Icelandic food fair draws in the crowds

26.09.2011

“If you ask me, the roots of Estonian cuisine are buried deep within Scandinavian soil,” says Peeter Pihel from the Pädaste Manor restaurant Alexander, which is renowned as one of the best in the country. “When you look at what we eat, a lot of it’s been influenced by that part of the world. So taking part in the food fair seemed obvious, really – it’s not often you get to serve up the best you’ve got to offer with a group of other chefs on the same market square! And of course, with all those people there chatting away to you and to one another, the atmosphere’s fantastic.”

The food fair held on Iceland Square, presenting food from the island nation and other Nordic countries, proved to be the big hit of Iceland Day on 21 August. Leading Icelandic and Estonian chefs prepared a range of tasty treats for visitors which were inspired by Iceland and the other Nordic countries. The sheer number of food-lovers, admirers of Icelandic culture and curious passers-by was far in excess of what the square could hold.

The market day was opened by the foreign ministers of both Estonia and Iceland with the Icelandic Men’s Choir, while entertainment was later provided by one of the country’s up-and-coming young bands, Retro Stefson.

Guests at the fair included Icelandic chefs Ragnar Omarsson and Bjorgvin Myrdal, who prepared authentic national dishes using lamb and fish especially brought in from Iceland for the event. The biggest names in Estonian cuisine with a healthy respect for local ingredients and Nordic food culture were also present: Peeter Pihel, Angelica Udeküll (from Laulasmaa Spa), Toomas Lääts (from Sfäär) and Rene Uusmees (from Mekk). All of them have worked with renowned Nordic restaurants and are well known for their contemporary take on cuisine and love of local produce.

Toomas Lääts said: “As a chef I was really happy with how the day turned out – it was a chance for us to get closer to the people and show them that the kind of meal they go out and pay for at their local pub isn’t in any way cheaper than a restaurant offering local food. You’ll get a much better and much healthier meal eating at a restaurant that serves good local ingredients, for the same amount of money.”

The Estonian chefs who took part in the fair drew their inspiration, under the aegis of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Estonia, from the New Nordic Food programme, which has paved the way for cooperation between those promoting the food cultures of Estonia and the Nordic countries. New Nordic Food has given Estonian chefs the chance to work in leading Nordic restaurants and work with some of the leading lights on the region’s gastronomic scene. There have also been exchanges of Nordic chefs and sommeliers to Estonian restaurants. Conferences, seminars and workshops have turned attention to the principles on which food and raw ingredients are grown, prepared and sold within Nordic cuisine.

Helping to organise the food fair was Grete Kodi, who is responsible for the New Nordic Food programme within the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Estonia.

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