RixosMag.pdf Yaz-Summer 2015 | Page 254

RE STAU R A N T What makes noma different from other restaurants is their approach to the food. un by chef René Redzepi in Copenhagen, Denmark, Noma’s name is a portmanteau of the two Danish words “Nordisk” (Nordic) and “Mad” (food). Opened in 2003, the restaurant is known for its reinvention and interpretation of the Nordic Cuisine. What makes Noma different from other restaurants is their approach to the food. They re-discover their region gastronomically and work with wild life such as wild beach plants, berries, mushrooms, wild animals; basically, whatever René Redzepi could find and like it taste in the Nordic region. And that is a challenge when you think about the region’s climate. For instance, during one winter which was so harsh that they were desperate for ingredients, Redzepi’s farmer brought carrots that have been under the ground for about a year. “If you saw these in the market, you probably wouldn’t choose these as an ingredient,” says Redzepi. Since they didn’t have anything else, they put that bad carrot into a pan and started adding butter, spices, treating it as if it was the most expensive meat, and cooking it slowly; the result was delicious. In that harsh winter which was one of the coldest since the Second World War and froze everywhere and everything, Redzepi presented another signature Noma dish: “Vintage carrot and chamomile”. 250