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Nordic Embassies Promote Nordic Food Culture

A seminar about new Nordic food culture was made possible thanks to the cooperation of all Nordic embassies in Berlin

October 24th, 2016
Giulia G. Angelini, News from Berlin
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On 29th September, the Nordic Embassies in Berlin organized seminars and workshops about new Nordic food culture. The event ‘New Nordic. Thinking about Food’ was part of the exhibition ‘New Nordic. Fashion. Food. Design.’, which ran from 8th July to 8th October 2016.

The seminars were held in the Nordic embassies in Berlin, where speakers from Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland presented their own food cultures.

‘New Nordic. Thinking About Food’ was a seminar mainly about how food today is perceived in Nordic countries and abroad. The speakers in the seminar were chefs, university lecturers, restaurant owners and food lovers, all of whom were especially interested in authentic and healthy food. The seminar was divided into three panels of discussion: urban food, public food and future food.

In the urban food section, there were five speakers. Lauren and Kristina Köper talked about how they started up their project of regularly making a healthy and vegetarian lunch for all studio members of OAK in Berlin. Billy Wagner, a host and sommelier from Berlin, outlined how local producers are a fundamental part of his gastronomic concept.

From Sweden, Malin Elmlid talked to the audience about her unique experience of “bread exchange”. She has started a network of pure and delicious bread exchange in Berlin; the idea came from her need for good bread and therefore she decided to bake it herself and exchange it for all kind of goods.

The seminar also touched on the significance of food in our society and its important social role. According to the speakers, food is part of contemporary art and is an important concept for many countries and their cultures. Food can be shared and can inspire people, as cultures can be mixed on a plate.

Another important point emerging from the seminar presentation was the responsibilities we all have for our planet in the future. This is why ecological food is now the “new” food culture: as the following quotation says, “once you think the ecological thought, you can’t un-think it”.

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News from Berlin