Monday, April 18, 2011

Not unlike, "Icelandic skyr curd, halibut, Greenland musk ox and berries".

Yes, I understand that Noma's regional approach is a conceit designed to elicit titters from Archer Daniels Midland shareholders. We did not even try to dine there during our last visit to Copenhagen; I'd have spent the money, but bookings already extended into the second Obama administration.

But there is a lesson here as pertains to beer, isn't there? Inasmuch as we'd all like to source beer ingredients locally, until there are barley fields, malting houses and hop yards, it won't happen. What, then, does local brewing mean, and is it enough?

Think about it while I drool some more over these excerpts from Reuters.

Pulses and sea urchin on menu at world's top eatery

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Denmark's Noma won one of the restaurant world's highest accolades for the second consecutive year on Monday with a menu that remains deeply committed to an innovative Nordic cuisine.


Noma's 33-year-old chef Rene Redzepi, whose restaurant topped the S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants list released late on Monday, has created a menu that includes sea urchin and dill, potatoes and milk skin, beef cheek and pear …

… The Noma approach to cooking is concentrated on obtaining the best raw materials from the Nordic region such as Icelandic skyr curd, halibut, Greenland musk ox and berries.

"Noma is not about olive oil, foie gras, sun-dried tomatoes and black olives. On the contrary, we've been busy exploring the Nordic regions discovering outstanding foods and bringing them back to Denmark," Noma said on its website ...

… The two Michelin star restaurant does its own smoking, salting, pickling, drying, grilling, and baking, prepares its own vinegars and concocts its own distilled spirits such as its own eaux de vies.


Noma makes systematic use of beers and ales, fruit juices and fruit-based vinegars for its sauces and soups rather than wine, and allows vegetables, herbs, spices and wild plants in season to play a prominent role in its cooking.

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