The Cologne Food Project

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

INDEX

- The brief

- Recipe

- Stage 1

- Reflection

- Stage 2

- Development

- Stage 3

- Credit

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

THE BRIEF

In this project we will explore Cologne food through ethnographic research and try to understand the difference between traditional and typical food behaviors. As result of the project we will produce and present our impression of Cologne food.

Twelve incoming international students will work on this project as one large group. The group will be organized into different sub-teams throughout the process so that everyone works with a mix of people. The project is concluded by this collaborative documentation.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

INTRODUCTION to stage one

STAGE 2

informed research

STAGE 3 prototyping

In the first stage of the project we divided into 3 subgroups, exploring Cologne food. All of the subgroups went to a market to explore the local food culture through ethnographic research with consumers and salespeople.

In this documentation of the first stage, you will find extractions from the first research and the central points of the findings.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

“German people always have a cold breakfast to start the day, warm lunch and something cold again for the evening.”

When we got to the market, we decided to experience the traditional cold German breakfast. The lady from the store explained to us that the cheese is from Bavaria, the bread is from local store and the ham is from Italy.

STAGE 2

informed research

“We don’t really produce cheese here, in Köln. What people like here is the cheese from France.”

“Blut sausage, you always eat it cold.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, any time of the day.”

If the traditional dish were most consumed, we presumed that the best selling recipes would be correlated with the famous dish. We decided to visit each store in the market and asked for the best selling products. The most consumed cheese is from France, the most popular sausage is Blutwurst and lastly the brotchens are the number one choice in the old bakery near Neumakt.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

STAGE 3 prototyping

“Traditional Kölner foods are Himmel und erde, Reibekuchen and...but I don’t eat it, I eat asian food.”

“Yes, we always have asian food, because I am the one cooking.”

What we found out from the interview was that traditional food doesn’t fit people’s lifestyles anymore. Although everyone can identify the traditional Kolner food, they still prefer meals that fit with their daily routines.

KISD

Köln International School of Design

STAGE 1

STAGE 2

initial investigation

informed research

“For me traditional Kölsch food is connected with the fields that surrounds the city and the vegetables that grows in the fields.”

“The blood sausage is very traditional for Köln but the most popular one is the krakow-wurst.”

This girl differentiated between traditional, and typical Cologne food. She told us that it is important to her to eat and live healthy.

Therefor she is eating a lot of vegetables, and try to buy the ones from the surrounding area

In the sausage stand we learned that Krakow-wurst is their most sold wurst. The most traditional wurst is however the blood sausage Flönz.

Flönz is eaten also as breakfast and comes in different versions such as smoked.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

STAGE 3 prototyping

“There is no cheese from Köln but people here eat cheese from all over the world.”

The cheesemonger told us that there is no special cheese from Cologne, but that people eat cheese from the countries near by and from all over the world.

Höhlergereifter is most popular at this market

KISD

Köln International School of Design

initial investigation

STAGE 2

informed research

STAGE 3

When our group discussed the question “what is typical Koln food” we all concluded that people from Cologne drink Kolsh beer.

Therefore we decided to explore pub food, within that exploration, we went to ‘Zum Alten Brauhaus’ where we got to taste traditional food first hand.

Here we tried Himmel und Erde, the local food recommended by several people.

Our perspective of Himmel und Erde was that it was tasty but had an unpleasant texture and appearance.

At the ‘Apostle Market’ we wanted to find the ingredients in Himmel und Erde, and further explore the question of “what is typical Koln food.”

STAGE 1

The stall owner commented that although his foods were not traditional Koln food they were very popular amongst Kolners. He even gave the example of Doner Kebabs, saying even though it is Turkish is it so typical and they are everywhere. He recommended a few of the most popular cheeses and bread to go with it. We asked what drinks were consumed with the bread and he recommended wine, which in foresight shows the relation between traditional Koln food going with Koln beer and other cultures foods adopted in Koln remaining in sync with the complimentary drink from the respective culture.

After exploring the typical and traditional ingredients at the market we found examples of the very traditional blood sausage used in Himmel und Erde. Market owners said that sausages can be eaten in the morning, for lunch or for Abendessen.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

prototyping

We tried out different questions during our time at the market to pin down what are the traditional and typical foods of Cologne. We asked what beers go with traditional and typical foods, what peoples favourite foods were and what they recommended. We found that many people gave us the same answers and decided to try and refine our interview questions in the next stage.

