You may have noticed the growing number of “Blogs I Follow” on the right-hand side of the this website.  One that I cannot list due to incompatibility between US and European blog feed systems is the remarkable Nordic Food Lab.  This is among the very best of thinking, exploring, and writing about food. The exploration of history and biochemistry in concert evokes many of the same ideas we aim to explore in this space, for our geography. The Nordic influences on the cuisine of the Great Lakes can also not be overlooked and this site allows a unique view into those Nordic traditions.

They describe their efforts this way:

“We explore the raw materials of our region, the flavours that say something about us and imbue the foods we eat with a connection to this place and this time. Diversity is our starting point and our goal. It forms a loop of feedback mediated by ecology, necessity, and appetite. There is no single food that can nourish us on its own. The pursuit of good food is in itself also the pursuit of biocultural diversity, the pursuit of a future where everyone can not only eat but eat well.”

“Yet infinite choice can be paralysing. By acknowledging geography as the foundation of gastronomy we give ourselves limitation, constraints through which we gain freedom. Exploration of our edible surroundings offers a possibility to create foods that speak truly of their birthplace and their future.”

The recent post on beer sings to my very soul. It also adds depth to the cultural underpinnings of Great Lakes Cuisine in the exploration of cultural and geographic influence on cuisine choices.