This week a lot of farmers and other small companies from Norway are in Berlin, together with farmers and food companies from all over the world. I have visited Berlin International Green Week (Internationale Grüne Woche Berlin) a couple of times, but alas, not this year. It is a wonderful experience if you like to see and taste the different food cultures of this world. Above is one of the farmers who were invited to participate on behalf of Norway this year, and who I have visited at his summer mountain farm, where he makes cheese and sour cream from old Norwegian cow and goats species. There are more pictures on this link.
The Green Week in Berlin is very crowded. About 400.000 people use to visit this food festival, in 2018 from 19. to 28. January. But it is worth it. And not only because it is much more liberal according to alcoholic beverages than at similar events at home. But for us it adds to the exotic experience of course.
Norway have long traditions for beer. Actually we had laws that are more than thousand years old that commanded every farmer to make beer. And until 1900 most people made beer themselves. Then came regulations, and then came the industrialized and international beer companies. Our traditions were diluted so to speak. But some years ago people started brewing again, and we got new, small beer companies who got a lot of success. Some of them you can even meet in Berlin, like the one of the picture below, Klostergården Håndbryggeri. Who is one of the 95 farmers and companies from Norway at Green Week.
Cheese is another local product which has become very popular in Norway in recent years. And many of the producers are represented in Berlin. Like the farmer mentioned first, from Brubekken Gardsmeieri, and Munkebyost. The latter is made by three French monks who have made a new monastery in Norway next to a Cistercian ruin from about 1180. They came from the Abbey of Cîteaux in France, birthplace of the Cistercian Order, and make Norwegian cheese in the french way.
There are also reindeer producers represented in Berlin, among them a family who have their animals among this group of reindeers, in this picture migrating to summer pastures, Rørosrein.
I hope everybody who have a chance to visit Green Week have a great time. I just know for myself, I have not yet “visited” all the countries I would like to in Berlin, so I hope to go back. There are more pictures from former Green Weeks on this link. And from Norwegian farming on this link.