You recall, of course, the box full of an odd combination of ingredients which barista teams were given by Anders Selmer, the chef of Denmark’s celebrated restaurant, Noma, right? Today was the day they put them all to use, from the beer brewed with Jamaican Blue Mountain beer, to a Norwegian ham, to an exotic herb from the Icelandic forest called Woodruf—and espresso, of course!
On the square under the tents,. Baristas were given five minutes to prepare two drinks and snacks for the special judges: Anders along with Claus Meyer, a very famous Danish chef who has, as Jens Norgaard says, been incredibly successful at developing Nordic cuisine. Claus is part owner of both Noma and Estate Coffee. (Learn more about him at www.meyersmadhus.dk)
Finland got the ball rolling, taking the “stage” first by serving judges a snack made from ham rolled with the crème fresh, Woodruf and mustard. Espresso was prepared in a halved-out apple. Iceland was also original, making an effort to combine at least one ingredient from all five countries in the snack. Norway announced to the judges that they had written a manifesto about their approach to the competition. They aimed” to break the barrier between food and drink,” and to served the ingredients “horizontally rather than all on top of each other.”
The winning team of this unique competition will be revealed at tonight’s Gala dinner (which, by the way did we mention, has an eighties theme? Get out your legwarmers!)
— Sarah Allen