Ny Nordisk Mad : Nyheder

Final report of New Nordic Food II: The emerge of a new nordic food culture

Fri, 11 Sep 2015 12:05:00 +0200

During the last mandate period 2010– 2014, New Nordic Food II (NNF II) was assigned the task of managing various projects to highlight the possibilities that exist in the new Nordic cuisine. The Nordic Council of Ministers’ globalisation initiative Culture and Creativity has also permeated the work of NNF II, amongst other things through the project KreaNord. This report presents the results of all the projects carried out over the last five years. The activities in the program have attracted considerable attention and this has generated a process of change within the food sector. It promotes regional products while using them in new ways. Within the scope of meals served in public institutions, there has been a successful launch of a discussion on how to improve both the nutritional status and the taste. Work with the Food & Children project has increased the level of knowledge in food education. The Nordic Region as a gastronomic region has attracted attention. Even internationally, Nordic food has drawn attention in a creative way. A good example is Street Food, which NNF II raised to a new level by making Nordic fast food from local raw material. It is also interesting to read the interviews that New Nordic Food has done with some of the chefs, where they reflect over how much has happened since they signed the Nordic Kitchen Manifest (see page 66 in the final report). One of the reasons for this success is that the steering group entrusted the working groups and project managers to interpret their respective assignments in their own way, rather than having a controlling approach. This meant that the work has developed with great inspiration and creativity. This way of working, giving this freedom, also requires proving support and inspiration from the steering group. This is a balancing act that can always be improved. In future programmes we hope that the work to maintain creativity and inspiration will continue and that co-operation with the secretariat will intensify. How then can we move on? Can the Nordic Region continue to attract the same attention in the world; in the domestic kitchen, in restaurants and in the public kitchen? Can Nordic food emerge in completely new contexts? Read the final report of New Nordic Food II 2010-2014 " The emerge of a new Nordic food culture".

The future of New Nordic Food - special edition of "Green Growth the Nordic Way"

Sun, 29 Mar 2015 19:18:00 +0200

In this special edition of “Green Growth the Nordic Way” you can read interviews with a number of the pioneers who set out to create the new Nordic kitchen. You can also read the thoughts of a number of Nordic food activists on the future of New Nordic Food, as well as an outline of six workshops marking the closing of the yearlong programmes of the Nordic Council of Ministers on New Nordic Food. Read more on www.nordicway.org/nnf Click here to read the press release! Contact information
Michael Funch, Senior Adviser, Nordic Council of Ministers, mifu@norden.org Photographer: Yadid Levy

Ny Nordisk Livsstil konferens, Åland #nordiclifestyle

Thu, 12 Mar 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Konferensen går av stapeln på Alandica i Mariehamn och i programmet presebteras bland annat Marie Ryd, vetenskapsjournalist och disputerad inom medicinsk vetenskap, som talar om matens och motionens betydelse för hjärnan. Vidare kommer PhD Rickard Tellström, docent i måltidskunskap, verksam i Grythyttan samt aktuell från Historieätarna, att tala om 2000-talets smakvändning i Norden – människors matval i historien och idag. Mats Peterson är utbildad inom näringslära och fysiologi med inriktning på klinisk nutrition och näringsmedicin. I sitt föredrag Kraft och Lust kommer han att tala om hur du blir nummer ett vare sig det handlar om dig som idrottsman, säljare eller pappa. Därtill kommer Medimar och HS Consulting att introducera sitt nya koncept koncept inom mat och rörelse kallat MovEat.Det slutliga programmet publiceras i januari 2015. Konferens middag serveras av chef Micke Björklund på Smakbyn i Kastelholm. Konferensen arangeras av Ny Nordisk Mat Åland och Medimar i samarbete med VisitÅland, och övriga åländska parter. Tilläggsuppgifter:
Harriet Strandvik, projektledare, NY Nordisk Mat Åland, harriet.strandvik@hsconsulting.ax

The Future of New Nordic Food

Wed, 21 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0100

The scope and aim of the new programme will be decided by a Nordic steering group set up under the Nordic Council of Ministers for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Agriculture, Foodstuffs and Forestry (MR-FJLS). The main aim of the steering group will be to initiate, facilitate and coordinate activities related to New Nordic Food and grounded in the NNF manifesto. If you are interested in hearing more about the new programme you can sign up here. To subscribe to news about the activities of the Nordic Council of Ministers in this and other areas in general you can sign up here. See also www.nordicnutrition.org for info on the Nordic cooperation on nutrition in general. More information:
Michael Funch, Senior Adviser/Communication, Direct +45 21 71 71 43, mifu@norden.org ,Nordic Council of Ministers, www.norden.org Picture: norden.org

