If you happen to be an 18th century alpine game warden who is hungry for a snack, or if you were at Oktoberfest in downtown Mount Horeb last year, or if you just happen to be a meat geek, you probably already know what a landjaeger is. But for those who don't know, it's a pair of meat sticks that are often draped in rows for sale next to the cash register in quaint local shops. They used to be hung over the belts of the aforementioned Swiss and German hikers as they walked up and down the steep, snow-covered mountains populated by wild game.

Regardless of whether you are a fan of these salty, smoky delicacies or simply are someone who likes to learn about food and culture, Jesse Brookstein has written a book for you.

"A Perfect Pair: The History of Landjaeger in Green County, Wisconsin" introduces readers to the producers and experts who carefully craft landjaeger sausage snacks. The book, published by Karate Fight Publishing in Madison, is illustrated by Zach Nichols and serves as a historical and visual tour guide through the beautiful rolling hills and meat shops of this part of Wisconsin. Only in the Midwest could a book about humble meat sticks clock in at an impressive 140 pages.

The first thing to know about these snacks is what their name means.

"Quite simply, landjaeger translates to 'land hunter,' though the origins of the name are not as clear," explained Brookstein. "What we know is the product was fermented to a point where it was shelf-stable in a time when refrigeration wasn't widely available."

According to the author, landjaeger producers at the time likely didn't know exactly why their product could be enjoyed without making them sick (with pathogenic and spoilage bacteria likely not being fully understood at the time either), but it seems as though these shelf-stable products were popular with individuals who traveled the countryside and needed a reliable source of sustenance.

"What seems to have happened at some point was these sausages became so popular with 'land hunters' that the name actually became associated with the very people who enjoyed them - much like porter beers being named after street and river porters of 18th century England," he continued.

The missing piece to this puzzle has to do with the term 'hunter' itself, he added.

"Some folks seem to think it means hunters who were procuring food for their families, while others think it has to do with soldiers or police officers," he said. "After some digging, and as we address in the book, I personally believe the term is referring to game wardens who would have protected land from poachers while also taking care of the animals that lived on their employer's land - be it the local state or a wealthy landowner. This brings both the worlds of hunting and policing into the mix, and we're also discussing a time when true police organizations hadn't truly been formed. Thrilling, yeah?!"

Many Swiss and German settlers landed in this region of Wisconsin, and with them came traditional customs and recipes.

"One of those was landjaeger, and the Swiss of Green County and our German friends at Bavaria Sausage have done an amazing job preserving this little piece of history," Brookstein said. "I think a focused mix of historians, authors, and restaurateurs (think Anthony Bourdain) really opened people's eyes to the distinct connection between food and culture, and that very much so applies to landjaeger."

The author likes to say that landjaeger is like a time capsule, and the more you dig in, the more you find a deep and rich history unfolding.

Brookstein said he started writing his book "as a way of collecting information for myself and anyone who wanted to join me on this journey, but I'm proud to say I was ultimately able to capture local Wisconsin history that may have otherwise never been documented." It also teaches a deeper lesson about what it means to be alive and is an important reminder that "we need to remember we're always living in what could one day be someone's storied past."

As is often the case, Brookstein was able to see the wonderful weirdness of rural Wisconsin because he is – or, was, at least – an outsider. He actually grew up far from here, in the Village of Clinton in upstate New York.

"Upstate New York reminds me of Wisconsin in many ways - from the landscape and customs, to the pride we both take in our local food and drinks," he said. It was on family camping trips in the Adirondacks that a young Brookstein first tasted landjaeger, which was a rare and exotic treat in that part of the country.

Brookstein eventually moved to Wisconsin in January of 2018. Of course, he started noticing meat sticks "all over the place." While increasingly rare, they can still be found at several local spots from Miller and Sons Supermarket in Mount Horeb, to the Old Fashioned in downtown Madison and New Glarus Brewing Co.'s tap house. They hang next to the cash register at The Crappie Shop in rural Arena, and you can sometimes find them as gas stations as you travel throughout the region.

Brookstein, armed with curiosity, did the only logical thing: "I started buying all the brands [and] styles I could and, additionally, I started researching landjaeger online."

"To my surprise, there was barely any real, thorough history of this enormously popular smoked sausage snack," he recounted. "I've been self-publishing poetry and children's books for the past decade, and I decided I was going to get to the bottom of this fantastic product that so many Wisconsinites absolutely adore."

He called what happened next "a wonderful ride down landjaeger lane."

While the idea first struck him in 2018, he didn't start working on the text in earnest until January of 2020. He started quickly with a series of in-person interviews, chatting for hours with people who made landjaeger from scratch. Then, the world went dark as the COVID-19 pandemic arrived.