KISD

Köln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

INTRODUCTION to stage two

STAGE 2

STAGE 3

After visiting the market all 3 subgroups got back together, presenting the findings and food bought at the market. Members of the group found the blood sausage to be unappetising due to its presentation and texture. Through tasting the food, we explored different kinds of traditional and typical food of Cologne.

to consumption. Again we divided the team into 3 subgroups, but this time with different areas of research. Within the areas of research the focus was on traditional food compared to typical food.

The chosen topics for research were: - How is the food presented?

- How and why is the food chosen?

- How is the food consumed?

informed research

From the findings in the first stage of the project we concluded that we had to do some more organised research to get a deeper understanding of Cologne food and whether traditional food is the same as typical food.

To organise the further research we chose to follow the journey of the food from production

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

prototyping

The research was done through interviews and observations of people in the streets of Cologne as the second stage of the project. In the following documentation of the second stage of the project you can see videos and pictures capturing the findings of the ethnographic research.

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

We observed a typical behaviour in Cologne is to tap beers and say “Prost” before drinking.

The group found that beer is an integral part of traditional and typical meals. The people we interviewed said that beer goes with all food, especially traditional meals such as Himmel und Erde.

STAGE 2

informed research

STAGE 3 prototyping

This dish is Himmel und Erde, an infamous and traditional Kolner dish. This meal has been around since the 1800s and is still eaten at Restaurants and at home today.

The traditional dish is presented creatively and carefully by chefs in Cologne, the Doner Kebab however is quickly put together in the most efficient way possible by the cook.

The meal is a combination of mashed potato, apple, onion and blood sausage. There is no traditional form of presentation for the dish.

From the people who the group interviewed we discovered that Cologne people do not eat traditional meals regularly.

They eat typical food such as the Doner Kebab much more often.

The word “Himmel” means heaven, this element of the meal is represented by the apple. The earth or “Erde” is represented by the potato.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

The main qualities that attract people to this typical food is that it is: quick to eat, easy to take away, cheaper, fast to order and convenient if you are in a hurry.

KISD

Köln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

STAGE 2

informed research

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

STAGE 3 prototyping

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

STAGE 2

informed research

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

STAGE 3 prototyping

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

INTRODUCTION to stage three

STAGE 2

STAGE 3

From the organised research of Cologne food we brought back lots of interesting findings about the food’s journey from production to consumption.

and is not healthy or convenient. Most people are very busy during their daily life and are often too busy to cook and sit down with an ordinary meal. Therefore people often buy food that is convenient and eat while they are on the move.

informed research

From the first group, who researched how food is presented, the main findings were that the traditional food is often presented in a way that makes it appear disgusting, even though the taste is good. The group also found that most traditional dishes are served in the same unattractive way in all the traditional restaurants.

The second group was doing research on how and why food is chosen. From their research they found that people do not often choose to cook traditional food because it takes too much time

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

prototyping

In the third group, who did research on how food is consumed, the main findings were that traditional food is strongly connected to beer.

The traditional dishes are often most often eaten in the breweries around the city of Cologne, which tells us that people associate the food with the beer. It is also well known that beer is a big part of German culture and Kölsch is a big part of the identity of Cologne, so it made sense to include beer in our outcome.

KISD

Köln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

INTRODUCTION to stage three

STAGE 2

STAGE 3

After concluding on the findings from the organized research we chose to focus on one specific dish to narrow in our research towards a final conclusion. Drawn upon the experience from the two stages of research, we chose to focus on the traditional dish “Himmel und erde”, because it was a dish we had met many times during our research and it was a traditional dish, which seemed to be far away from the typical food eaten in Cologne.

After brainstorming on different ideas of how to change the image of “Himmel und Erde” we decided on some kind of chips or crisps, with the taste of blood sausage and potatoes. The chips/ crisps should be served with a sauce with the taste of apple and beer.

informed research

We chose to change the image of “Himmel und Erde” into something new, which should be presented and consumed in a modern and attractive way, suiting the typical eating habits of Cologne in modern times.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

prototyping

To reach a final dish we chose to divide in 3 subgroups again; one group experimenting with chips/crisps, a second group experimenting with sauce and a third group working with the graphics for packaging and labelling. In the following documentation of the third stage of the project you can see how we experimented with recipes to reach the final dish.

KISD

Köln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

STAGE 2

informed research

STAGE 3 prototyping

We started the process by putting ready boiled potatoes together with the flรถnz sausage, salt and pepper into a blender and blending it into a mixture. We then added corn flour to create a a smooth dough that we could easily shape.