Staging Nordic Table 2024 #NORDICFOOD2024

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0100

On December 2, the best minds in Nordic food and creative industries developed the following five #nordicfood2024 showcases. A staging that also should be seen as an extension to Nordiska Museet’s permanent exhibition “Dukade Bord” since 1955. #1 Social media mapping as a tool to understand food-related values
The idea “Christmas present” is about playing with expectations in order to better understand and adopt present and future values of the customers. By checking out randomly invited guests’ social media profiles it was possible to identify their food values. Based on those findings a menu was prepared and served, where the guests were asked to interact and “hashtag” the experience, to see if it matched the predicted expectations. Team: Bo Lindegaard, Hafdís Sunna Hermannsdóttir, Richard McCormick #2: An organic network of rural food systems and foodscapes
In the future, the consumption patterns will change and there will be other economical systems, not based on monetary value. There will be a great need for integration of the rural food systems with the urban communities. Rather than making the rural adapt the urban, the idea is to reverse the movement by breaking boundaries of communication and by opening collaboration. The idea was to tap into other sources of information than those obvious to us today, and share this information via an interactive platform constructed of actors and tasks that (inter)-activate the rural food realities and system.
Team: Josefin Vargö, Björn Ylipää, Edith Salminen #3 Eat with us by eating with somebody you don’t know
The idea “Eat with me” is a field-study in community-design targeting scary figures like; 40% of us live alone, we’re getting more isolated and becoming strangers to each other. The idea is to break down the fourth wall that we have boxed ourselves into, and start new conversations by inviting somebody we don’t know to eat with us. The meal is a strong mechanism when interacting and food has a very powerful democratic source. This artistic staging refers to the vision of New Nordic Food being the people’s movement and illustrates an art of generosity.
Team: Brynhildur Pálsdóttir, Hiroko Tsuchimoto, Nikolaj Danielsen #4 Eating will be something wired to other fields
"Generally, individual transactions will be connected into one big knowledge base. Eating will also be something wired to other fields. I stage a future table using Mx. ." The Mx. app collects input on 'combination, rating, description' of the combinations created, which is projected in real time on the screen. Many findings and inspirations can be attained from this database, collectively generated bottom-up, as Mx. permits randomness, playfulness, and a chance to pitch in with some magic. People could create data that inspires chefs for a change. With interdisciplinary thinking, the growth of our gastronomy can be achieved in various directions.
Team: Prang Lerttaweewit #5 Interaction between wild and cultivated ecosystems
The idea was to show the necessity of interaction between wild and cultivated ecosystems. The search for new food sources that have less effect on the food chain is necessary, but also to intertwine the rural areas with the urban and suburban areas. In the urban areas there are many different culinary contexts and if products that are adjusted to the climate and culinary qualities are in demand - a new cuisine can arise. Biodiversity is a prerequisite for culinary diversity in the future. A pink (3D printed) hen was placed on top of the circle formed meal installation as a symbol of today’s failed system.
Team: Ayhan Aydin, Cecilie Dawes, Kristín María Sigþórsdóttir, Roar Svenning Conclusions Driver of democracy: For 2024, we will have to tear down our safety net/walls and make food an integrated player in new social, public and technological spaces. Food will be a driver of democracy, and the design of new communities and relations will be critical for the development of a sustainable society. Subcultures re-inventing Nordic food culture: The necessity of interaction between wild and cultivated ecosystems became clear. New innovative and sustainable food systems can emerge through new takes on e.g. traditions by including subcultures and segregated areas, as well as linking urban and rural areas closer by exchanging ideas, spaces and facilities. Rethink utensils for the future: Rethink the perspectives and systems (education, living) of global change along with new languages, habits, tools and tech. New demographics create new needs and demands, and changing habits make e.g. the smart phone just as important a tool for a meal as the fork and knife. Also, it’s time to leave the stage to the future food fighters. Interdisciplinary climate as a state-of-mind: A few years ago we were talking about a need for future cross-creative collaboration. Now, the staging and this first test of a collaborative platform have shown that an interdisciplinary climate is a state of mind for tomorrow’s players and entrepreneurs when interplaying and creating. This shows great potential for the creative environments in the Nordic region, but further support is needed to open up more platforms. Invitation: http://nynordiskmad.org/Staging_Nordic_Table_2024-Invitation.pdf For more information: Elisabet Skylare, elisabet@skylare.com, +45 26207579 Food and Creative Industry New Nordic Food II Picture: New Nordic Food II #NORDICFOOD2024 are a series of vision workshops, which will be about how far we need to go, to realise the vision of the Nordic kitchen in a number of selected areas in 10 years' time. The idea is to invite a group of leading players from across the Nordic region to discuss which activities and visions we should work on in the future, if a stronger Nordic food culture is to be an effective solution for future societal challenges.

