No = Nordic (Abbreviated), Mad = food (in Danish).
Restaurant Noma’s name is literally Nordic food. Since 2003, it's had one mission: express the landscape, spirit, and culinary potential of the Scandinavian region on a plate.
Noma uses only ingredients grown in the Scandinavia regions. The restaurant also forages nearby shores and forests for many of its ingredients, utilizing local knowledge of seasonal abundance and scarcity in the cold North.
Foraged plants and mushrooms, as well as responsibly farmed ingredients are crucial to Noma’s expression of the northern region.
Embracing traditional methods of pickling, fermentation, smoking, and curing, Noma references the human history of the Nordic region as well, using these ancient preservation techniques to create new and interesting flavors.
Shown above are traditional preserves: Pickles
Above: Aromatic blends at the at the Nordic Food Lab
Read an in-depth post on the Nordic Food Lab here.
Noma’s philosophy and approach to gastronomy was been foundational to the creation of New Nordic Cuisine, which has influenced gastronomy worldwide.
Above: Three examples of New Nordic Cuisine
Chefs Claus Meyer and René Redzepi have earned celebrity in Noma’s success, and each has published books and given lectures across the world.
Noma has opened popup restaurants in England, Japan, and Australia, each time working to express the seasonal time and place of the region through use of local ingredients and cutting edge techniques.