“Seasonality is the origin of gastronomy. The first dishes, especially those that embody a region and your culinary identity, are based on the principles of close proximity to the ingredients, in terms of time and space,” sums up German star chef and restaurant owner Jan Maier. He adds, “In this respect, seasonal cuisine is supposedly the easiest as well as the most demanding form of cooking.”
Image: maiBeck
Globalization – anything at any time
But why is it so demanding? Seasonality in gastronomy means using food with ingredients that are grown and harvested according to the region and time of year. With the globalization of food production, seasonal cuisine has increasingly taken a back seat. In many ways, this seemed to be a dream come true – in other words, that all foods, even exotic ones, are available all year round. At the same time, however, the connection to where our food comes from got lost along the way. The same goes for our willingness to wait for certain products or do without them altogether. And why should we? Thanks to advancing developments in mobility, refrigeration technology and logistics, it was no longer necessary to cook regionally and seasonally. Suddenly, food could be bought where it was cheapest and shipped anywhere in the world. The negative consequences – above all the long transport routes and high greenhouse gas emissions, global standardization and loss of quality – were largely overlooked and ignored.
Image: maiBeck
Regional and seasonal cuisine: Opportunity for the gastronomy industry
“Globalization is a megatrend that has been intensifying rapidly for decades, which is unusual. We’ve been wondering for some time when it will slow down,” says trend researcher and food expert Hanni Rützler. In her Food Trends 2025 report, she writes that there is now at least a slowdown, as a growing number of consumers value regional and seasonal products. Although this longing is not new in itself, it has been given a boost by the coronavirus pandemic, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and climate change. This opens up enormous opportunities for the gastronomy industry, says the expert. “Cooking seasonally and regionally is a way to differentiate yourself from other, more price-oriented culinary options and build your own profile.”
Image: maiBeck
Common ingredients, exceptional dishes
Jan Maier is among those restaurateurs who are dedicated to seasonal cuisine. Together with Tobias Becker, he has been running the renowned star restaurant maiBeck on the outskirts of Cologne’s old town since 2013. Instead of frills, high prices and stiff waiters, the focus here is on variety, transparency and sustainably sourced food from the region. “The pressure to buy inexpensive yet unique products was the initial motivation to focus on regional, seasonal food,” explains Jan Maier. He knows all the producers and suppliers of their ingredients personally, and finds regular interaction particularly important. “This allows us to provide simple products with a special quality, selected degrees of ripeness or, for example, blossoms or sprouts from ordinary vegetables. Therefore, we can use seasonal, regional – in other words ordinary – ingredients to create extraordinary dishes.”
Image: maiBeck
Inspired by seasonal cuisine
The menu of the Cologne restaurant is straightforward and yet impressive. Just one year after its opening, maiBeck was awarded its first Michelin star. The modern cuisine and the quality of the products were also well received by the restaurant visitors from the very beginning, says Jan Maier: “Our guests love transparency and are very aware of the intensity of seasonal cuisine. It also inspires them to cook seasonally and regionally and in this way also influences how they buy and deal with food at home.”
Image: maiBeck
Hanni Rützler attributes this new appreciation for seasonality in gastronomy to people cooking at home more often again, which has led to higher expectations. After all, anyone can cook frozen or canned food, but you expect more from a visit to a restaurant. “The guest doesn’t go out just to eat to get full as quickly as possible. They want to be inspired, feel good, experience something,” explains the food expert. It also means despite inflation, restaurant visitors are willing to dig a little deeper into their pockets for sustainably sourced food or, if necessary, forego dessert or that second glass of wine.
Image: maiBeck
Cooking according to the season
However, seasonal cuisine – and this is in its nature, or rather nature itself – goes hand in hand with a few sacrifices. Something we need to get used to again. “The biggest challenge, especially for us in Rhineland, is the months from November to March. That’s when we rely almost exclusively on preserves and canned goods,” explains the maiBeck chef. And that’s what cooking with the seasons also means: getting through the cold season, just like our great-grandparents or grandparents who used to preserve, pickle or ferment fruit, vegetables and meat.
Image: maiBeck
“Local exotics” – exotic but regional
However, unlike previous generations, we now have more regional food at our disposal. Even exotic products such as wasabi, saffron or prawns are grown and cultivated locally today. After all, climate change makes it possible – or rather: necessary. “Local exotics” is the name of the food trend that is increasingly being emulated and enriching regional food culture. This refers to “non-native” animals and food, which as a result of rising temperatures, but also thanks to the latest technologies such as aquaponics or indoor farming, can now also be grown and bred in Central or Northern Europe or North America. In other words, in areas where this was not possible until recently. “This development enriches our cuisine enormously,” says Jan Maier. “This includes the resurgence of things like chickpeas or quinoa from the surrounding region as well as melons from sunny greenhouses or the indoor cultivation of various sprouts and seedlings.” The fact that the driver behind this, climate change, is having such an impact on nature is worrying. However, it also makes it all the more clear how important seasonal cuisine is and that we should work with nature rather than against it.