Debatt: Den nordiska matens uppgång och fall? #NORDISKMAT2024

Thu, 15 Jan 2015 11:46:00 +0100

Manifestet för det nya nordiska köket undertecknades 2004 i Köpenhamn av tolv nordiska (manliga) kockar. Sedan dess har mycket hänt. Enligt moderator Lisa Förare Winbladh har ny nordisk mat ”kommit att bli en massa olika saker … En bångstyrig och oregerlig, snabbt växande ideologi. Det har blivit en typ av identitetsskapare för regionen – i synnerhet för Sverige och Finland som kanske inte haft en stark matidentitet. Dessutom lett till en helt ny råvarupolitik och nytt självförtroende … och en ny nordisk diet. Hela världen pratar om det nya nordiska köket”. Men nu är frågan, är det över? Har det nordiska matsamarbetet någon framtid, och hur skulle det i så fall se ut? Paneldeltagarna fick ge sin bild av dagens tillstånd i matkulturen, och berätta om sin vision för framtiden. Här ett urval citat: Sven-Erik Bucht. Sveriges landsbygdsminister.
”Tänkt dig korvarna på bastuugnen … de är fantastiska … Eller det finska surbrödet och all saltgurkan. Det är enkelheten som gör det. Givetvis – när man kommer till havet – Kalixlöjrom. Och i Tornedalen, den halstrade siken. Och den samiska matkulturen, suovas.” ”Jag vill inte utnämna någon särskilt favoritrestaurang … men vi har väldigt duktiga svenska kockar som tar till sig nya kulturer och ständigt söker nya matupplevelser. Olikheterna är bra för svensk matkultur. Vi är öppna för det nya.” ”Vi har haft en utveckling i svenskt jordbruk som inte är bra. Vi har tappat 15 000 jobb inom svenskt jordbruk de senaste 7-8 åren.” ”Vi måste veta vart vi ska. Därför ska vi jobba stenhårt med att ta fram en svensk livsmedelsstrategi. Den berör basproduktion, förädlingsled, handel, gastronomi, export … att ta fram starka svenska varumärken som vi kan bära ut i världen. Vi lever jättefarligt … vi är ett av de länder i Europa med sämst självförsörjningsgrad, och så har vi en värld som efterfrågar bara mer och mer mat. Vi måste höja vår självförsörjningsgrad och satsa på kvalitet”. ”Det talas ofta om att vi ska stödja svenskt jordbruk och ha upphandlingar av närproducerat. Men vi allihop har en enorm betydelse om vi ska kunna ha ett livskraftigt jordbruk och livsmedelsindustri. Hur vi beter oss själva. Jag hatar EMV-varor! Jag har aldrig sett en ICA-ko, en Coop-ko, inte en Coop-höna eller ICA-höna. Vi måste börja inse att det är något annat vi behöver.” ”Jag ser framför mig ett svenskt jordbruk som har god lönsamhet, och svenska råvaror med en jättestor efterfrågan. Och jag ser … om tio år en innovativ livsmedelsindustri, både smått och stort, som har exportvaror som man tar ut i världen. Jag ser att världen har upptäckt det svenska och finska skolköket … Och jag ser besöksnäringen kopplad till naturturism och den hälsosamma svenska maten som ger utveckling på landsbygden.” Emil Blauert. Grundare av WNEAT. Tidigare direktör på Meyers Madhus och chef på danska regeringens Madkulturen samt projektledare på Ny Nordisk Mat II.
”Det nordiska köket finns inte – egentligen. Idén från början … var att bygga en vision eller manifest för att förstå på vilket sätt vi lagar mat. Att bygga värdegrunder för hur vi tänker mat. Plattformen skulle bli ett instrument för att göra förändringar av samhället. Det var det som kockarna tyckte behövdes – ett nytt hållbart sätt att laga mat på. De var INTE ett kök, det var mer en utopi.” ”… jag tror att det allra viktigaste som hänt i Danmark (och jag tror också det hänt i Sverige) är att vi börjat prata om mat och matkultur som någonting viktigt inte bara för politiker utan även för samhället.” ”Om man tittar på det som händer just nu inom vardagsmaten, det som händer i skolorna i Danmark, och det som händer inom streetfood, som är väldigt stort både i Danmark, Sverige, Finland och över hela världen … Man pratar inte så mycket om det ”nordiska” längre.” ”Om jag hade hundra miljoner eller bara fyra kronor för framtiden skulle jag lägga pengarna på … de människor som verkligen behöver den här revolutionen. Nu har vi gjort en revolution som är bra för turisterna, nu får vi göra en revolution för de som bor i Norden, till exempel våra barn.” ”Om det är en fråga som vi förhoppningsvis ska lösa snabbt är att lära våra barn att laga maten själva. Det kan bli en revolution i sig självt. Där skulle jag lägga pengarna, framför allt för att det är en bra investering.” ”Nu har vi de bästa restaurangerna i världen. Jag tycker vi skulle lägga pengarna på att skapa den bästa skolrestaurangen. Och vi kanske inte ska kalla det offentligt kök längre … det låter inte så roligt. Alla riktigt bra restauranger har ett eget namn.” ”Sverige är bra på några saker inom den offentliga maten och Danmark är bra på andra. Därför tycker jag man ska arbeta tillsammans.” Ami Hovstadius. Ansvarig för internationell marknadsföring av Sveriges mat, dryck och upplevelser på VisitSweden.
”René Redzepi och Claus Meyer satte 2004 strålkastaren på vår region … Rörelsen de drog igång var en fantastisk möjlighet för oss. Går vi tillbaka fem år var det inte en människa som kopplade ihop Sverige och mat ute i världen. Möjligtvis IKEAs köttbullar. Annars var vi i princip okända. Idag, fem år senare … har 2 500 artiklar skrivits … 19 miljoner utländska besökare lägger 19 miljarder kronor på restaurang. Lägg till vad de spenderar på livsmedel blir det 38 miljarder. Sverige har blivit en spelare på den globala matscenen vilket var otänkbart innan. Nu handlar det om att ta nästa steg.” ”Jag tycker det är fantastiskt att vi nu pratar om rotselleri från vår region och inte foie gras eller kaviar.” ”Alla vi nordiska länder har varit otrygga och inte så stolta över vår egen mat … vi har pratat om all annan mat men inte vår egen. Nu tror jag att vi börjar vi hitta tillbaka till stoltheten … vår matkultur, vår historia, våra regionala maträtter. Tryggheten det ger att ha hittat identiteten möjliggör att vi kan samarbeta i Norden.” ”Framtidens matkultur finns här i vår region. Jag hoppas att vi alla tar tillvara på de fantastiska råvarorna och förutsättningarna och verkligen utnyttjar dem.” Stefan Eriksson. Kock och vinnare av Årets kock 2005.
”Hela det här nordiska köket har varit en upptäck av det vi har runtikring oss. Råvaror som funnits, men som vi inte har använt. ”I somras föreläste jag om alger på svenska västkusten. Jag började med att tacka för att jag fick komma och prata, sen var jag tvungen att skälla ut dem! Vet ni vilka råvaror ni har runt knuten? Jag skulle ge min bästa sashimikniv för att få vara här och laga mat på de fantastiska algerna och skaldjur … Vi snackar världskvalitet! Jag skulle kunna öppna en världsrestaurang här i Havstenssund, och alla skulle vilja åka hit, så bra råvaror har ni! Plötsligt är det en helt ny värld. Det är en helt ny värld att utforska som vi inte vet så mycket om.” ”För mig finns det bara en väg … Vi måste lägga allt krut nu på barnen och lära dem vad mat är och lära dem laga mat. Lära dem förstå att det här är så, det växer så, därför fungerar det så här. Gör vi inte det kommer vi aldrig komma någon vart. Om vi ska få fler matlagare och fler producenter måste alla människor förstå vad det här handlar om. Och då måste vi börja på dagis.” Peter Eriksson. Tidigare språkrör för Miljöpartiet och nytillträdd EU-parlamentariker med fokus på mat- och jordbruksfrågor.
”Vi serverar i Sverige idag ungefär 4 miljoner portioner varje dag till människor i skolor, daghem, äldreomsorg. Kan vi se till att få bra råvaror, en satsning på att riktiga kockar får möjlighet att göra riktig mat i äldreomsorg och till ungarna skolan är det en kultursatsning som vi ska jobba med.” ”Det lokala är det universella. När det gäller författarskap så är det de lokala förmågorna som får nobelpriset. Så är det nog även när det gäller mat. Det är den lokala erfarenheten, uppbyggnaden, historiken och kulturen som är intressant och spännande och något att bygga på för framtiden.” ”Till exempel i Lund är 60 procent av maten i skolorna ekologisk. I Uppsala har man i år tagit beslut att hundra procent av råvarorna ska vara ekologiska 2020.” ”… försöka komma bor från det här industriartade projekten som varit svensk mat under alldeles för lång tid. Det är ett förfall som vi kommer ifrån, och grunden till att det behövs ett återupptäckande av råvarorna och att laga mat på riktigt i skolorna och äldreomsorgen.” ”Vad jag jobbar med nu i Europaperspektivet är att ta fram en rapport om urban farming. Det intressanta är om det här är en trend som bara är spännande och romantisk … eller har riktig potential och kommer vara en viktig del i framtiden.” Sammandrag av debatten hittas här #NORDICFOOD2024 er en række visionsworkshops med fokus på, hvor Ny Nordisk Mad er på vej hen og ikke mindst, hvor langt vi ønsker at være med at realisere visionerne fra det nordiske køkken indenfor en række udvalgte områder om 10 år. Nordisk Ministerråd inviterer en gruppe toneangivende aktører fra hele Norden til at diskutere hvilke handlinger og visioner, vi skal arbejde med i fremtiden i forhold til Ny Nordisk Mad. Läs mer här

