Whenever tournaments take place in the sand, the stars have four legs and the gala menu consists of hay, oats and bran, then everyone knows it is time for HIPPOLOGICA. Starting tomorrow, the equestrian event at the International Green Week will be gathering horse lovers, riding enthusiasts and families keen on outdoor activities. For visitors in search of the pulsating and vibrant atmosphere that riding tournaments have to offer the place to head is Hall 25. From Friday, 26 to Sunday, 28 January the riding arena will be the venue for all the tournaments at HIPPOLOGICA.
Hungary’s table in Hall 11.2 at the fair is sumptuously laid out with new and traditional specialities. These include dairy products, especially cheeses, salami and other types of sausage, made with Hungarian steppe beef, pork from mangalica pigs, and venison, as well as white and red wines, home-made jams and strudels, pastries, pickled vegetables and cold-pressed oil, including organic types. Kürcsi, made by the Makai Katinka company, differs from traditional plaited bread in its size, its excellent quality and the special way it is made. There is also a restaurant on the stand where visitors can enjoy such traditional Hungarian dishes as goulash soup, beef goulash, pork cutlets and catfish stew, as well as a special dessert: chestnut puree.
“We want to promote our products at the Green Week”, says Daniela Popa, representing the Romanian ministry of agriculture. The focus is on products of protected European origin. And this applies to the “Magiun de prune Topoloveni” jam, the “Salam de Sibiu” salami, the cheese “Telemea de Ibanesti” and the smoked fish “Novac afumat din Tara Barsei”, as well as to sausages from the Plescoi region, cheese from the Saveni region, and smoked fish from the Danube delta. Among the traditional national products are various types of dairy produce, meat, fish and sausages, honey, fruit juices, wine and spirits, adds Daniela Popa. As she explains, visitors can sample some of the products on the stand, but unfortunately these cannot be purchased, either here or in German stores. That is why one of the important objectives of exhibiting at the fair is not only to ensure that Romanian specialities are popular with consumers but, in particular, with small retailers.
The pistachios that grow on in Bronte on the southern slops of Mount Etna are of a particularly fine quality. Only three firms are engaged in cultivating this Sicilian “green gold” here, and one of them is represented for the first time at this year’s Green Week. The Sfizierie stand is exhibiting pistacchi di Bronte, not only grated and as a sweet spread, but also as pesto – ideal with fish and prawns – and as pasta. Other specialities from this sun-soaked island include cannoli waffles with a ricotta filling, and delicious almond biscuits in a variety of flavours, with lemon or mandarin, or with pistachios, of course. In other respects too Hall 17 at the fair is like a southern market, with a wide range of different salamis and cheeses, including such rustic varieties as museo di formaggi, along with wine, fine truffles and ice cream. From elsewhere in Italy, South Tirol is represented by a restaurant serving typical regional specialities.
With 95 producers of foodstuffs from the regions of Fjord (west coast), Fell (mountains) and Tröndelag (centre), Norway is again demonstrating its culinary diversity at the Green Week. “This is an opportunity for regional suppliers to present their products to the German public here and to obtain immediate consumer feedback”, says stand organiser Bernt Erik Ellingsen. Among this year’s highlights, apart from such traditional items as reindeer, salmon and halibut, is Fenalår, a pickled, smoked leg of lamb which has been awarded the seal of “protected geographical origin”. The mild “Kraftkar” (strong man) blue cheese from Hofmeierei Tingvollost beat some 3,000 competitors in San Sebastian to win the World Cheese Award 2016/17. Visitors can try samples from over 60 of the 200 or so aquavits produced in Norway, while 16 regional breweries are offering 36 different types of beer, including “Saison” from Carl Otto Christensen, whose bottles are sealed with a champagne cork. There has been a big upsurge in rural cider production in Norway too. At the restaurant on the stand traditional chefs from some of the country’s leading establishments are busy preparing tempting menus and tasty titbits. “Berlin is one of only two places in the world that have been chosen by our government in order to present regional agricultural products”, reports Ellingsen.
A significant anniversary is being celebrated on the Austrian stand at this year’s Green Week: this is the 40th time that the Elfenhof vineyard from Rust on the Neusiedler lake has exhibited at the fair. The vineyard has been owned by the same family since 1642 and was given its present name in 1971, according to sales manager Attila Gorgyan. He explains that the range encompasses some 50 products, from dry to sweet wines. Among other items that it produces are brandies made from grapes, apricots, red wine and hazelnuts, as well as fruit juices, vinegar, sparkling wine and aereated wine. Sales are made directly to customers and also online, the sales manager explains. Germany is the main market, but wine connoisseurs in Asia and America also value the products from Elfenhof. One of its specialities is “Ruster Ausbruch”, a 1998 vintage, which is a dense, very sweet wine of outstanding quality. To mark the anniversary monitors on the stand are screening images and films throughout the day of the 40 years at the fair. And some of the regular attendees have been able to spot themselves.