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A walk around Matstreif, an outdoor food market, will give you much more than going to the average food store in 2010. Excellent ingredients without food additives, in addition to speaking with the producer who has turned the ingredient(s) into a finished product, is what you get.
Talking to the producer, you will get the story behind the product you are buying and you are paying the producer directly, contributing to open cultural landscapes and a wide variety of food all across the country.
I made a short visit to Matstreif on Thursday 30 September. As usual, lots of pensioners were lined up in the hope of getting a free gourmet meal. Moving this guild to the square outside the Town Hall from Karl Johan, a Norwegian version of Oxford street in London, seems like a sensible choice due to the crowded conditions in the former place.
My personal favourite regarding top-notch products from this market is organic flour and polished spelt from Holli flour mill is a must. A good starting point for homemade baker’s products and “Norwegian” risotto.
I also bought a sausage with garlic from Mohaugen in Valdres. What are you looking for when you have bought flat bread and sausage? Avdem farmhouse dairy from Lesja had what I was looking for. That is, unpasteurised butter and sour cream.
Avdem and Holen farmhouse dairies form part of a cooperative which has obtained the honour of having a product called pultost, being approved as a presidium by Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. In these times of slimming where all food should contain as little fat as possible, how about a cheese with a fat content of 1%, that is, the cheese called pultost. You are recommended to have a taste of this type of cheese, which tastes totally different and much better than the bland factory cheeses.
Primal cut from Løten deer breeding and crème brulée from Ek farmhouse kitchen are both award-winning products which I also bought, ensuring a delicious weekend meal. This presentation was just a little teaser on the large selection of high quality food products from Norwegian small scale producers.
I also attended a food fair, called Mersmak, in Skien where I got to taste local baker’s products and several types of flat bread. It was a great pleasure to find again my favourite flat bread from the producer Klingeling in Porsgrunn. Recommended!
I recommend everyone to visit Matstreif on the Town Hall square, talk to the producers about their products and buy some genuine food. Instead, going to the local food store, the talk consists of do you want a bag and have a nice day.
Happy tasting!