From niche to critical mass #NORDICFOOD2024

Tue, 13 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Innovation through local food refining
Nordic food should be dedicated to creating added value through refinement, as experience shows that processed food products are more likely to enjoy commercial success. Product development should be focused on local raw materials, used locally to produce local foods, all of which should be characterised by their origin. This has been key to Nordic food’s commercial success and will continue to be so in the future. Involvement from throughout the value chain
Value creation should be based on close relations between primary producers, food manufacturers, retail and consumers. Closer interaction between producers ensures that valuable knowledge and production technologies are preserved, while consumer dialogue strengthens loyalty towards the product. Innovation must take place at all levels, in everything from feed composition at the individual farm to production and marketing. Synergies between large and small food producers
The variety of Nordic food products should be enhanced through cooperation between large and small food producers. While small manufacturers would benefit greatly from the larger producers’ expertise and distribution chain, their innovative energy and flexibility would be a valuable asset in the larger companies’ product development. Such cooperation would broaden the array of products within each food category, giving consumers a choice between a variety of qualities and price ranges. Culture of quality and diversity in the public sector
The public sector should use its purchasing power to support local and sustainable food production, buying into a culture of quality, sustainability and healthy foods. Furthermore, rules and regulations must accommodate and encourage producers that use local biodiversity in developing unique Nordic food products. Build the legend – the history of origin, quality, sustainability and health
Consumers increasingly seek products that are high in quality, value-driven and produced with the utmost respect for raw materials and natural environment. Conveying the history of origin, quality ingredients and sustainable production is key in engaging consumers. Strong narratives will thus play a vital role in enhancing Nordic food product value and building commercial success. Text by Páll Tómas Finnsson
Picture: New Nordic Food II #NORDICFOOD2024 are a series of vision workshops, which will be about how far we need to go, to realise the vision of the Nordic kitchen in a number of selected areas in 10 years' time. The idea is to invite a group of leading players from across the Nordic region to discuss which activities and visions we should work on in the future, if a stronger Nordic food culture is to be an effective solution for future societal challenges.