After mixing in the corn flour to thicken the dough, we used a rollingpin to flatten the dough.

Then we cut it into small triangular pieces. We also experimented with different ways of making the chips. We made some as small balls, some thicker circular ones as well as the triangular ones.

Next we experimented with different ways of cooking the chips. We tried to bake the chips in the oven and to fry them in a pan with little oil. These experiments were however not very succsessful and we ended up deep frying the chips in the end.

Here you can see the three different versions of the chips served with the sauce. We served all three versions to a range of people and asked for opinions. Since the triangular version seemed to be more popular we decided to develop this one further.

The final chip is a thin and crispy flรถnz chip sprinkled with salt served in a takeaway cone.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

STAGE 2

informed research

STAGE 3 prototyping

We tasted different Kolsch beers and apples to decide which were the sweetest and the sourest. We found which apples and beers went together in the most complimentary ways and tried to mix them together in different quantities, searching for the best taste.

We mixed the recipe together in a blender and found the outcome was better if we chopped the ingredients as small as possible first. We constantly tested the sauce samples we produced during the sauce making process, this helped us to decide on the quantities of the ingredients.

We wanted to mix the traditional Himmel with the popular and typical Kolsch. We heated the apple in the beer so that the apple absorbed the beer taste and the beer absorbed the apple flavour. We tried different ways to thicken the sauce, and settled on sauce binder and cornlfour.

We chose sweet and spicy varieties of sauce, using different bottles to indicate the flavours. We decided to keep the spicy sauce unblended, like a salsa mix or chutney, so that it would add variation in texture to the eating experience when compared to the smooth, blended, sweet sauce.

We put the final sauces into beer bottles to mix the traditional Himmel food element with the typical behaviour of drinking beers on the go. The bottles we used for the sauce were the empty bottles left from the beer we cooked with, this helps to identify the flavour.

The product was successful, the sauce complemented the chips well and made the meal more interesting. The glass bottle container was difficult to use because the sauce was slow to come out. For future, large scale marketing we would need to find another way to package the sauce.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

STAGE 2

informed research

STAGE 3 prototyping

Each person created a mood board to explore a direction for the brand. Elements that we liked were picked out of each mood board and combined to create a brand identity for Himmel und Erde.

Characteristics picked tended to combine traditional and comtemporary design, such as serif fonts with a gothic feel, and a minimalist background.

The packaging was inspired by the cones used to package goods brought in markets such as the Apothel market. We wanted it to be easily assembled by the seller and easy to carry around for the buyer.

The design of the pattern reflects the traditional elements of both the city and its traditional food: apple, potatoes and the Dome but we also didn’t want the graphics to become a list of the Himmel und Erde ingredients.

The graphics on the packaging is reminiscent of vintage prints- monotone, looks handmade and somewhat inelegant.

The same packaging was used on the sauce to continue the brand image across all products. The tags add a more artisan, hand made feel to the bottle compared with a printed sticker.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

KĂśln International School of Design

STAGE 1

initial investigation

CONCLUSION for stage three

STAGE 2

informed research

After experimenting with different recipes for chips and sauce we reached our final dish; chips made of blood sausage and potatoes, served with two different kinds of sauce; a sweet applebeer sauce and a spicy apple-beer chutney with onions, garlic and chilli. Our graphics team came up with a pattern and logo for packaging our new product and decided to serve the chips in a paper cone. This gave it an old-fashioned but contemporary look. We served the sauce in beer bottles to illustrate the strong connection between food and beer.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

STAGE 3 prototyping

We were all happy with our final outcome of the rebranded Himmel und Erde. We feel that we managed to give it a new, attractive and modern identity which could fit more easily into people’s lives. Perhaps it could even be something which is appealing to consume outside of Cologne.

The branding is nostalgic but still fresh, and the food itself tastes good.

See the next section for final recipes.

KISD

KĂśln International School of Design

RECIPE for the flรถnz chips

- 300g blood sausage - 300g mashed potatoes - Approx. 300g flour mixed of corn flour and wheat flour.

- 1 teaspoon salt - Pepper Blood sausage, mashed potatoes, salt and pepper is mixed in a blender. After blending the mass is mixed with the flour until it feels stiff enough. Fry the chips in a pan with hot oil. Fry until both sides are evenly brown.

