Food & Gastro


The art of sustainable cultural diversity cooking

Sustainability is on everyone's lips these days. Even when it comes to food, we should pay attention to our environment. Is it necessary to eat berries in winter that are not really in season? Aren't there alternatives to avocado or banana that are not transported across the globe?
In our region there are so many beautiful and super healthy seasonal vegetables and fruits with which we can prepare delicious dishes. Local, German and also international.

We from the ECRI-NEWS TEAM would like collect your ideas how to create dishes from regional products. Until the end of August we would like to ask you to send us your favourite recipe, if possible with a picture. The only condition: The ingredients must be seasonal and as regional as possible.

For example, a market basket in the current season would be filled with the following ingredients:
Radishes, sugar snap peas, green salad, beetroot, potatoes, courgettes, strawberries, rhubarb, cress and cucumber etc.


But which ingredients are in season and when? The calendar will help you to find out.

In your favourite recipe, you may of course use basic ingredients such as eggs, dairy products, flour, sugar, salt, pepper or other spices.
Maybe you can try to buy the products from local farmers at the Pfarrkirchen farmer's market or at the weekly market, which takes place every Friday from 7 am to 12 pm in Pfarrkirchen.

We would like as many recipes as possible, seasonal and themed throughout the year. Maybe you also have a favourite drink made from seasonal ingredients.

Send all to ecri-news@th-deg.de.

We will design our ECRI-NEWS recipe book from all the recipes submitted. You and your favourite recipe leave your mark and contribute to the ecological footprint....

Pauline Kreis & Claudia Nikitsin • 24.06.2022


Tochis Kitchen



We know how much little time we have right now to make proper meals, but I tell you Eating is a necessity, but cooking is an art. 

To eat healthily is equally an important part of the equation and when we all eat, it would be a sad waste of an opportunity to eat badly, so we bring to you today - Tochi's kitchen, a simple collection of cheaper, easy, healthy and simple recipes.
Take a moment to go through the page, help us grow by tapping that Red subscribe button, kindly like our videos and share these to your friends and happy family. Stay tuned for more recipes.

Follow tochis kitchen via Instagram.



Buying international products in Germany

Have you already settled in Pfarrkirchen, and now you miss the products of your homeland? Oh, believe us, we understand that. One of the most difficult things when one comes from another country is trying to find the things one liked from their home countries. Over time, one assumes there are some things one will never find again, and others which we can recreate at our new home.

Nevertheless, it doesn´t have to be like that. There are many stores in Pfarrkirchen, Eggenfelden and the bigger cities around them (such as Munich or Passau) that have products from our home countries, and making use of them is a nice way to adapt to our new environment, without giving up things we grew up with and like.

So, how can I find general products from my homeland?

Well, in this case you might want to have a look at the local stores, and see if there as an equivalent or similar product in Germany. Lidl, Aldi, Edeka and Netto normally have similar products to the ones we miss, and that with slight modifications can work perfectly.

An anecdote I always like to share, is that in my home country (Argentina) we have something called Pascualina, which is a kind of quiche tart dough. I looked and looked for it and could never find it, until I realized I could buy Blätterteig, add more flour, and simulate my dear lovely Pascualina.

Using your imagination and your cooking skills (or your mother´s or father´s) will give you a great advantage.

And if I want more specific products?

Here we should first see where you are from, and then we can see where you can find that.
Pfarrkirchen has some international food stores, such as Fain or Damas Market. You can also find some international products (such as Russian, Spanish, or Portuguese ones) at some supermarkets. Lidl, for example, organises once per month an “Iberian week”,and they sell products from Spain or Portugal, such as Iberic cheese,empanadas, flan, among others.

Some restaurants, such as KinhDo, offer products from other countries for sale.

And if I can´t find what I want at these places?

Then you might want to look at other cities. Munich and Passau are the closest biggest cities, and they offer a huge variety of different shops where you can buy international products.

In Munich there are many African, Asian & Latin American stores. If you are in groups of people from your same country / region, you can ask them about it, and they can surely recommend you more specific things.