Public meals as a future welfare solution #NORDICFOOD2024

Mon, 12 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0100

Education and research for a sustainable public eating culture
Participants agreed that the public meal is a core element of future welfare and identified exchange of best practices and strong public procurement networks as areas of Nordic synergy. More evidence of the public meal’s value needs to be accumulated, and personnel should be supported in obtaining the necessary competencies to fulfil their roles. A common Nordic approach to benchmarking, education and research should be adopted to ensure broad political support for better public meals. Food culture for life
School food is an ideal instrument to introduce children to a sustainable food culture, based on quality raw materials and the joy of eating good food. The vision is that all children in Nordic schools and pre-schools should have access to sustainable meals, made locally and from quality produce, and served in a social context. The public meal should empower younger generations to create a strong, inclusive and responsible food culture in the future. Eat food, not industrial produce
The public meal should lead the way when it comes to local, sustainable and healthy food. It should be eaten where it’s produced and be made from raw materials rather than industrial produce. A more holistic focus on raw materials calls for a heightened level of competence in the public kitchens and stronger emphasis on the meal’s gastronomic qualities. Public food culture should be built around ambitious organic strategies, reduced use of animal energy and more consumption of plants. Flexible hospital meals 24/7
The vision for the hospital meal is founded in quality, flexibility, and a pleasant meal experience. Nutritious food is a given, but emphasis should be placed on attractive meal surroundings and hostmanship – there should be a host for every meal. Patients should be able to order à la carte meals around the clock for optimal recovery, and more scientific documentation of food’s impact on recovery processes should be gathered on a Nordic level. My food, my resource
Healthy food is a vital resource for the elderly and should play a larger role in meeting the challenges of an aging population. Public meals for the elderly should cater for the individual need and life situation, ranging from those needing little assistance to people relying entirely on professional food competences. Everybody should be offered worthy choices with respect for their food culture, physical condition and social needs. This will allow people to live longer in their own homes, which will be vital for Nordic welfare in the future. Text by Páll Tómas Finnsson
Picture: Livsmedelsverket #NORDICFOOD2024 are a series of vision workshops, which will be about how far we need to go, to realise the vision of the Nordic kitchen in a number of selected areas in 10 years' time. The idea is to invite a group of leading players from across the Nordic region to discuss which activities and visions we should work on in the future, if a stronger Nordic food culture is to be an effective solution for future societal challenges.

Bioeconomy and innovation for a sustainable food chain #NORDICFOOD2024

Thu, 08 Jan 2015 00:00:00 +0100

The workshop took place in Iceland, with participation from bioeconomy experts and food professionals. The aim was to identify potential bridges between these closely related concepts and define common goals for innovation in a sustainable food chain in the region. Reinforcing local economies through sustainable food innovation was a key focus. Responsibility throughout the food chain
One of the main conclusions was that achieving a sustainable Nordic food chain requires consumers and producers to become more conscious of their role in the chain. This calls for more cooperation on educational efforts throughout the value chain, providing insights into everything from primary production to consumption and food waste streams. Every link in the chain must be aware of the ways in which his or her efforts influence the end result for the consumer. Moreover, all these efforts should be tracable. Education for a sustainable food system
Better understanding of the food production system as a whole would allow consumers to adjust their consumption in order to reduce its environmental impact. Engaging and educating young consumers is particularly interesting in this regard, as they will be able use their food consumption choices to influence producers towards sustainability. Food innovation is a key element of the bioeconomy
Underutilised resources and side streams in the bioeconomy are a source of vast opportunities for sustainable food innovation. The experts therefore stressed that food and meals should remain an integrated part of the bioeconomy debate, rather than it focussing solely on biorefineries, technologies and economics. Healthy foods and the combination of food and health technologies were highlighted as areas that hold a lot of potential for Nordic food innovation. Great value in cross-sectoral collaboration
Involvement from a broad range of sectors is a prerequisite for developing a sustainable Nordic food chain. Apart from the many sectors directly involved in the food value chain, involvement from sectors such as the cultural and creative industries will be a valuable asset. Establishing suitable venues for such cross-sectorial cooperation will be important in the transition towards a more innovative and sustainable food production. New ways of communicating sustainable food
Building this broad engagement requires manifold communication - in education, media, entertainment, and on new communication platforms. To an urban population, food is often the main – and in some cases the only – biological link to the rural areas that form the basis for thriving urban communities. Food should be a natural way to increase the awareness of a fragile global system, as well as the need for a change from a technical to a more biologically based society. Storytelling evolving around the many success stories about sustainable foods and local food producers will be elemental in the Nordic food narrative of the future. TAGS
#Producers and consumers shall regain respect for own role in sustainable food chain
#Bridges between actors via food education, new communication tools, and cross-sectorial networks
#Interaction between health tech and food production as goal for innovation More information about the vision workshop #NORDICFOOD2024 here Text by Páll Tómas Finnsson
Picture: Matis Ltd. #NORDICFOOD2024 are a series of vision workshops, which will be about how far we need to go, to realise the vision of the Nordic kitchen in a number of selected areas in 10 years' time. The idea is to invite a group of leading players from across the Nordic region to discuss which activities and visions we should work on in the future, if a stronger Nordic food culture is to be an effective solution for future societal challenges.

Succesful Nordic Playlist Radio Bar

Tue, 06 Jan 2015 10:37:00 +0100

Check out this great video from the Nordic Playlist Pop Up Radio Bar. A initiative that brought Nordic music, food and great people together during the Iceland Airwaves 2014. The Nordic Playlist transformed a corner of Reykjavík into an exclusive radio bar throughout 2014's Iceland Airwaves Festival, inviting some of the Nordic region's most celebrated DJs to broadcast live shows presenting their favourite Nordic music! New Nordic Food II supported the initiative by inviting young creative talents to join the project. Watch the video on http://nordicplaylist.com/radiobar/

