New Nordic Cuisine - a global gastronomic trend

Quality, purity and ethics are key elements in the New Nordic Cuisine.

Food and gastronomy begins with the landscape. Out of Denmark’s fertile soil and rough weather, Danes have developed a taste for simplicity, tempered by inspiration from the more refined cuisines of milder climates. Long winters and a taste for seafaring made way for various methods of preservation - salting, smoking or pickling - as well as a preference for the coarse black bread made of rye. Today, the open rye bread sandwich with fresh butter and pickled herring remains a cornerstone of the Danish lunch tradition.

Until recently, many local ingredients from the Nordic tradition of cooking were dismissed as being unworthy of the attention of leading chefs. This all changed, however, when a new generation of ambitious chefs reinvented the concept of Nordic terroir and embarked on a journey of rediscovery of herbs, berries, root vegetables etc. These products have come to symbolise the commitment to quality, purity and ethics which is the basis for the New Nordic Cuisine movement.

The insistence of the new breed of Danish gastronomes on using only the very best local raw materials has boosted high-end production in all categories: dairy, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables. Thus, complementing the mainstream products, New Nordic Cuisine has catalysed a renewed interest in local specialties such as lamb from the marshes or cod roe from the Baltic Sea.

The secret behind the successful transformation of a gastronomic trend into mainstream product development for global consumers may lie in the unique structure of Danish agriculture and food production. In major sectors, such as meat and dairy, more than 90 percent of the total production is from farmer-owned co-operatives. This traditional integration of the value chain from stable to table ensures consistent supply and quality, allowing food companies to devote full attention to meeting global consumer demands.