Nordic Cuisine but National Identities

Neuman, Nicklas; Leer, Jonatan

doi:10.4000/aof.8723

Cited by 14 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The manifesto of this "New Nordic Cuisine" consists of 10 points that emphasize local, clean, healthy, traditional, wild, and high-quality food uses in modern gastronomy [3,4]. However, this concept has failed to fulfil its "Nordic" purpose, as national and state interests in the region are of greater importance [5]. In Estonia, the national campaign "Estonian Food" is a very strong identity marker, as are several regional campaigns, among them "Uma Mekk" in Võru County.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Devil Is in the Details: Use of Wild Food Plants in Historical Võromaa and Setomaa, Present-Day Estonia

Kalle

Sõukand

Pieroni

2020

Foods

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Biodiversity needs to be preserved to ensure food security. Border zones create high but vulnerable biocultural diversity. Through reviewing scattered historical data and documenting the current use of wild food plants among people currently living in historical Setomaa and Võromaa parishes, we aimed to identify cross-cultural differences and diachronic changes as well as the role borders have played on the local use of wild plants. The Seto have still preserved their distinctive features either by consciously opposing others or by maintaining more historical plant uses. People historically living in Setomaa and Võromaa parishes have already associated the eating of wild plants with famine food in the early 20th century, yet it was stressed more now by the Seto than by Estonians. Loss of Pechory as the center of attraction in the region when the border was closed in the early 1990s brought about a decline in the exchange of knowledge as well as commercial activities around wild food plants. National support for businesses in the area today and the popularity of a healthy lifestyle have introduced new wild food plant applications and are helping to preserve local plant-specific uses in the area.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Devil Is in the Details: Use of Wild Food Plants in Historical Võromaa and Setomaa, Present-Day Estonia

Kalle

Sõukand

Pieroni

2020

Foods

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“…The New Nordic Cuisine was accused of fascistic tendencies somewhat earlier (Holm 2011), but at that point this position was more marginal. The New Nordic Cuisine has also been subject to critical discussion with respect to gender (Leer 2019), nationalism (Neuman and Leer 2018), race (Andreassen 2014), and historicity (Leer 2016).…”

Section: Globalization Nationalism and Politics Of Cultural Exchangementioning

confidence: 99%

Taste-Shaping-Natures

Evans¹,

Lorimer²

2021

Current Anthropology

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Taste shapes evolution, microbes make tasty food, and humans and microbes have been shaping each other for a long while. Yet anthropological accounts of evolution and domestication have given little consideration to taste, microbes, or fermentation. In this paper we develop the concept of "taste-shaping-natures"-natures shaping and shaped by taste-to highlight these multispecies interactions, based on practices of translated fermentation in the New Nordic Cuisine. Here, chefs combine Japanese microbes and fermentation techniques with Scandinavian substrates to create new products and flavors. Focusing on novel misos made with the kōji fungus (Aspergillus oryzae), we illustrate how chefs sense their microbes through smell and taste, and identify the sources of kōji's exceptional microbial charisma. We situate the rise of kōji's allure in the context of New Nordic Cuisine, framed as a high-end response to anxieties about globalization and subsequent nationalisms, a reworking of the scientism of molecular gastronomy, and a postpastoral mobilization of different natures for the reconstruction of regional identity. The analysis traces the natural history of kōji's taste-shaping powers through the biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary consequences of New Nordic fermentation experiments. The conclusion reflects on how this nascent microbiology of desire revises prevalent understandings of domestication.Fermentation is domesticated decomposition-rot rehoused. (Sheldrake 2020:229) It is high summer in Copenhagen, July 2018, and Jason White, deputy head of fermentation at a renowned restaurant called Noma, is showing Evans how they make their yellow pea miso, or "peaso." Miso is a fermented paste consisting of soybeans, rice or other grains, and salt. It is rich in umami (discussed later) and has been used for centuries in Japanese cuisine as a savory base for soups, sauces, glazes, and other applications. Making miso starts with making kōji-the Japanese word for the filamentous fungus Aspergillus oryzae. 1 Kōji describes these organisms and the ecology formed when they are grown on rice, barley, soybeans, or other starchy or proteinous substrates for use in fermentation. 2 The kōji fungus produces many enzymes that break down larger molecules, facilitating microbial metabolism that enhances the flavor, healthfulness, and preservation of many foodstuffs. Kōji is a cornerstone of Japanese cuisine, used to produce sake, soy sauce, and many other traditional products including miso. For this reason, the Brewing Society of Japan designated kōji the country's "national fungus" (Lee 2019).Aspergillus oryzae is closely associated with the rice plant (Oryza sativa), and as rice does not grow in Scandinavia, it is unlikely there are any indigenous populations of A. oryzae. Yet this fungus has found a home in restaurant kitchens across Copenhagen. At Noma, White and his team in the fermentation lab (fig. 1) grow around 75 to 100 kilos per week. White takes us through their process.White shows Evans through their process, as...

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“…However, there is no real agreement on what Nordic cuisine actually means because blatant tensions have arisen between Denmark and Norway. According to Neuman and Leer ( 2018 ), Danish texts actually refer to a shared Nordic culinary identity, whereas this is the case in only 5 out of 51 (approximately 10%) of the Swedish texts in their sample. Qualitative analysis too reveals that Nordic cuisine is for the Danes almost interchangeably connected to Danish cuisine, while in Sweden NNC's culinary excellence is construed as specifi cally Swedish (Neuman and Leer 2018 ).…”

Section: Food and National Branding: Gastrodiplomacymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Neuman and Leer ( 2018 ), Danish texts actually refer to a shared Nordic culinary identity, whereas this is the case in only 5 out of 51 (approximately 10%) of the Swedish texts in their sample. Qualitative analysis too reveals that Nordic cuisine is for the Danes almost interchangeably connected to Danish cuisine, while in Sweden NNC's culinary excellence is construed as specifi cally Swedish (Neuman and Leer 2018 ). New Nordic Cuisine, whose fl agship was the Noma restaurant in Copenhagen, was heavily fi nanced by Denmark to the tune of no less than 25 million DKK.…”

Section: Food and National Branding: Gastrodiplomacymentioning

confidence: 99%

Food heritage and nationalism in Europe

Porciani¹

2019

Food Heritage and Nationalism in Europe

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Nordic Cuisine but National Identities

Cited by 14 publications

References 24 publications

Devil Is in the Details: Use of Wild Food Plants in Historical Võromaa and Setomaa, Present-Day Estonia

Devil Is in the Details: Use of Wild Food Plants in Historical Võromaa and Setomaa, Present-Day Estonia

Taste-Shaping-Natures

Food heritage and nationalism in Europe

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