How you say..."chef novel" in German?

April 27, 2011 2:40 PM

What would you call a coming-of-age novel for a chef? In german?

The novel of education (or coming-of-age) = Bildungsroman
The bildungsroman of an artist = Kunstlerroman

What would be the German equivalent of the Kunstlerroman of a chef? How would you say it?

posted by madred to Writing & Language (10 answers total)

Kochroman?

Chef, obviously, is French for boss (i.e., chef de cuisine); Koch really is just cook.

Sounds somewhat like coughroman.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 2:44 PM on April 27, 2011

I should add that my answer assumes the chef is male. Köchinroman if she's a lady.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 2:48 PM on April 27, 2011

There are several German words for chef, but none is monosyllabic.

You could use 'Sternekoch' [[Michelin] star cook], 'Chefkoch' [chief kook], or 'Küchenchef' [kitchen chief]. Nothing though, that adapts easily to the form you want.
posted by ijsbrand at 3:03 PM on April 27, 2011

Are you looking for a "literal" chef (i.e., an experienced cook who directs the preparation of food) or just a cook (i.e., the lower rungs of food preparation)? "Coming of age" makes me think you're looking for a cook, but I'm with ijsbrand that you'll need a compound word. Hauptkochroman? Head cook?
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:10 PM on April 27, 2011

Best answer: Küchenroman, though not literal, has a nice ring to it.
posted by ryanshepard at 3:16 PM on April 27, 2011 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Hmmm... well, I'm fond of reading memoirs or biographies about chefs and other gourmands. This has been going on for years and I've never been able to figure out what the fascination is. I'm teaching Portrait of the Artist in a Brit Lit class, and it suddenly dawned on me that these memoirs are structurally similar to the Kunstlerroman, which has always been my favorite kind of novel. So, I want a word that explains the connection. Actually, someone had answered "roman a chef" but the comment was removed. That might be a good term, although it's French. But I'm still interested in the German words. I just don't know German well enough to understand the nuances... So, if there is a word that describes both the eater and the cook, that would be the best, if unlikely.
posted by madred at 3:16 PM on April 27, 2011

Kụ̈cheroman would be "cooking/cuisine novel," give or take.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 3:27 PM on April 27, 2011

Wouldn't Künstlerroman refer to any novel about an artist, rather than a specifically coming-of-age novel about an artist? (I'm in no way familiar with literary terminology.) I'd suggest Chefkuchsbildungsroman or Küchenchefsbildungsroman if you want to be as descriptive as possible. Otherwise, go with ryanshepard's suggestion.
posted by matlock expressway at 4:00 PM on April 27, 2011

Schmorenroman -- literally, we're talking stew or braise, so you've got cooking terminology coupled with the sense of taking a long time to simmer and build up into something worthwhile, developing skills, developing oneself as a chef.

IWAGM, but I am not your German major. Consult a native speaker to see if it comes across the same way to them ;)
posted by bitter-girl.com at 4:45 PM on April 27, 2011

Response by poster: Thanks all! All the answers are interesting to say the least.
posted by madred at 11:23 AM on April 30, 2011