The ‘Nordic Kitchen Manifesto’ was conceived and formulated in 2004 and summarised in ten points on purity, season, ethics, health, sustainability and quality. The ‘New Nordic Food’ manifesto has an innovative approach to traditional foods combined with a strong focus on health and an ethical production philosophy. Nordic cuisine should create and inspire the joy of food, taste and variety, nationally and internationally, according to the initial vision:
”As Nordic chefs we find that the time has now come for us to create a New Nordic Kitchen, which in virtue of its good taste and special character compares favorably with the standard of the greatest kitchens of the world”, the Manifesto states.
The aims of the New Nordic Kitchen are:
To express the purity, freshness, simplicity and ethics we wish to associate to our region.
To reflect the changes of the seasons in the meal we make.
To base our cooking on ingredients and produce whose characteristics are particularly in our climates, lanscapes and waters.
To combine the demand for good taste with modern knowledge of health and well-being.
To promote Nordic products and the variety of Nordic producers – and to spread the word about their underlying cultures.
To promote animal welfare and a sound production process in our seas, on our farmland and in the wild.
To develop potentially new applications of traditional Nordic food products.
To combine the best in Nordic cookery and culinary traditions with impulses from abroad.
To combine local self-suffiency with regional sharing of high-quality products.
To join forces with consumer representatives, other cooking craftsmen, agriculture, fishing, food, retail and wholesales industries, researchers, teachers, politicians and authorities on this project for the benefit and advantage of everyone in the Nordic countries.
List of signatories:
Erwin Lauterbach, Denmark
Eyvind Hellstrøm, Norway
Fredrik Sigurdsson, Iceland
Gunndur Fossdal, Faroe Islands
Hákan Örvarsson, Iceland
Hans Välimäki, Finland
Leif Sørensen, Faroe Islands
Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden
Michael Björklund, Åland
René Redzepi, Denmark
Roger Malmin, Norway
Rune Collin, Greenland
Read more on Norden.org