René Redzepi and the story of Noma

Summary

The speaker passionately discusses the philosophy behind Noma, a restaurant renowned for its Nordic cuisine. Emphasis is placed on the importance of transparency, authenticity, and a deep connection with nature. The restaurant's journey of learning and innovation is highlighted, with a focus on using local, seasonal ingredients to create unique and flavorful dishes. The speaker's personal background and experiences also contribute to the restaurant's culinary approach, aiming to provide guests with a truly authentic and memorable gastronomic experience.

Takeaways

• 🍽️ Cooking is described as transparent, honest, and generous, emphasizing the importance of originality and authenticity in culinary arts.
• 🌍 'Noma' in Danish means 'Nordic food,' reflecting the restaurant's focus on regional Nordic cuisine and the aspiration to make it recognized on gastronomical levels.
• 🌱 The restaurant has a deep connection with nature, seeing it as a source of inspiration and a pact that shapes its culinary philosophy.
• 📈 Over seven years, the restaurant has learned to understand the region, soil, seasonality, and weather's impact on the ingredients they use.
• 🌾 Harvesting ingredients oneself teaches respect and encourages the use of all parts of the produce to maintain the original flavor.
• 🎨 Nature provides a new palette of flavors to work with, offering a unique and diverse range of tastes to explore in cooking.
• 🔍 The restaurant aims to maintain an unbroken connection from the product's origin to the plate, ensuring the freshness and flavor of the ingredients.
• 🌳 The experience at the restaurant is meant to be unique to its location, offering guests a sense of time and place that can only be found in that specific region.
• 🥬 Indigenous products are highlighted, such as beach cabbage, which is described as intensely flavorful and a perfect pairing with oysters.
• 💡 Innovation in the kitchen is challenging but essential, with the restaurant exploring new ways to combine and prepare ingredients.
• 🌊 The process of creating a dish often starts with a high-quality ingredient and then builds around it with other elements that showcase its best qualities.
• 🇩🇰 Despite having Danish roots, the chef's Macedonian heritage has influenced his perspective on food and the potential of traditional ingredients.
• 🏆 Noma has received two Michelin stars and has been voted the best restaurant, but the chef remains focused on the work rather than accolades.
• 🚀 The journey of the restaurant is ongoing, with a commitment to deepening their understanding of their craft and making the link from ingredient to plate clearer.

Q & A

What does the term 'Noma' signify in Danish?

In Danish, 'Noma' means 'Nordic food', derived from the words 'Nordic' and 'mad' which means food.

What is the founder's initial perception of the term 'Nordic cuisine'?

The founder initially thought of 'Nordic cuisine' as a dream that could only be known at gastronomical levels and possibly used as a gastronomical term.

What is the essence of the restaurant's relationship with nature according to the transcript?

The essence of the restaurant's relationship with nature is having a pact with nature, growing in it, and being inspired by it, which shapes everything in the restaurant.

How has the restaurant's understanding of its region evolved over the seven years it's been open?

The restaurant's understanding of its region has evolved through a learning curve of understanding the soil, seasonality, and weather, which has become its biggest inspiration.

What does the founder believe is the key to maintaining the connection from the product's origin to the plate?

The key is to pick the ingredients oneself, which teaches respect and encourages the use of all parts of the ingredient, staying true to its original flavor.

How does the founder describe the impact of harvesting ingredients oneself on the dishes?

Harvesting ingredients oneself brings a new palette of flavors to play with and presents the ingredients as a gift, full of life, which enhances the dishes.

What is the main goal for the guests' experience at Restaurant Noma?

The main goal is for guests to have a sense of time and place, experiencing something unique to the region and the city where Restaurant Noma is located.

What is the significance of working with indigenous products in the restaurant's philosophy?

Working with indigenous products is significant because it allows the restaurant to offer unique experiences and to showcase the region's natural bounty.

How does the founder approach the creation of new dishes?

The creation of new dishes starts with a high-quality ingredient, understanding its origins and best qualities, and then building the dish around it to showcase these qualities.

What personal background influences the founder's perspective on food and ingredients?

The founder's father is from Macedonia, and his experiences of living there, where eating was based on what one could grow and harvest, influences his perspective on food and ingredients.

What does the founder hope for the future of the restaurant and other chefs?

The founder hopes that the restaurant's success will open doors for future chefs, making it easier for them to explore and innovate in the culinary world.

What is the founder's view on the importance of the restaurant's Michelin stars and rankings?

The founder does not place significant importance on the Michelin stars and rankings, focusing more on the work and innovation in the kitchen rather than accolades.

