Feature, 12 October 2011
Sweden - a culinary nation for the future
The culinary nation of the future 2020 and gastronomic regions were the themes of this year's conference on 'Sweden - the new culinary nation'. The conference took place in Borgholm on Öland on 28-29 September 2011. Over 160 food enthusiasts from both the private and public sector took part.
Members of the Swedish National Culinary Team prepared the meals during the conference. In the foreground is chef Viktor Westerlind.
Could the culinary nation conference become something like Almedalen but for food? This was at least the hope expressed by Minister for Rural Affairs Eskil Erlandsson in his opening speech at the conference, which began on 28 September in Borgholm. This is now the second year in a row that the conference has been held, this year in connection with the Öland Harvest Festival.
Culinary nation of the future 2020
The theme of the first day was 'Culinary nation of the future 2020'. The Minister for Rural Affairs stressed that the vision of the culinary nation must constantly evolve and not stand still. Mr Erlandsson talked about three important issues concerning the Government's work on Sweden as a culinary nation:
- A new Culinary Nation Capital is to be appointed for 2012 to take over from Östersund.
- The Budget Bill for 2012 contains a government proposal to halve VAT on restaurant services.
- The concept of the culinary nation is to be evaluated based on questions such as: Are we achieving our goals? Are we doing the right things?
Culinary Nation Capital 2012
Members of the Swedish National Culinary Team preparing the desserts.
In his opening speech, Mr Erlandsson also mentioned that it would soon be time to select a Culinary Nation Capital for 2012. During the first day of the conference, the prize winner of 2011, Östersund, represented by Culinary Nation Ambassador Fia Gulliksson, explained what it had meant for the region.
"Behind every successful brand lies passion"
Participants at the conference.
Ami Hovstadius, project leader at VisitSweden, presented the work that has been carried out on a communication strategy for 'Sweden - the new culinary nation'. She stressed that the most important factor for the successful communication of the vision of 'Sweden - the new culinary nation' is passion.
"Behind every successful brand lies passion," she stated.
Gastronomic regions
During the second day of the conference, the focus was building gastronomic regions based on quality, origin, added value and value for money. This is an area in which Sweden can seek inspiration from other countries. Speakers included Simone Ficcarelli, a representative of Parmigiano-Reggiano, who talked about the well-known cheese. He was convinced that there is good regional food in Sweden too, but pointed out that it needs to receive more attention.
"If I don't know which brand is best when I'm standing in a Swedish shop then it is mainly the price that determines what I buy. There could be lots of different sorts of salmon or apple juice, but if I don't know which region produces the best sort then I don't know which one I should choose," he said.
A Champagne in Sweden?
Champagne expert Richard Juhlin talked about his precise memory of smells.
The second day of the conference was about building gastronomic regions based on quality, origin, added value and value for money. Mr Erlandsson revealed a tip he had been given by sommelier Magnus Svensson a few years ago, which was about doing the right things in the right place:
"We should create our own version of Champagne and Parma in Sweden, and produce food where the conditions are optimal," he had said. Mr Erlandsson mentioned Kalix bleak roe and Öland 'bruna bönor' as two good examples of regional food.
The Champagne expert Richard Juhlin talked about his precise memory of smells, which is a rare talent. However, he did say that everyone can become better at experiencing food and drink through passion and training.