Sit the fried chips on a paper to rinse the oil and sprinkle some salt over.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

RECIPE for the sweet apple and beer sauce

- 6 Apples - 3 bottles of Kรถlsch - 6 tbsp Sugar - Sauce binder - Cornflour Peel and chop the apples, put them in a saucepan and add enough beer to cover the apples. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar for each apple, cook on a medium to high heat stirring occasionally until apples are completely cooked and broken down. Add enough sauce binder and cornflour to thicken the mixture.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

RECIPE for the spicy apple and beer sauce

- 6 Apples - 3 bottles of Kรถlsch - 1/2 an Onion - 1 clove of Garlic - 4 Fresh chilis

- 2 Lemons - 6 tbsp Sugar - Salt to taste - Pepper to taste - Sauce binder

Peel and finely chop the apples and squeeze the lemon juice over them. Finely chop the onion, garlic and chili and add these to a saucepan. Add the apples and cover with beer. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar for each apple and salt and pepper to taste. Cook on a medium to high heat stirring occasionally until all the ingredients are broken down and add enough sauce binder to thicken the mixture.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

REFLECTIONS

Looking back on this project we all agree that we were slow to organize ourselves and find direction and this is something which we could definitely improve on. The first stage of research was quite random and didn’t delve very deeply into the topic, so the results were not very good.

We learned from this, reorganized ourselves and decided on more specific questions to ask, as well as a strategy for finding out the answers.

This more structured approach worked a lot better and we will definitely aim to do this from the beginning in the future. We all agreed in hindsight that it would have been good to ensure

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

that we captured a broader demographic and covered a larger area of the city than we did.

When we developed ideas, we chose a single direction - to rebrand and ‘make-over’ the traditional food. Given more time it would have been good to investigate other directions as well, but given the time scale of the project and the size of the group it was important to structure our discussions and make quick decisions. We moved onto developing an outcome which would taste good as well as have a good idea behind it.

KISD

Köln International School of Design

REFLECTIONS

We moved to the kitchen and experimented with recipes and branding. If we had more time to experiment we would be able to fine-tune the recipe, try different ingredients and be more precise with everything. It would also be good to spend more time than we did researching existing recipes for chips and apple sauces.

Looking back, we worked well as a group. After

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

the initial confusion we organized ourselves well and it was great to mix the groups up and work with a variety of people. We were able to discuss things as a whole group, undertake different tasks and report back to each other in a professional and friendly way, as well as learn from the skills that each person could bring from their home institutions.

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

DEVELOPMENT

We would like to look further into both where the chips would be sold and also the price. Maybe it would be a snack to have in a bar along with a Kรถlsch, maybe something to buy from a specific takeaway shop or stall, maybe at a sports match, or maybe from a kiosk like other chips. It would be good to take samples out to the public and get consumer feedback on the taste and appearance of the chips, when they would be likely to buy them and how much they would expect to pay for them.

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

We would like to experiment more with the recipes of our chips and sauce and refine them.

Find a way to make the chips more uniform and produce them on a bigger scale and also refine the recipes of the sauces and find a way to package them so that is easier to get out of the bottle. Perhaps we could develop a large sauce dispenser or small, individual portions which would be sold with each portion of chips.

We spoke to a lot of people during our research

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

DEVELOPMENT

who did not eat traditional Himmel und Erde because they were vegetarian, we have thought about expanding the range to include a vegetarian version or different varieties of chips, perhaps Reibekuchen chips or perhaps traditional food from other regions of Germany.

Some people we spoke to were also concerned about their food being healthy, and this is something which is a global concern these days.

We did try to bake this chips instead of frying

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

them and it was not successful, but perhaps with more experimentation this would be possible.

It would also be good to speak to Kรถlsch breweries about possibilities of development of the chips as a new product for their brand.

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design

CREDITS

Natalia Carreño natalia.carreno85@gmail.com

Hannah Smith hannahfsmith@live.co.uk

Guan-Ying Chen anny50926@yahoo.com.tw

Eloise Smith Foster e.smithfoster1@gsa.ac.uk

Ting-Ting Chou ting-ting.chou@hotmail.com

Réka Tihanyi thaitihi@gmail.com

Trine Brink Frederiksen trfre11@student.sdu.dk

Ole Thomas Tørresen ot.torresen@gmail.com

Aleks Marjanovic aleksandra@marjanovic.com

Kokaew Wongpichet wkokaew@gmail.com

Lorenzo Piazzoli lorenzo.piazzoli@gmail.com

Daisy Zou sweetberryheart@hotmail.com

Explore, Understand and Produce Cologne Food

By Prof. Heidkamp (Interface Design) and director Prof. Laubersheimer (Production Technology)

KISD

Köln International School of Design

KISD

Kรถln International School of Design