Last night, Red Baron participated in a Grünkohlessen at Freiburg‘s well-known restaurant, Großer Meyerhof. The man from Kiel*. Lars Petersen, Freiburg city councilor, district court judge, trombone player, band leader, and his charming wife Meike Voss once initiated the kale dinner. Yesterday, they animated the 14th edition with a quiz on Low German.
*Kiel is the capital of the northernmost German state
The demand for this annual kale dinner is great. However, I was early in my quest for a ticket, while late people had to be placed on a waiting list.
In 2014, I wrote a blog about Brassica oleracea var. sabellica L., claiming that the vegetable from northern Germany was virtually unknown in the south.
In the States, kale was discovered as a superfood in the early 2000s. As usual, American trends sweep across the Atlantic, so over the years and little by little, kale also became known in southern Germany.
When I strolled through the Minster market yesterday morning, I found the following offer:
The demand for this annual kale dinner is great. However, I was early in my quest for a ticket, while late people had to be placed on a waiting list.
In 2014, I wrote a blog about Brassica oleracea var. sabellica L., claiming that the vegetable from northern Germany was virtually unknown in the south.
In the States, kale was discovered as a superfood in the early 2000s. As usual, American trends sweep across the Atlantic, so over the years and little by little, kale also became known in southern Germany.
When I strolled through the Minster market yesterday morning, I found the following offer:
Freiburg currently has permafrost, so the kale leaves were slightly covered with hoarfrost. They say that before a vegetable may be harvested, it must have frozen—the frost takes the bitterness out of its leaves.
I had my last Grünkohl in Berlin at the end of December in a restaurant, eating all by myself. Here in Freiburg, I sat at a table surrounded by animated, expectant diners.
And the beer did the rest.
The Großer Meyerhof served Brägele as a side dish. Red Baron, preferring Bratkartoffeln (roast potatoes North German style), once blogged about various dishes made from roasted potatoes.
Different types of meat covered the small quantity of Grünkohl. It was not enough, so I asked the waitress for more. New kale was delivered hot and was well received at the table. This meant that a third delivery was necessary so that I could get satisfaction in terms of quantity.
The kitchen and service team deserves big applause, and many thanks to Meike and Lars for their organization and animation.
The Lower German quiz was rather demanding. Who would know that
Schinkenbüddel (ham pouches) simply are underpants,
Plüschappels (plush apples) are peaches, and
Windmölenfleeger (windmill flyer) is a chopper.
Here is the lady who won the quiz and became the kale queen. She waved graciously to our table.
My American readers will be interested in the answer to the quiz question: Who was, at times, the biggest buyer of kale in the US?
Red Baron chose Pizza Hut from the various answers, assuming that the food chain sold a lot of kale smoothies. The answer was correct, but the reason was different. Pizza Hut had bought large quantities of kale simply for decoration.
Look at the photo above. Beautiful Brassica oleracea var. sabellica L.
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