Despite the difficulties of the pandemic, Brookstein hopped in his car and traveled much of the state, ferreting out as many landjaeger producers as possible. Many have no online presence at all, so the only way to find them is, well, to actually find them. While his book focuses on landjaeger in Green County, he went far and wide to try as many as he could.

"The last piece of the puzzle was giving the book an identity," Brookstein said. "Between Upstate New York and Wisconsin, you see a lot of decades-old church cookbooks laying around different shops and houses. There's a certain coziness to them, and that was very much in line with the aesthetic I wanted to bring to A Perfect Pair - something folks could pick up and read through easily, while still gleaning a ton of deeply-researched information."

He recruited good friend and Wisconsin-native, Zach Nichols, who currently owns Cellar West Artisan Ales, a brewery in Lafayette, CO, to create the cover and interior art.

"[H]e absolutely hit it out of the park," said Brookstein.

The author called the response to his book "as heartwarming as it has been surprising."

"I thought there would be some folks who'd buy the book at the local Green County shops, and I imagined I'd see some orders come through my Karate Fight Publishing site, and that would have been perfectly fine," he observed. "What I've seen is massive interest from locals, expats and foodies alike."

"I've had older folks stop me and say they grew up on landjaeger, and they were excited to read the book," he said. "Or they knew this producer or that butcher who I could also interview at some point. I've had ladies associated with local historical societies send me newspaper images and more info on places that were closed decades ago."

While promoting the book, he appeared at Grumpy Troll's Oktoberfest in Mount Horeb, New Glarus' Beer, Bacon & Cheese Fest and Monroe Cheese Days.

"These events are great because you get a mix of folks who've either tried landjaeger and loved it, or folks who ask how this meat thing is any different than jerky," he said, adding wryly, "I give them a little background and they'll maybe buy a pair out of pity. And I kid you not - it's happened too many times - I'll sure enough see that person or their friends literally running back to the tent wondering what on earth they just ate and how they can get three more pairs. It's amazing seeing that range of emotions, and now that I think about it, I've never had a single person say they don't like landjaeger. It seems as though, if you eat and enjoy meat, you will like landjaeger. And you're all the better for it."

In case that all isn't enough, Brookstein has also started a landjaeger wholesale business called the Karate Fight Sausage Wagon, which grew out of a desire to spread the landjaeger gospel throughout Dane County and its surrounding areas. While Green County is just down the road, and Bavaria is properly nestled in Dane County, there were still a lot of people and places that didn't know what a great snack option landjaeger can be for bars, breweries and restaurants, he commented.

Of course, any good story about food is actually a story about people. Brookstein is well aware of that fact.

"At the end of the day, folks are very tied to the foods they know throughout their lives," he mused. "Growing up in the Utica area of upstate NY, we have these incredible Italian specialties called Utica greens, chicken riggies, sausage and spinach bread, and tomato pie. We also have halfmoon cookies (way better than their downstate black and white cousins), whatever-style wings, and salt potatoes. When I moved to Colorado, I was naïve enough to think some of those items would be readily available at nearby shops and restaurants. I was deeply mistaken, and those items have almost become more coveted because I can only get them when I'm back home. They remind me of dinners I'd have with my ma, or get-togethers with friends, or eating way too many halfmoons and having to take about six months off from even smelling them. I'm not even Italian and I take great pride in these regional dishes, and it's very easy to see why, in this case, folks of Swiss and German descent want to continue crafting a sausage product that basically originated in their home country and they were lucky enough to bring over as an attempt to stay connected to a place they or their families once called home."

The lesson is not one about any particular culture, or even any particular food. It's about every culture, and every unique and beloved recipe that comes along for the ride.

"You add those types of stories to any village, town, city, county, state, region, country, community, and you'll hear the same enthusiasm," Brookstein said, "and of course, a great deal of debate!"

There is one thing, however, that's beyond debate.

"More than anything, I think it's vitally important to remember how lucky we are to have local families and producers who are working so hard to craft these handmade foods," he said. "Not every state has the luxury of small-town meat shops speckled about the landscape."

"Owning a business comes with a ton of stress and hidden costs, and many work hard to pay their employees an honest wage - and often when we think a place is killing it, they may very well be barely making a profit," he continued. "Supporting local is vitally important, and at the end of the day, it's a beautiful win-win: you get to buy delicious landjaeger and support local businesses."

You can find "A Perfect Pair," landjaeger bundles and handmade chalet display cases at http://www.karatefightpublishing.com. Find out more on Instagram at @wisconsinlandjaeger.