Barbara Woolsey profiles some of the city’s best locavore spots…
Although the locavore movement started in the U.S., it has quickly stormed restaurant tables around the world.
The British book “The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating” by Fergus Henderson is now a Bible for sustainable cooking, challenging more chefs than ever to learn about serving up animal parts that (especially in the West) they’re not used to working with.
By now, Berlin is definitely up on its locavore game. You’d be hard-pressed to find a Kiez from Neukölln to Prenzlauer Berg without a fresh farmers’ market or Bioladen, with “seasonal and regional” dining slowly shifting from a niche lifestyle into a standard.
For chefs here, the surrounding countryside of Brandenburg is the best place for sourcing local product, which has prompted a rise in productivity from regional organic farms; last year the state announced €178 million from an EU initiative called the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), to be invested into developing organic farming in the region over the next few years
Berlin-Brandenburg’s association of bio producers, institutions and interested consumers (chefs, for example) is also growing, and still includes long-time farmers like Gut Hirschaue known for providing vegetables, pork and venison to quite a few Berlin restaurants.
But despite all the demand, it’s far from easy being a small-scale farmer in Brandenburg, mainly because – you guessed it – multinational corporations are ruthlessly buying up land in the area and forcing out the little guys.
Of course, sourcing product that’s not too many kilometres away (preferably less than 100), while still creating progressive recipes is anyway a tough task. So whether it’s raw cheese milk made in Petershagen to “stress-free slaughtered” Brandenburg pigs, the daily menu of a proudly locavore eatery in Berlin is always an adventure – and a treat.
Here’s a pick of some of the city’s most committed spots…
Lucky Leek
Don’t let this unassuming basement restaurant in Kollwitz Straße fool you: it’s serving up some of Berlin’s best vegan eats. From cabbage roulade to eggplant tartlet, fresh produce replaces meat in a satisfying way. Don’t expect minimalism either, but at least five ingredients per plate from flavourful risottos and stroganoffs to full-bodied sauces. The menu changes monthly, and even though the dessert is also technically “healthy, it’s delicious – think homemade ice cr…