A conversation with Chef Esben Bang, who prepares eco-sensitive meals in his Scandinavian three-Michelin-starred restaurant, one of the northernmost in the world.
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Esben Holmboe Bang, before reaching the age of 40, has already been named one of the 100 most influential chefs in the world by Time Magazine. His restaurant in Oslo, Maaemo, an ancient Norwegian word meaning "Mother Earth," has also received 3 Michelin stars, making Esben the youngest chef and the first in Norway to be an executive chef in a top-rated restaurant. There's a reason for all of this. First and foremost, the philosophy of the restaurant unexpectedly tells the story of Norwegian culinary culture, combining past and present. Esben is advancing this narrative through foraging. His goal is to "gather the best that nature can offer us," he says. "We focus on the relationship between raw nature, ingredients, and Nordic history."
But there's something else. Bang's menu is based on the elevation of local, natural, and seasonal ingredients. Some examples? Scallops from the coastal Arctic waters of Trondheim, grilled in their shells over hot coals; an emulsion of Bømlo oysters served with a hot mussel and dill sauce. "I want my cuisine to reflect the harsh nature and climate of Norway. I want to create a cutting-edge environment that emphasizes the exceptional products of our region." In every culinary experience at Maaemo, Bang uses only organic, biodynamic, or wild products sourced from local farms and farmers.
Bang is a farmer whose beliefs involve green intelligence. One of his fundamental principles is that natural products should not be contaminated with chemicals, as they would lose their natural flavor and true identity. "If you have carrots," he says as an example, "and you spray them with herbicides or growth stimulants, they will no longer be carrots." This is the conviction of an eco-sensitive and biodynamic forager who is also aware of the culinary limits of Norway with its short growing season and six months of sunlight. But Bang has discovered and cultivated relationships with local experts of the ocean, forests, and land, making use of their expertise in foraging for the benefit of Maaemo restaurant.
With only eight tables in the main dining room, plus a private table in the test kitchen, the establishment offers a surprising proposition. The tasting menu revolves around 26 dishes. These may include frozen cow's milk, juniper-marinated black salsify, red cabbage gel with horseradish, a traditional porridge with reindeer heart and brown butter. The first taste is usually Maaemo's signature creation: a dish consisting of two langoustines coated in a brined red fir juice glaze, served on a rock with red fir shoots and accompanied by red fir smoke. It is rumored that Bang is one of the few chefs who can successfully merge foraging principles with high culinary standards.
"When you take fresh herbs from the forest and eat them there, they have a clean and pure flavor," he says. "But everything that happens on the way to the plate only dilutes the flavor. Our cuisine? It's personal because we cook with love and want the flavors to be as sharp as possible, without dilutions, clean." So, if berries, flower petals, scallops, or clams are treated with respect and consideration, nature reciprocates, and the results are priceless.
Cover photo: Erik Valebrokk
Source: magnifissance.com
