Worst of the wurst

The death of the German butcher

By Culinate staff

January 29, 2010

The January issue of Smithsonian magazine has a unusual article about meat: its cultural history in Germany (big), the number of artisanal butchers remaining in Germany (not so big), and the chances of Germany retaining its meat-preparation traditions (pretty small). As the author, Andrew Blechman, points out, “In Germany, the shunning of local butchers amounts to the repudiation of a cultural heritage.” When even the butchers go vegetarian (as one butcher Blechman profiles did), what are the odds?