A sustainable cuisine can be very versatile, creative and multi-faceted. After all, sustainable eating does not only mean that food should come from organic farming wherever possible, it should also be regional and seasonal. In our post you find out more about superfoods that are growing in Germany, why it is worthwhile to promote the alpine pig and why veggie is not boring.

From creative leftover cuisine to superfood

In Germany, around 11 tons of food are thrown away every year. Many foods are already sorted out on the way from the field to consumption. A lot of catering establishments and hotels also face the challenge of what to do with leftovers. Organizations such as Foodsharing or TooGoodToGo want to counteract this by collecting and distributing food from restaurants, cafés and bakers that have been sorted out early, but is still edible and leftover. But many restaurants have also found new creative solutions to avoid overproduction, reuse leftovers and produce less waste overall. Sensible planning can be a very good adjusting screw, so you can use everything from animals and plants. Carrot green, which is normally thrown away, could be turned into an excellent pesto, for example. The baguette from the day before you use for a delicious bruschetta. Or as the “Genießerhotel Die Forelle” does: it creates a superfood from vegetable peels. The shells of beetroot, for example, are dried, ground to powder and offered as a superfood on the breakfast buffet. Overall, the hotel is very creative and strives to implement sustainability in the kitchen in a variety of ways. With its own hotel concept of “Berg. See. Küche” the owner Hannes follows his own strict rules for a sustainable kitchen. Regional and yet versatile? Food with short transport distances, from cultivation to the plate, is particularly sustainable.

Regional Superfoods

Many hotels and restaurants now take this idea very seriously and have their own hotel garden, such as the “Schwarzwald Panorama”, or the “Okelmann’s” where local vegetables, fruits and herbs are grown. All other ingredients are sourced from regional suppliers and producers, whenever possible, in the best organic quality. The hotels also make sure that the menu is regularly adapted to the season, so that pumpkin is available in autumn and asparagus only in spring. But let’s come back to the topic of superfoods for a moment. Did you know that there are often good regional alternatives to the hyped superfoods? Instead of cranberries use cowberries or rose hips, instead of chia seeds use linseed or nettle seeds, instead of quinoa millet. Besides quinoa is now also cultivated in Germany. Our German regional cuisine can be diverse when we use what grows here. In addition to many regional fruits and vegetables, there are also many very healthy wild herbs. Eating locally does not have to mean that you never eat a banana again — it’s about moderation. Maybe we will let the banana be something special again or enjoy it again only when we visit a country where it is also native. In the “Hotel OCÉANO” on Tenerife for example: Here, in the hotel garden, besides bananas, also papayas, oranges, avocados and mangoes are cultivated. Eating sustainably means eating consciously Sustainable eating is not about renounce but conscious enjoyment. Food that is fresher because it comes from your own garden or the immediate surroundings tastes better.

Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba

If, in addition, you get a link back to the products you eat, this also leads to eating more consciously. This is also the philosophy behind the Slow Food movement. The Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba in Peru has come up with something very special. Through its earth-to-table concept, food is grown on the hotel grounds or sourced from farms in the surrounding communities. In addition, the fields around the hotel are cultivated gently and with traditional methods, including oxen. This is done out of respect for the environment, out of appreciation for the centuries-old culture of the Andes and out of love for Mother Earth. And guests of the Hacienda can help. It is a special experience to harvest what is served on your plate in the evening. Especially if you know that you are contributing to the biodiversity and the culture of the Peruvian Andean population.

Is sustainable cooking vegan?

No. Because while eating consciously and sustainably does mean that you are aware of the production conditions and the origin of the food you eat, it does not mean that you have to do without meat and dairy products per se. Anyone involved in conscious nutrition knows that meat from mass production is ethically unacceptable. But many sustainable hotels and restaurants know what it is. That’s why they prefer to buy high-quality meat, dairy products and vegetables from local farmers next door or from smaller, family-run and at best organic farms in the surrounding area. The “Berghotel Rehlegg” has also set itself the task of recultivating the black alpine pig, which is threatened with extinction. During the alpine season, the pigs feed not only on a large variety of mountain grasses but also on rich and aromatic plants such as mountain plantain, yarrow and thyme. The OCÉANO also contributes to the preservation of the culture, tradition and wildlife of the region. The hotel obtains its goat cheese from the farm “La Florida” above the village of La Punta. There, in the steep mountainous region of the Ananda Mountains, one finds so-called mountain goats, which climb the slopes without effort. From here the hotel also obtains the famous “Queso blanco”, a mild cream cheese that has been an integral part of Canarian cuisine for centuries.

VEGAN and Vegetarian Green Pearls®

Nevertheless, there is now an outstanding variety and creativity in vegan cuisine, so that not only vegetarians and vegans get their money’s worth. The Green Pearls® restaurants and hotels now also offer vegan and/or vegetarian cuisine, such as the „SCHWARZWALD PANORAMA “. They offer two dishes, vegetarian or vegan, and many of the menu items can be customized. Stephan Bode, the owner, feels it is important to convey to his employees that meat-free cuisine can be healthy and delicious, so there is also a veggie day once a week for the employees. However, there are now also hotels that specialize in vegetarian-vegan cuisine and use great art to reinterpret traditional dishes, such as the vegan organic agrivilla i pini and vegan LA VIMEA  and holistic vegetarian Hotel Paradiso in Italy.

Those who are not yet convinced that sustainable cuisine is colorful, creative and versatile are invited to spend their next holiday in one of the many Green Pearls® hotels with sustainable cuisine.

Read more: GREEN PEARLS® RESTAURANTS: THE MANY FACES OF SUSTAINABLE CUISINE

Read more: SLOW FOOD INSTEAD OF FAST FOOD – FOOD FOR THE FUTURE

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