Scandinavia Leads The Gourmet Race
Scandinavia’s leading chefs have turned their back on foreign influenced cooking and fusion. Back to the roots they have gone. Back to what’s important: local produce, in season, preferably hunted, collected or foraged for. Ancient recipes are dug up and old cooking methods are back in fashion. The Nordic Food movement is becoming quite influential in the culinary world. Here's why.
Just like Scandinavian design, Scandinavian cuisine sticks to the basics. This doesn’t mean it’s all just plain meat and fish. Available is a wide variety of produce such as pork and poultry, as well as beets, potatoes, cucumbers, broiled, baked, and smoked apples. Dill is the herb of choice. Due to the region’s relative isolation and presence of large stretches of wilderness, the countries have learned to rely on their own supply of produce. Seasonal availability plays a vital role as winter shrouds the region in darkness during the long cold winters. Thus, preservation techniques were pioneered here, thanks in part to the Vikings who were masters in the art of preservation. Delicacies such as smoked salmon and salted and dried herring are the result. The cooking is pure and simple with the product at the core. A refreshing alternative to the heavily spiced garlic and olive oil infused cuisine that Australians have adopted over the last decades.
No wonder the Scandinavian way is spreading.
It was no coincidence that Danish restaurant Noma topped the chart at the influential S. Pellegrino’s Top50 restaurant list. The world is taking note and becoming quietly intrigued by the old school cooking techniques displayed by top chefs such as Noma’s Rene Redzepi
The man behind the emergence of the Scandi food movement is Claus Meyer. Back in 2004 he drew up a manifesto for the New Nordic Food Movement, basically putting his philosophy on paper for everyone to read and learn from. Key words in the manifesto are self-sufficiency, purity and freshness, seasonality, terroir and animal welfare.
His manifesto has seen its fair share of followers and young restaurateurs are emerging who are using the manifesto as a guide leading them in the operation of their restaurants and spreading the gospel.
Scandinavian cuisine seems to be going from strength to strength and there is no sign of letting up. Expect more and more restaurants to emerge in the top restaurant lists in the next few years. A few examples on where you can try some Nordic delights yourself are listed below:
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Noma – Copenhagen – Denmark Strandgade 93 It has become notoriously hard to secure a booking in chef Redzepi’s Noma. When you do sit down, prepare for something special as this restaurant has won a plethora of awards and is now considered the best restaurant in the world by Pellegrino’s influential list. The recipe for success is the ‘back to the core’ approach which allows the produce to play the starring role. A must-visit for the devote foodie. |
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Brimiland – Vågå – Norway More than just a restaurant, Arne Brimi serves his customers an experience rather than a meal. His patrons are encouraged to take part in the creation of the dishes. The restaurant is situated in a wilderness area and can only be reached after a brisk hike. All ingredients are sourced locally and ancient cooking traditions still prevail. yngve@brimiland.no
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Malling & Schmidt– Arhus – Denmark Jægergårdsgade 81 The interior of this restaurant is strongly inspired by the Nordic identity resulting in an eclectic mixture of light wood, steel, stone and animal skins. It’s all very natural and harmonious. Much the same in the almost laboratory-like kitchen. All ingredients are local and scrutinized for quality, only the best will do. Thorsten Schmidt is a rising star in the Nordic countries, diners at Malling&Schmidt know why.. http://www.mallingschmidt.dk/ |
Please do check out our Nordic Food Adventure, an in-depth 22 day culinary oddysey to the region. 5 countries visited!
Written by Karen Ridge
Director Food and Wine Travel
1800 701 521
karen@foodandwinetravel.com.au