Niki Birnbaum bewirtschaftet 20 Fischteiche in Epfenhausen
Char instead of Beluga

In Epfenhausen near Landsberg am Lech, Nikolai Birnbaum breeds extremely fine fish and caviar, which are often served in Munich’s top restaurants – but can also be enjoyed at home. We watched him at work. From Klaus Mergel (text) and Toby Binder (photos)

Lord of the chars

Living and working in the same place: many people find that hard to do, as a home office brings its own downsides. For Nikolai Birnbaum, however, it is essential. He works among the ponds, the fish, in nature itself. Birnbaum - or Niki, as he is usually called - lives with his fish and his job, and loves them both.

The Birnbaum fish farm in Epfenhausen is a special place, where there is a constant flow of burbling water. Some of the fish that are grown here end up on the plates of cordon bleu restaurants - but many others are enjoyed by “normal” fish eaters.

Clad in rubber boots and waders, Birnbaum moves confidently across the mud and grass between his ponds. He spends his whole day in his boots, taking them off only at mealtimes. “When my boots get a hole in them, it gets unpleasant,” he says. Born in 1970, this fish farmer took over the operation from his father Karl-Heinz in 1996.

Very important: plenty of fresh spring water

“They used to call us Fischzuchtmeister [fish disciplinarians],” he says with a laugh. “That sounds weird.” The farm, which has been in existence for around a hundred years, was run by his father from 1960: 20 ponds on a 2.5 hectare site.

What the father started, the son carried on, taking an increasingly professional approach. But without making it all about growth and sales: “I only take out those fish that are just right. I don’t kill more than my customers need.” It’s certainly a maxim for sustainability, possibly a key component of his success.

60 litres of fresh water per second

The ponds are fed by pure spring water. “That means we get a flow rate of 60 litres per second,” explains Birnbaum. “Our fish like the fact they always have fresh water.” Birnbaum and his wife, Angela, are constantly on the go - illustrated by the fact they hardly ever manage to answer the phone during the day.

Karpfen, sechs Arten Forelle und der Saibling gehören unter anderem zu den Teichbewohnern

Sliding into the carp pond

You soon get a sense of the passion behind it all. Lots and lots of passion. After all, Birnbaum even built his house on the premises, right next to one of the ponds. He is thrilled whenever anyone assumes his house - guarded with loud quacks by a pet duck called Emil - dates back to the Wilhelminian era. It is, in fact, less than 20 years old. But it looks historic.

“In summer it’s fantastic to slide down into the water first thing in the morning"

The real highlight is the slide that goes from the terrace straight into the carp pond. “In summer it’s fantastic to slide down into the water first thing in the morning,” he says. And why not? After all, the fish love it in there.

Six species of trout and char

As well as carp, the ponds are home to all manner of salmonids: rainbow trout, brown trout, salmon trout, sea trout, tiger trout and golden trout. “However we mostly farm char, which make up around 40 to 50 percent of our stocks.”

Exactly: the legendary char, which also lives happily in Lake Ammersee. If you can afford it, you can try one of Birnbaum’s chars in Munich’s “Tantris”, or the gourmet restaurant “Alois” in “Dallmayr”, or Bobby Bräuer’s “EssZimmer” in BMW Welt.

But you don’t need to do that. It is also served in the down-to-earth “Nonnenbräu” in Landsberg, and the “Landhotel Hipp” in Hofstetten. Plus you can buy fish directly from Birnbaum and cook it yourself at home. “We take a totally democratic approach”, says Birnbaum.

Die Fischzuchtanlage Birnbaum besteht seit etwa 100 Jahren in Epfenhausen
Die Fischzucht Birnbaum in Epfenhausen räuchert Fische auch selbst

Char caviar instead of Beluga

His fish farm also has pike, catfish, huchen (Danube salmon) and, in smaller numbers, pike perch and sturgeon. And the coveted char caviar, which connoisseurs liken to Beluga. For animal lovers, there are the fry of whiting, roach and by-catch from the carp ponds. He simply doesn’t have enough space to grow all the fish that are spawned in his ponds.

As romantic as this life by the water may sound, it involves relentless hard work. And it’s not always very pleasant work either: the water is icy cold, which plays havoc with Birnbaum’s hands.

Every day, whatever the weather, they have to feed the fish, catch them, kill them, fillet them, prepare them for smoking or put them in the freezer. And make fish salads to sell in the farm shop. That was crucial to their survival during the coronavirus pandemic, when restaurants had to close.

Family life? Mmhh!

The farm employs between six and nine people, and Birnbaum’s wife Angela is constantly on the move too. Family life? “That has somehow become inextricably entwined with the business,” she says.

No wonder that the next generation is already getting involved. Daughter Lea Birnbaum is a qualified fish farmer, who learned her trade away from home. She has now been back working in the family business for three years. She hopes to make her own mark there one day. At that point, perhaps Niki Birnbaum will have more time to indulge his hobby: angling.

More about the Birnbaum fish farm: fischzucht-birnbaum.de (only in German)

Niki Birnbaum in Epfenhausen kann von seiner Terrasse direkt in den Karpfenteich rutschen

More stories for gourmets from all over Bavaria

Josef

They're brewing something!

Zoigl is a bottom-fermented beer specialty produced in the so-called communal breweries. Beer enjoyment and hiking in the Upper Palatinate Forest!

Read more
Neumarkt: Metzger Norbert mit Sohn und Fleischsommelier Tim

From Better to Wurst

Weisswurst lovers learn everything they need to know about veal sausages from Norbert Wittmann and his academy in Neumarkt

Read more
Wine walking tour: Thomas Schenk

Hi there, Silvaner

Walk with winemaker Thomas Schenk between hedges, flower meadows, saints and vines. Hike through the vineyards around Randersacker

Read more
Gesundheitsuntersuchung eines Spiegelkarpfens

Round and healthy

From September to April, gourmets make a pilgrimage to the Franconian Aischgrund region to enjoy the carp bred there. We tasted them

Read more
O-Ton Wurzbacher:

Treasures from the spruce forest

Two-star chef Alexander Hermann and clever gourmets love the fantastic aromas of the inconspicuous slate truffle. And only Bernd Wurzbacher finds them

Read more
Familientradition: Schon als Kinder halfen die Geschwister im Betrieb

Fisherwoman Kathi Mayer

Katharina Mayer takes up a 300-year-old family tradition: as a fisherwoman on the Danube, she catches pike, catfish and pikeperch

Read more

News from Bavaria

Get first-hand tips on stories, travel reports and events!