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Norbert Niederkofler is executive chef at the St.Hubertus restaurant in Bolzano, in the Italian region of Trentino Alto Adige.
Fine Dining Lovers interviewed him to better understand which is the relationship between the territory, local ingredients and culinary tradition.
How does territory influence your style of cuisine?
We are always influenced by our roots and our origins. We can escape, we can seek out other paths, but we return from where we came. I think this is part of our life cycle: you have to leave in order to come back and appreciate the things you hadn’t seen before.
What local ingredient could you not live without, and why?
I couldn’t name just one in particular. It’s nature that provides us with ingredients, which then change according to season and climate. One needs at least one ingredient for each period of the year! This is one of the best, and most complicated aspects of mountain cuisine - you have to invent a new recipe every day.
Using the recipe you’re sharing with out readers as an example, the Apple Strudel, how have you combined tradition and innovation in this dish?
Strudel is one of the most important, famous, and most copied desserts in Trentino Alto Adige’s cuisine. And it deserves to hold a place of honor. My interpretation seeks to bring out the best of each ingredient; each product expresses itself exquisitely in consistency and flavor.
Which of your recipes best expresses your connection with the territory, and why?
The menu we’re creating is a kind of mountain cuisine that features ingredients, old traditions, and respect for the teachings of our mothers and grandmothers: homemade butter, local recipes from our childhoods that have been reinterpreted for today’s tastes and minds. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s important to conserve this knowledge for future generations.
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