Blogg: Måltider, kreativitet och vetenskapsförmedling

Tue, 30 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0100

För många associeras Nobel med den stora årliga Nobelbanketten i Stockholms Stadshus. Men faktum är att mat och måltider är centrala i de flesta miljöer som vunnit flera nobelpriser. Många pristagare vittnar om vikten av möten där man träffas över ämnesgränserna. Detta är mest vanligt i måltidssammanhang, dit man ofta bjuds av någon som inte arbetar inom samma område som övriga måltidsgäster. I Cambridge, som vunnit flest Nobelpriser, är dessa måltider en institution i sig. Här möts personer med olika bakgrund i gamla ärevördiga lokaler, som verkar helt nedtyngda av konservatism och stelbenthet. Men tvärt om. Pristagarna från Cambridge framhåller alla vikten av dessa formella mötesplatser, där man i samtal med andra utvecklar kreativa dialoger. Men det är inte bara genom måltider som mat kan spela en roll i förmedling av kunskap. Från Vitenparken på Ås utanför Oslo håller man på att utveckla museet så att mat kommer att bli en central del för att levandegöra olika resultat inom ”Life Science”. Här vill man lyfta fram maten som en förmedlare mellan olika forskningsresultat och till besökarna, genom alla våra sinnen. Det kan handla om allt från sensorik (dofter & smaker), till att via visualiseringstekning studera hur maten är uppbyggd. Där man i många digitala lager tränga djupare och djupare in i t.ex. en höna eller ett ägg. Detta kan idag göras ända ner till molekylnivå, genom så kallade Visualiseringsbord. Läs hela inlägget av Magnus Gröntoft, NNM II, här

Chef Leif Sørensen: The New Nordic food culture is here to stay

Sun, 28 Dec 2014 12:28:00 +0100

Early in my career, the Nordic Cuisine and local Faroe dishes were not considered good enough for fine dining. I worked in a restaurant were we got our deliveries from France and Italy, because they were supposed to be “fine”. Then we started this manifesto project and entered into long discussions. I remember Erwin Lauterbach was already focused on working with Danish produce, but others were not so sure. I began to think about my supply back home. Was there enough local produce to create great food? I had my doubts, and I also had no idea of what would happen after the signing of the manifesto. But I must say we succeeded very well. It really developed in the way we hoped it would, and since then it has been a fascinating journey. A lot of great things have really happened, not the least to myself. The discussions were very inspiring for me, and when we had signed the manifesto, I felt obliged to make my duty. I had been touring around earlier, working in French and Danish top restaurants, and when I returned home to Faroe Islands, I started up with French-Danish cuisine. I thought the locals were fed up with their own food and wanted something new. But more and more, foreign tourists started to ask for local dishes: “Don´t you have any typical Faroe specialties?” After the symposium in Copenhagen, I realized that it was stupid to serve French food in Faroe Islands. So finally, I changed my style into Nordic. I started a new restaurant, and then another, now working as if the Faroe Cuisine existed, trying to express the tradition in a modern way. Today, it´s no discussion anymore about using local products. First, I became a bit extreme, and refused to use produce that you can´t grow here, like tomatoes. But today I feel more free, the manifesto is not a dogma, and sometimes I use an occasional tomato. I would say that Torshamn´s five top restaurants are all into local Faroe cuisine, and during the last few years, more and more tourists are familiar with the New Nordic concept. When I was in Paris, there were more pasta restaurants than French! It was a bit strange to see. When people travel to other countries, they want to eat local cuisine. Food is an experience in itself, and we are now rediscovering the way it can express cultural identity and heritage. The focus on Nordic products has meant a lot for us, being more conscious of what quality in a product really means. It took some time to recognize the very high quality in our products. In Faroe Islands, fish is an everyday commodity that we always have taken for granted, but we didn´t understand that we have the best fish in the world! So why source your fish from some other place? It´s just a matter of thinking. In the Nordic countries, I see an interesting development with small, local producers starting to compete with the food industry, but in Faroe Islands it´s not that easy. I work hard all the time to get farmers to raise their ambitions, especially with vegetables, because there are not so many around here. I even arranged a conference, trying to inspire them into developing indigenous products, but we are only 50 000 people here, and such a small market can be risky. We´ve had sheep here since time beginning, but commercial lamb production was allowed only five years ago, and the quality is fantastic. We are also developing fowl farming with good results, but there are always heavy bureaucratic regulations. We move very slowly along the way, and in five years, I think we should approach the same level as the other Nordic countries. Today, Nordic chefs are aware of the quality of our produce, and we continue to win Bocuse d´Or medals. I think the New Nordic culture is here to stay, because the knowledge grows rapidly also among consumers, seeking out better and better products. So the future looks good, but I wish to see a new governmental program for the New Nordic Cuisine, now that they are closing the first one. The Ministry Conference should have a food department, because it´s very important to keep a regional institution, supporting us across the borders to develop both our local agriculture and food culture. Read the New Nordic Kitchen Manifesto Related articles #nordicfood2024:
Chef Roger Malmin: Be faithful to the produce and highlight the quality of what the local farmers delivers (19.12.2014)
Chef Hákon Örvarsson: The New Nordic Cuisine movement makes you think closer (14.12.2014)
Chef Michael Björklund on the Nordic Kitchen Manifesto (9.12.2014)
Chef Mathias Dahlgren: The Nordic Kitchen Manifesto consolidates the gastronomic Nordic Region (18.11.2014)

Picture: Honestcooking.com

Chef Roger Malmin: Be faithful to the produce and highlight the quality of what the local farmers deliver

