New Nordic Cuisine

            Studying abroad in Copenhagen last fall I had the incredible experience to dine at Noma.  Named the Best Restaurant in the World in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014, it is without a doubt Denmark’s most well known place to eat.  Reservations are made months in advance, but I fortunately had a foodie friend who was determined to not leave Copenhagen without eating there.  So the minute they started accepting reservations she was online scheduling ours.  While it was slightly crazy, I am so happy she did it.       

            I was honored that she asked me if I wanted to join in on her reservation, however with one look at the menu my hesitation set in.  “New Nordic Cuisine, what does that even mean,” and “are they really going to try to feed me live ants?” were just some of the questions I had for her.  My friend, being the adventurous foodie that she is, scoffed and assured me that it would be the most amazing dinner of my life.  And let me tell you, it was, live ants and all.

            The two culinary geniuses behind Noma, Claus Meyer and René Redzepi, are credited with generating the momentum of the New Nordic Cuisine movement.  While Scandinavia’s food traditions rely heavily on smoking and curing (something I never grew to enjoy when living there) they wanted to make use of the more overlooked game, produce and ingredients from the North Atlantic area.  The aim to make use of all the region’s natural produce can be seen in the menu.  With additions such as wild plants, goose foot and moss cooked in chocolate, it makes use of foods you might not have even known you could eat.   

            The concept behind Meyer and Redzepi’s vision for New Nordic Cuisine is clean, light, and subtle flavors.  There is also a particular emphasis on seasonal and regional ingredients.  For example, at Noma, they make a point of telling you that the seaweed you are enjoying was foraged from a beach in Denmark by the chef the day before. 

            After learning more about the food movement I discovered that Denmark’s agricultural history has played a major role in the push for New Nordic Cuisine.  Denmark’s history of subsidized agriculture as well as the focused on the exportation of pork and butter resulted in a homogenous food landscape that overshadowed Denmark’s past of diverse local foods and recipes.  New Nordic Cuisine is therefore a movement to reverse this process and reintroduce Scandinavia’s rich regional offerings back into the food culture.  The results of this movement can be seen all over in the menus of Copenhagen’s restaurants.  I find the New Nordic Cuisine movement fascinating because of its aims to return back to the local and naturally occurring ingredients found in Scandinavia.  Those chefs that master this cuisine have found a way to make food you might ordinarily never dream of eating, like moss, and making it a delicacy.  If anyone ever has the chance to try New Nordic Cuisine I highly recommend reserving judgment on the name of the food, and giving it a try, chances are you will be really pleasantly surprised.     

Dessert