Passau also offers some international food stores, many Syrian, Lebanese, Turkish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Italian options.

Hey, I still can´t find what I want…

Have you thought about online shopping your products? Nowadays, there are many online-shopping stores for products from your homeland or continent, and most of them at convenient and affordable prices. Just be aware of the boarder tax and controls (Zoll) as they may increase. It is preferred to always ask the shops about shipping and boarder tax.
Some stores in Passau, Munich or even in Berlin or other bigger cities might send you some products per post, as long as they don´t need cooling systems. You can always call them, ask them, and arrange directly with them.

And lastly, did you know that our own university has a team of innovators which are tackling this problem? KulturCart is an online shopping app which is currently being developed by a team of ECRI students, with the help of the THD Startup Campus division. Want to know more about them? Check here!

Ayelen Toscano Juanes • 12.11.2021

Best restaurants in Pfarrkirchen and where to go, according to our students>

What our ECRI students think: Best gastronomic venues in PAN edition!

As we all know, attending college is way more than just studying. Social life has a big influence on it, and what we do and where we hang out with our friends is one of the most important aspects.

Pfarrkirchen is a small city located between bigger cities, but this doesn´t mean that PAN itself doesn´t have good places to offer! With clubs closed; restaurants, cafes and pubs have become our main meeting points with friends, and today we asked our ECRI students about their favourite spots in the city!

4th semester IE student from Spain:

“My favourite restaurant in Pfarrkirchen is a small Italian pizzeria called Fiume, which is located just next to the Norma supermarket. I like it because of the service they provide. Customer service there is incredible, the best in the area for me. They are wonderful people, always looking after their customers and checking that everything is alright.

One of the best things for me is that if the restaurant is about to close, but you are there with some friends on their outdoor patio, they have no problem letting you stay there while they clean the place and prepare everything for closing. They are very flexible and always put the customer first.

Apart from that I think the food is very tasty, and the ratio quality-price cannot be better. Prices are very competitive for the area, and that certainly helps when you are a student!”.

ITM Alumni, 23 years old from Germany:

“One of my to-go place is Kim Phat Asia Imbiss, a very small Asian restaurant located in the center of Pfarrkirchen.

Service there is great, the owner lets you change some things on the menu if you want something more specific (such as less or spicier, etc). The food is very good and cheap.

For me it’s also important that the owners always try to make you feel special and give you little things for free, such as cookies or small treats.

If I could recommend them to change something, I would ask them to add some sushi plates, even simple ones. It would be nice to have sushi in Pfarrkirchen” 

4th semester ITM student, 21 years old:

“My two favourite restaurants in Pfarrkirchen are Einstein and Il2. Both are suitable for grabbing a quick bite which tastes good or getting a drink with friends. Depending on the mood I would choose one or the other. Il2 is more modern, and Einstein has a traditional vibe to it, either way, both places feel cozy to chill in”.

7th semester ITM student, 32 years old from Argentina:

“I have two favourite restaurants in Pfarrkirchen: Fiume Pizzeria and Mery´s café.

Fiume is a very nice restaurant, their menu is a little bit limited on options but what they do, they do it well. It´s very tasty, homemade; and their customer service is incredible.

Mery´s café is a much smaller restaurant, it doesn´t have many options, and I go there mostly when I want “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake); but service there is also great, and they always give you something extra.

For me, both places are good and have their own good points but at the same time they are very limited in options, especially if you are vegan/vegetarian or have any allergies. More options and maybe the possibility to pay with card is something I would recommend them to change.

I basically like to go where they serve me nicely."

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Disclaimer: all texts are real testimonies given by different students and alumni of THD ECRI Campus. Comments do not represent the views of the THD institution, neither that of ECRI or ECRI NEWS employees. THD and ECRI News do not take any responsibility for the following comments or suggestions and express that the gastronomic offer in Pfarrkirchen is far larger than that mention in the following article. There is no commercial or promotional relationship between the gastronomic venues here mention and the THD institution or ECRI and ECRI News employees.