Fri, 19 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0100

I experienced the meeting around the manifesto as a courageous project. There was a lot of discussion before everyone ultimately could agree. Much revolved around Noma then, and I was quite young, 25 years and thought at first it seemed hard to just hang it up on Nordic ingredients. I had, for example, hard to imagine cooking without using lemon. But today, many successful restaurants like Noma, Fäviken and Maaemo in Oslo are faithful to the New Nordic Cuisine. We already had a strong local profile in our restaurant, and I came home after the meeting strengthened by the discussions. We used local ingredients but mixed it with imported when quality wasn´t good enough. But I must say that local suppliers have done a tremendous job in recent years to improve quality. Today we use about 90 percent Nordic ingredients, and they are certainly good enough, but I stick to my lemons. The concept of New Nordic Food has gradually gained quite a large impact in Norway. In the beginning it was probably many who thought that it was only a short-lived hype, like the hysteria surrounding El Bulli, and that normal consumers would not embrace the idea. But today there are many, both professionals and amateurs, who actively seek out small producers to get hold of good ingredients. With this focus on quality and local food, the level is much higher. The Norwegian food industry has at least begun to try to change their thinking, but they have a lot of work to do. I had many discussions with my vegetable supplier why they deliver German onions, when it´s season for onions in Norway. German onion has of course a cheaper price per kilo. But it´s getting better. It is not always economical to invest in local products, but that's what our guests are asking for. My boss Charles Tjessem won the Bocuse d'Or in 2003. It creates expectations among the guests, but they also expect to get Norwegian food when they come to the Stavanger area. In the case of the Nordic signature I am a little unsure, but those who are really interested in food and come on “pilgrimage" from abroad, they want the fish caught here and flesh from the lambs in our meadows, and that it will be of top quality. Today I see it as primary to be faithful to the produce, highlighting the quality of what the local farmers deliver: vegetables, herbs, fish - with occasional hints of what you cannot get here. The cuisine has gone towards cleaner flavors during recent years. Salmon should taste like salmon and not be rolled in cinnamon. It is important to bring out the unique flavors that the region offers, such as the lambs whothat graze here by the sea get a certain seaweed flavor. If you refine or transform the raw materials too much, they may feel a little estranged. Since the Nordic kitchen manifesto began to attract attention, our chefs have generally become better at exploiting niche producers. You don´t just routinely go to the big suppliers. If you are looking for a new cheese for the menu, you´d rather search locally first, and this is good, because it is hard for the small cheese producers to get distribution through the major chains. I think this will attract more and more focus, because people want to have cleaner food. It may well be organic, but nowadays, many look for origin first of all, I often hear this. You can see on the new EU labels how people become more and more aware of the content in food products. And Nordic cuisine is supposed to be clean, with original flavors. Read the New Nordic Kitchen Manifesto Related articles #nordicfood2024:
Chef Hákon Örvarsson: The New Nordic Cuisine movement makes you think closer (14.12.2014)
Chef Michael Björklund on the Nordic Kitchen Manifesto (9.12.2014)
Chef Mathias Dahlgren: The Nordic Kitchen Manifesto consolidates the gastronomic Nordic Region (18.11.2014)

Picture: Horecanytt.no

The Nordic Region as a sustainable gastronomic region #NORDICFOOD2024

Wed, 17 Dec 2014 21:41:00 +0100

Green and clean region – sustainable food tourism
First and foremost, the region should enforce the image of a clean nature, healthy and sustainable foods and green growth. The bioeconomy’s principles of optimal use of resources and less food waste should be key in all destination development. Through fresh, local and organic produce and strong connections to nature, Nordic food tourism should strive to change the world. Local and authentic in a global world
Nordic food should master the art of being local and global at the same time. Authenticity and intimacy are key words in developing Nordic food travel, and this will attract global attention. Food travellers seek authentic experiences, i.e. farm visits, small restaurants, food markets and cooking classes. This can be harvested by creating unique destinations, firmly rooted in the Nordic terroir. Big data and digital dialogue
Digitalisation, big data and virtual tourism will become increasingly important. Marketing of the region will rely on use of big data to forecast travelling and tourism, and foodies will draw attention to Nordic food by sharing their experiences on social media. Virtual tourism will open a new world of opportunities, allowing people to experience destinations, restaurants, and even taste and smell from their own home. A region of strong technical competences, the Nordics should explore these possibilities and lead the way in the digitalisation of food tourism. Momentum through collaboration
The Nordic countries must constantly explore new ideas, concepts and food events that could attract tourists and bring renewed energy to the successful Nordic food scene. Nordic Street Food is an example of a collaborative approach that has generated exponential growth and opportunities in tourism. Such innovation should involve different industries and interests from all layers of society. New narrative about Nordic lifestyle
A new narrative should be developed for Nordic food to attract tourists to the region. Firmly rooted in the values embedded in the manifesto, i.e. respect for nature, sustainability and local quality, this narrative should also merge Nordic welfare, society and culture into the notion of a Nordic way of living. A stronger Nordic identity must be based on regional identity and domestic qualities. Text by Páll Tómas Finnsson
Picture: New Nordic Food II #NORDICFOOD2024 are a series of vision workshops, which will be about how far we need to go, to realise the vision of the Nordic kitchen in a number of selected areas in 10 years' time. The idea is to invite a group of leading players from across the Nordic region to discuss which activities and visions we should work on in the future, if a stronger Nordic food culture is to be an effective solution for future societal challenges. The vision workshop about The Nordic countries as a sustainable gastronomic region, was held on 8th December 2014 in Copenhagen.