Outlines

00:00

🍽️ Embracing Nordic Cuisine at Noma

The speaker discusses the philosophy behind cooking at Noma, emphasizing transparency, honesty, and generosity. They highlight the importance of Nordic cuisine, which is deeply rooted in the region's nature and seasons. The goal is to create a gastronomical term that represents the essence of Nordic food. The speaker also talks about the learning process involved in understanding the region, the soil, and the weather's impact on ingredients. They stress the importance of respecting nature and using all parts of harvested ingredients, which brings a new depth of flavor to the dishes. The ultimate aim is to provide guests with a unique dining experience that reflects the time and place, using indigenous products and showcasing their origins and best qualities.

05:03

🌟 Noma's Achievements and Future Vision

In this paragraph, the speaker reflects on Noma's recognition, including receiving two Michelin stars and being voted number one on a ranking list. They express a sense of humility and focus on the ongoing work rather than dwelling on past achievements. The speaker sees their success as a breakthrough for the city and the country, opening doors for future chefs. They emphasize the need to delve deeper into their craft, understanding the ingredients from the source to the plate. The speaker also mentions the importance of maintaining connections with suppliers and continuing to explore and innovate in their culinary approach.

Keywords

💡Cooking

Cooking is described as an honest and generous activity that is transparent and without pretense. It is central to the video's theme, representing a connection to nature and authenticity. The script mentions how cooking at Noma is about showcasing the true and original flavors of Nordic cuisine.

💡Noma

Noma is a renowned restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark, known for its innovative Nordic cuisine. The name 'Noma' is a compound of 'Nordic' and 'mad', which means food in Danish. It represents the restaurant's philosophy of using local ingredients and is a key concept in the video, illustrating the dream of making Nordic cuisine recognized on a gastronomical level.

💡Nordic Cuisine

Nordic Cuisine refers to the culinary traditions and dishes originating from the Nordic countries. In the script, it is portrayed as a source of pride and a driving force behind the establishment of Noma, aiming to bring recognition to the region's unique food culture on the international gastronomic stage.

💡Seasonality

Seasonality is the concept of using ingredients that are in season, which is a fundamental aspect of Noma's culinary approach. The script discusses how the restaurant relies on the natural cycles of the region to determine its menu, emphasizing the importance of understanding and respecting the seasonal availability of ingredients.

💡Nature

Nature is depicted as the biggest inspiration for Noma's culinary creations. The script highlights the restaurant's connection with nature, from harvesting ingredients to respecting their origins and flavors. It is a recurring theme that underscores the restaurant's commitment to authenticity and sustainability.

💡Harvest

Harvesting is the process of gathering crops or ingredients from the land. In the script, it is mentioned as a practice that teaches respect for ingredients and encourages the use of the entire produce, which is integral to Noma's philosophy of utilizing local and seasonal ingredients.

💡Flavor Palette

A flavor palette refers to the range of tastes that can be used in cooking. The script describes how working with nature provides a new and diverse palette of flavors for the chefs at Noma to explore and experiment with, contributing to the restaurant's innovative approach to cuisine.

💡Indigenous Products

Indigenous products are those that are native to a particular region. The script mentions working with indigenous products as a natural progression for the restaurant, emphasizing the importance of using local ingredients that are specific to the area, which enhances the authenticity of the dining experience.

💡Innovation

Innovation in the context of the script refers to the process of creating new and original dishes or methods of preparation. It is a significant aspect of Noma's culinary philosophy, as the restaurant constantly seeks to push boundaries and offer unique dining experiences to its guests.

💡Michelin Stars

Michelin Stars are a prestigious recognition awarded by the Michelin Guide to restaurants that demonstrate high standards of quality, creativity, and consistency. The script mentions that Noma has received two Michelin stars, which is a testament to its excellence and the high regard in which its culinary approach is held.

💡Cultural Heritage

Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations. The script touches on the speaker's Macedonian background and how it has influenced their perspective on food, showing the importance of cultural heritage in shaping culinary practices and understanding.

Highlights

Cooking is transparent, honest, generous, and original.

Noma means Nordic food in Danish.

The dream was for Nordic cuisine to be recognized gastronomically.

A restaurant has a pact with nature and the people growing food.

Nature is the biggest inspiration for the restaurant.

Harvesting food yourself teaches respect and encourages using all of it.

Harvesting creates a new palette of flavors to work with.

In-depth knowledge of the region and soil is crucial.

Maintaining the connection from product origin to plate is important.

Tasting food right after harvesting sets the reference point for flavor.

Guests should experience something unique to the region and city.

Working with indigenous products is essential for a restaurant.

Beach cabbage found on the beach has an intense, flavorful taste.

Innovation in cooking is about finding new ways to combine and prepare ingredients.

