) and is open Wednesdays to Saturdays from 12 to 3 pm and from 6 pm. The terraces are open until 10 p.m. in the summer.