New Nordic Cuisine

History

In November 2004, on the initiative of the Danish chefs René Redzepi and Claus Meyer of the then newly opened Noma restaurant, chefs and food professionals from all the Nordic countries met in Copenhagen to discuss how best to develop what they called the "New Nordic Cuisine". In particular, they sought to emphasize the need for what they described as "purity, simplicity and freshness" as well as increased use of seasonal foods. Restaurants were encouraged to develop traditional dishes making use of ingredients benefitting from the local region's climate, water and soil.

Meeting in Copenhagen in 2005, the Nordic Council's agricultural and food ministers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and dependent territories gave their support to these developments, launching what they called the "new Nordic Food Programme". In 2006, this led to the funding of EUR 3 million for a number of related activities.

New Nordic cuisine is gaining traction in Minnesota, particularly in the Twin Cities.

Approach

The evolving cuisine has sought to take advantage of the possibilities inherent in traditional Scandinavian recipes for seafood and meat dishes, building on the utilization of local products whilst reviving and adapting on some of the older techniques, for example, those for marinating, smoking and salting. Products such as rapeseed, oats, cheeses and older varieties of apples and pears are now being prepared with greater attention to safeguarding their natural flavours. These steps have been taken by the proponents of the New Nordic Cuisine in parallel with their awareness of a growing interest in organic foods throughout the region. In addition to concerns for "purity and freshness", they have also aimed to make maximum use of seasonal produce such as new potatoes, strawberries and asparagus in the summer and baked goods and seasoned meats during the Christmas period.

Claus Meyer has supported the campaign, not only in restaurants but also for food production in the Nordic region.

Restaurants

Since its opening, Copenhagen's Noma restaurant (short for nordisk mad meaning "Nordic food") has been a flagship for and at the forefront of developing and materializing the ideas behind the New Nordic Cuisine. Aiming to serve dishes prepared under guidelines drawn up for the new cuisine it was repeatedly awarded the title of "world's best restaurant" in 2010, 2011, 2012, and again in 2014 by the Restaurant magazine, supported by the San Pellegrino mineral water company. Other restaurants in Copenhagen and the provinces have followed the trend, attracting increasing interest at home and abroad. Among those who have adopted the new approach to cooking are Ti Trin Ned in Fredericia, Geranium in Copenhagen, * Maaemo* in Oslo and former Restaurant Malling & Schmidt in Aarhus.

Magnus Nilsson's small restaurant Fäviken in rural Sweden closed in 2019 but has been very influential in developing and inventing New Nordic Cuisine.

File:Flickr - cyclonebill - Stegt flæsk med ramsløg og grillet agurk.jpg|Fried bacon with ramsons and grilled cucumber File:Flickr - cyclonebill - Rå knivmusling med persillegele og sne af kærnemælk og peberrod.jpg|Raw razor shell with parsley jelly, buttermilk snow and horseradish File:Cyclonebill Hvide asparges med pocheret aeggeblomme og skovmaerkesauce.jpg|White asparagus with poached egg yolk and woodruff sauce File:Flickr - cyclonebill - Toast med pighvarrogn, urter og eddikestøv.jpg|Toast with turbot roe and vinegar dust

Literature

• Meyer, Claus: Almanak, Copenhagen, Lindhardt og Ringhof, 2010, 694 p. .
• Redzepi, René: Noma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine, London, Phaidon Press, 2010, 368 p. .

References

References

1. (2025-08-08). "A new wave of Scandinavian-inspired food in Minneapolis".
2. [http://nynordiskmad.org/fileadmin/webmasterfiles/PDF/Ny_Nordisk_Mad_Low.pdf "New Nordic Cuisine"], ''Nordic Council of Ministers''. Retrieved 12 December 2011,
3. "Itinerary: Experience Nordic Culture in the Twin Cities {{!}} Tangled Up In Food".
4. [http://denmarkspecial.dk/misc/DS_Food_Design_WEB_single_100dpi.pdf "Denmark Special"] {{webarchive. link. (2012-04-26 , ''Food & design'', #9 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.)
5. Magnus Nilsson. (2012). "Fäviken". Phaidon Press.
6. Magnus Nilsson. (2015). "The Nordic Cookbook". Phaidon Press.
7. Magnus Nilsson. (2018). "The Nordic Baking Book". Phaidon Press.
8. [http://www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners/noma "Noma"] {{webarchive. link. (2011-12-08 , ''The S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants''. Retrieved 9 December 2011.)
9. Betty Hallock, [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-sep-05-la-tr-copenhagen-20100905-story.html "Savoring the rise of New Nordic Cuisine in Copenhagen"], ''Los Angeles Times'', 5 September 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2011.