Starting a dish with a high-quality ingredient and showcasing its origin and best qualities.

The speaker's Macedonian heritage and experiences influence their perspective on food.

Noma has two Michelin stars and was voted the best restaurant.

The recognition is important for opening doors for future chefs.

There is still much to explore and understand in cooking.

The goal is to make the link from ingredient to plate clearer.

Being with the team, visiting suppliers, and deepening knowledge brings happiness.

Transcripts

for me cooking is it's something that's

completely transparent and without

pretense that's honest and generous and

that has something true and original to

it Noma is a word that in Danish mean

Nordic food Nordic and know and food and

danishes melt so I know MA Noma

we had a long term dream which I really

honestly only thought could be a dream

that this term a Nordic cuisine could be

something that was known in

gastronomical levels and perhaps the

extreme dream that one day it could be

used as a gastronomical term I see a

restaurant having some type of pact with

nature and people growing in nature and

that is simply the essence of it and

that shapes everything

through the seven years we've been open

it's been one big learning curve of

understanding our region and sending the

soil the seasonality what does the

weather give us and so on and today

nature is our biggest inspiration right

now I think it teaches you some type of

respect when you when you harvest things

yourself you will force yourself to to

use all of it and be true to its

original flavor it's a whole new Brewer

a new palette of flavors you can play

with it's like a present

I think we've come into some type of

in-depth view knowledge of our region

the soil what grows will that really

makes us understand how we should to

keep the connection from the products

origin unbroken to when it hits the

plate once we've picked it here now

it's just one steady decline of flavor

so if this is your reference point

you've tasted it here in nature you just

picked it this will always be what you

want to put on the plate of course and

that's an important lesson and that of

course brings much more life into your

food because you're tasting it now and

it's full of life I want first of all

the guests to have a sense of time and

place

the guests should experience something

that can only happen in this part of the

world in this particular city right here

in restaurant Noma if you want that as a

restaurant you're gonna have to and you

will naturally fall into working with

all these indigenous products and I

found some Beach cabbage this is very

good it's cabbage that grows in the sand

so full of flavor so intense you see

it's excessive it has wax on it once you

polish it a bit you get this this green

flavor it's so intense maybe we'll put

that with the oyster because oyster and

this cabbage business it's fantastic

in many cases what people come to to a

restaurant is to experience new things

new ways of putting ingredients together

or preparing ingredients so that's a big

thing and it's a thing that we that we

work a lot on and it's very difficult to

somehow format innovation but then again

still we have various techniques on how

to come forward with new new ways of

thinking a very good example is just

simply take any given ingredient of

high-quality and looking around seeing

what grows naturally with it this is

gravy grass

rich and see vitamin as a horse reddish

tone with a slight bit of finish and

with that you perhaps look at the water

and you'll say well right up here

there's mussels and oysters and razor

clams so so perhaps this can be a dish

but usually when we start a dish of any

kind it starts with a given ingredient

of high quality we want to show it how

it grows their origins and what we feel

is their best quality

that's what we're playing with

everything else we put around it onto

the plate - something that brings that

forward somehow or somehow showcases

that even though I consider myself a

Dane my father's from Macedonia and

until 92 when the war broke out I spent

quite a lot of time in Macedonia every

year it was a completely different

lifestyle from the Western world back

then it was extremely ruled you ate what

you had yourself which meaning what you

could grow you work the land you're

harvested you did everything it's a

quite a hard life to work like that but

as a child it's fantastic to grow up in

that sense because you're out there on

the fields you're eating things when

they're just harvested and it makes me

perhaps see possibilities in some

products where hundreds in native just

see it as something old-fashioned or

that that can only be seen in one

specific context it's a fantastic spot

right here because you have elderflower

you can smell the elderflower you can

actually pick a wood sorrel here they

look at such like clover this is sour

lemony but

more complex I would say with a horrible

tone to it this is delicious one of my

favorite plants we have two Michelin

stars and we've been voted number one on

on this ranking list and and I've been

asked this before what do you say to

that and how do you feel and honestly I

don't know how to feel it because you're

just so busy and you're just working at

it I don't know maybe I'll have time to

enjoy it in ten years and look back at

it and say wow something really truly

amazing went on there I would say that

for the city and the whole country in

itself I think it's very important that

we have been able to break through the

way we are because it will open a lot of

doors for other future chefs and

hopefully they will won't have the hard

time that we did

[Music]

the next thing is the same we're not

changing

I feel where he is still too to explore

we just need to go deeper into what we

do understand it more and make the link

clearer from the ingredient to when it

hits the plate this is what makes me

happy being with my team

visiting the people that supplies us and

and keep going into depth with what we

do deeper and deeper and deeper

[Music]

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