Apparently, a Belgian city recommended that its residents eat Christmas trees for sustainability reasons, stating that Scandinavians do it. This advice was quickly walked back and the article quotes two Danish experts.
James Knappett (Kitchen Table London) says that he learned to forage from Rene Redzepi, when he cooked at Noma. Knappett uses conifers in his cooking, not only as fuel. Christmas tree pollen, for exampleâŚ
Yes itâs an interesting question that Danish people ponder about once a year. We do many strange things with our trees⌠In my family, we dance around it while we sing. One of the most used songs during this dance-for-gifts thing is âHøjt fra trĂŚets grønne topâ Højt fra trĂŚets grønne top - Wikipedia, den frie encyklopĂŚdi
The english translation on the wiki page has been rewritten for clarity, but for us, it does sound like we need to eat the tree after Christmas eve. âførst skal trĂŚet vises, siden skal det spisesâ
In the week after or in the first week of January scouts or local sports unions get paid to come get the trees from peoples homes, and then they will typically be gifted to zoos and what-not.
But yes there are countless ways you can utilize the tree too. Although the average dane hardly does. Maybe some sprigs in the Akvavit for flavor.
Iâm not surprised that syrup can be made, nor sprigs in liquor, either infused or as (I once had a gin & tonic with pine or fir as a garnish and it was great).
That Danish song sounds fun, but does make it sound like you eat the actual tree!
Iâm waiting for the Finns to chime in. If they eat poisonous mushrooms (false morels), who knows what they might do with a pine or fir tree?
Yes, spruce sap is used in cooking and for example as the main ingredient of a relatively popular and famous (in Finland) non-alcoholic sparkling wine.
One of the best restaurants in Seattle that youâve never heard of (The Peasant, a nightly restaurant in Beast and Cleaver) makes a seasonal pine cone syrup. Swipe through for video. FWIW - we made the trek over from the Eastside for this menu and it was stellar.
Never heard of eating spruces or pine cones or anything like that. But then again, Iâm not a Scandinavian. Who knows what those mad lads across the bay do.
Although we do eat and make stuff with spruce shoots. Those are a delicacy in the springtime. However, no spruce shoots in Christmas trees!
Thatâs birch sap. Spruce is a resinous tree. While spruce resin is edible, I think it is more commonly used in ointments and as an aromatic ingredient rather than something commonly ingested here.
Birch sap, on the other hand, is great stuff. And those soft spruce shoots.
Rosemary is not a conifer, it is in the sage family (Lamiaceae), which includes some relatively hardy species but also a lot of species that are not hardy at all and in cooler growing zones are treated as annuals (e.g., basil).