Chef Claus Meyer: New Nordic Cuisine is the new normal

Tue, 16 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0100

Together with my ”wing man” Jan Krag Jacobsen, I spent six months preparing a draft for the manifesto. We invited the chefs to become part of the time process and told them that we would do the hard work, analyzing the phenomenon and try to come up with a starting point. Then we met and had a great discussion that took 12-13 hours. It was very important that everyone took ownership to the writing and the ideology, and had a say about it. We began with 15-20 points, changed the words here and there, and ended up with ten points. It was a wonderful, quite productive, collaborative if not harmonious process, and afterwards, we were prepared to sign the manifesto. The process as well as the signing was meant to inspire the chefs to take responsibility. Just after this workshop, we held the New Nordic Cuisine Symposium with lectures by qualified politicians, scientists, farmers, food industrialists, teachers, researchers, retailers and international chefs to explore with the audience: What would it take to become one of the greatest food regions in the world, and what would be the benefits down the road? One important media director claimed that a New Nordic Cuisine was a potential billion kronor industry. So the idea with the manifesto was to formulate an inclusive ideology that could be a guiding light to all stake holders. It would also outline the evident win-win scenario, not only would gastronomy profit, but also our exports, tourism and health costs - it would be good to the society, to each individual, the future generations and to the world. The idea with a symposium and a workshop around the manifesto, with an ideology in the middle of it, signed by the most prominent chefs of Scandinavia, was that it could touch anyone. It became anchored “in Danish parliament” because the food minister of the time fell in love with the idea.. Under his presidency, The Nordic Council of Ministers would formally add the ideology as a program. That was an important part of the momentum that the movement quickly gained. We opened Noma one year before the symposium, and that work was linked to the preparations. We invited different expert groups to go through certain aspects of the ideas. We didn´t say “anyone who is not working for biodiversity is out”. We tried, as you can read from the document, to say what had to be said in a more subtle, inclusive and engaging way that would not push away, but bring people together. It shouldn´t become a niche cuisine. Instead it would have a critical mass and be standing up, cooperating across national barriers and language issues. It was important that it was Nordic and not Danish. Regarding the manifesto, you can’t overestimate neither the words nor the importance of having the chefs standing up for some kind of shift of paradigm or revolution. Before, they were just chefs cooking up great food in their restaurants, afterwards they became role models for our civilization and informal leader figures in this informal movement. They fulfilled their role perfectly and let themselves orchestrate in this direction. Now I think it is common that a chef considers himself to be a potential role model in society with a certain responsibility. The impact of Noma and its international success was of course an important part of the phenomenon. We didn´t count on that. We probably would have taken The Nordic Cuisine somewhere without the destiny of Noma, but it showed the potential in the ideas. I never expected them to grow so important and inspiring for people working within food industry in the Nordic region. It also inspired architects, the Danish school system and chefs all over the world. I only hope that it can be an instrument to inspire different stakeholders in the Nordic region to do better, for the big dairy products to improve, for the breweries to be more ambitious, for the political people to take a bigger responsibility. For me, it was all about growing awareness of the potential of doing things in a better way, for the benefit of us all. And with very little formal support from the founding fathers and those who signed the manifesto, because basically all of us went back to our lives and continued to work. We had no presidency, no logo, no budget. But a lot of different stakeholders have, independently from each other, in some sort of virus-like movement, done what each could be expected to do. And eventually, it looks like some sort of imperative. Of course it takes longer for the large actors in food production to react. We have seen some extraordinary changes in food production: raw milk cheese production has been allowed in Denmark, we have seen an atomization of the Nordic brewing industry, with more than 120 new young vibrant microbreweries only in Denmark. But to create the structures that supply totally outstanding food products that people want to buy at supermarkets, that is the tougher part of the work. We have seen a lot of small, very successful food companies creating great products, based on local produce, having really changed what you find on the shelves. Maybe the larger actors do not know how to deal with this. They have a different structure;, they are used to handle bulk products. But Carlsberg is a good example, when they created the Jacobsen microbrewery. That is one of the most successful examples of how to turn the Nordic Cuisine phenomenon into industrial food production. Maybe the message is that the change in the production landscape should not come from the big companies, but from a large sum of individual players within the industry, together forming a big volume in the end. I am not sure that the proof of success would be that Lantmännen and Arla suddenly changed their bread and cheese approach from one day to another. Maybe they should just slowly downsize, as a result of the competition and the change of values in society, and then wake up to a new reality. It might as well be ten thousand different ways of implementing the New Nordic Cuisine. The movement and the ideology doesn´t say anything about how to cook the food. Noma got so much attention initially, that people tend to confound the two things and say that New Nordic Cuisine is the way they cook at Noma. But Noma is for me just one very extreme expression of the ideas in this ideology. The point of the success with certain restaurants is the idea of inspiring society and be a catalyst for a change process, reaching many more people´s lives. For me it can be a hospital, a canteen company or a private housewife making something out of apples and cabbage. There is definitely no telling what the food has to look like, whether it is complex or simple on the plate. Also, the manifesto does not define when something is New Nordic Cuisine and when it is not. Nothing tells you how many grams of Peruvian chili you can have in a stew before it becomes un-Nordic. That´s not what we wanted to do. The whole point is that any kind of food person can use this approach to move in a direction, when brewing beer, cooking food, no matter if it´s fine dining or simple everyday food. In that sense, the ideology is very un-precise. Now we should just move on, talk less about the New Nordic Cuisine and just let it become a part of our lives. Not cling to it as a sort of successful brand to preserve for 200-300 years, having to find budgets. These values are so normal. This is the new normal, I would say. Suddenly a large number of very important people, opinion makers, stakeholders with influence on other people´s lives, have come to the belief that the values imbedded in the New Nordic Cuisine manifesto is not some subjective trend. Our understanding of food culture and its impact on us and the next generations has simply risen to a new level where we take better decisions. In 2004 it looked like a revolution. Very soon, it will just be seen as a vehicle that has taken us to a new level of consciousness. It will slowly be a part of our educational system, how we will teach our children about food, agriculture and cooking. Read the New Nordic Kitchen Manifesto Related articles #nordicfood2024:
Chef Hákon Örvarsson: The New Nordic Cuisine movement makes you think closer (14.12.2014)
Chef Michael Björklund on the Nordic Kitchen Manifesto (9.12.2014)
Chef Mathias Dahlgren: The Nordic Kitchen Manifesto consolidates the gastronomic Nordic Region (18.11.2014)