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Ayelen Toscano Juanes • 10.09.2021


Products directly from the farm Rottal-Inn


Products directly from the farm are characterised by quality and freshness as well as regionality and variety. They stand for sustainability and transparency in production and have short transport routes. And they taste good too.
Try it out:
https://www.direktvermarkter-rottal-inn.de/zucchini-karotten-roesti-astrid-josef/

Claudia Nikitsin • 11/2020


Milchtankstelle Degernbach and locally produced food


It’s Sunday morning, the sweet scent of coffee wafts through the flat and all you want to do is have a sip of this godly drink, when you realize you ran out of milk. This is maybe the worst that can happen to you on a Sunday morning, especially if you are not a morning person. Good thing that there is the “Milchtankstelle” (translated literally it means milk petrol station) in Degernbach. There you get fresh milk 24/7 for 1€ per liter. Either you can bring your own bottle or you grab one of the plastic bottles that are offered next to the automat called “Milchtankstelle”. You can choose the amount of milk you need, from 100 milliliter to 1 liter, which is very convenient. No matter if you would like to enjoy your Sunday morning coffee with milk or the urge to bake some Christmas treats hits you in the middle of the night, the “Milchtankstelle” is the place you can go to no matter what time or day it is. A nearby farmer who stocks the automat daily freshly produces the milk.

And if you are lucky enough to go there during a weekday you should also bring a satchel and check out the butcher and the shop right next door. The shop is open Monday to Saturday and offers a variety of fresh food from local producers, especially vegetables, fruits, flour, mixed pickles and other things. The butcher is only open Thursday to Saturday and offers fresh meat from farmers of the region of Rottal-Inn. On some days, they also offer freshly baked bread. And, to be honest, there is nothing better than a nice slice of fresh bread with handmade marmalade together with this cup of coffee.

If you would like to know more about it just visit the homepage: Sagstetters Gemüseladen

Miriam Bleck • 11/2020

About Milk
Milk or milk production is often in the crossfire. So when you buy milk, pay attention to where it comes from (for example Direktvermarkter) or how the cows are kept (Milchratgeber). And especially do not buy too often and do not waste anything.
And by the way...what are the differences between dairy milk and the plant-based alternatives?

Anna Marquardt • 11/2020

Too Good To Go


Did you know that we are currently wasting one third of all the food we produce around the world? That’s a lot! Most of the food that we waste is still good enough to eat besides not having the perfect color, size or shape.


The  Magic Bag on Too Good to Go: These fruits and vegetables were safed from being thrown away.

Too Good To Go

With the app “Too Good To Go” you can now safe food from being thrown away. The app shows you grocery stores next to your location that are giving away food that they would throw away as it is still good, but not good enough to keep in store. For about 3€ you can purchase a “Magic Bag” that’s filled with fruit and veggies worth more than 10€. Especially if your budget is low, this is the perfect opportunity to step up against food waste and safe some money at the same time.

There’s not only the App but also the “Too Good To Go” website with a lot of tips on how to safe food, such as recipes or hacks, a blog on the issue of food waste and also a Youtube channel with advice, information on the impact of food on our planet, how it is produced, tips and tricks.

Foodsharing Groups

If you are on facebook and are capable of some German, I also recommend the group “Noch guade Lebensmittel retten Rottal Inn”. There, a lot of people and also restaurants from the region of Rottal-Inn are offering food that’s left over or also fruit and vegetables that they harvested and cannot all eat by themselves.

Another group on facebook that you should check out is “Foodsharing Eggenfelden”. This group is more focused on the region of Eggenfelden, but there’s also people from Pfarrkirchen in it. You should also know some German for it, but it is really good if you are looking for food or also if you are having some left-overs you would like to share with others.

Miriam Bleck • 11/2020



Recipes


Recipe • Cashew Cookies
Recipe • Baked Stuffed Apples
Recipe • Homemade Fruit Punch for Christmas