To forage (of a person or animal) search widely for food or provisions
This is the definition found on the dictionary to define the skill that Noma’s chef feels to be as important as reading and writing. René Redzepi is definitely the symbol of foraging in catering, which has helped Noma become one of the best restaurants in the world and is now a paladin of this culture.
With the VILD MAD program – danish for wild food – has created an app available in both English and Danish to teach users, and especially to small school students how to do foraging, what plants to look for and what to avoid. “A resource to read and understand the Danish landscape, finding wild food, and an inspiration for using spontaneous and edible plants in the kitchen,” said Redzepi.
On Vald Mad’s website and app can be found inventive recipes made with wild-season ingredients, sorted by plants or aplabetically. By clicking on the individual ingredients you will find detailed descriptions, including their natural habitat and sensory qualities, tips for cooking in the kitchen, and tips for preparing recipes with variations and notes on the risks of mistaking it for another plant.
There will also be a workshops program through Denmark accompanied by “Foraging Ranger” to go out and start exploring the territory. Every ranger has specialized knowledge of local environment: so a variety of events will take place in different landscapes focusing on all types of ingredients. At the end of August there will also be a special Vild Mad Foraging Festival.
Redzepi’s initiative aspires to become a model for other countries around the world and thus spread the culture of foraging.
You can download the VILD MAD App here.
