– I’ve seen it before, but I don’t remember what it is, says Julian Buenaventura Shaw.
Kohlrabi, turnip, Nordic orange. Beloved child has many names, if you can only think of them.
– I have forgotten the name. Mom uses it in the kitchen. This is a vegetable. That’s all I know, says Amelia Peksyk.
Because the Erkennor root vegetable is struggling every day.
In Klepp på Jæren, farmer Johannes Wiig still sells kohlrabi, but he would like to see that the demand was greater.
– Many young people have never learned about it. There is potential to sell more, says Wiig.
Farmer Johannes Wiig would like more people to use kohlrabi. Last year, each of us ate an average of 1.9 kilos.
Photo: Bjørn Olav Skjæveland / NRK
Down 20 percent in 25 years
Almost all the kohlrabi we eat is produced by Norwegian farmers.
But it is losing ground.
Since 1997, we have become 1.5 million more inhabitants. Nevertheless, the market for kohlrabi has decreased by 21 per cent since then, statistics from the Office for Fruit and Vegetables show.
– It’s a huge vegetable. People just have to learn how to use it, says Wiig.
In 2022, the market for sales of kohlrabi from wholesalers to shops was 10,515 tonnes. 25 years ago, the figure was 13,328 tonnes.
Among the young people NRK meets at Vågen upper secondary school in Sandnes, it is unknown to many, and rarely a favorite at the dinner table.
– I hate it. I don’t like the taste, says Amelia Peksyk.
Nora Erga Brunes was one of many young people NRK met who could not remember the name of the root vegetable.
Photo: Bjørn Olav Skjæveland / NRK
Not for humans?
Kohlrabi is full of C vitamins. But in many countries it is not human food.
– If you get a visit from a Dane and offer kohlrabi, you will be told that it is cow feed, says farmer Johannes Wiig.
And that’s not just the case in Denmark.
– I was going to celebrate Christmas in the Norwegian way in the USA. Then I couldn’t get hold of kohlrabi in the fruit and vegetable department. I had to go into the animal feed department. There they sold kohlrabi in 60-kilogram sacks, says Olav Hove.
But here at home, kohlrabi is a regular accompaniment to several Erkennor dinner dishes.
Komle/raspeball/kompe, pork chops and stew are rarely served without it.
Cabbage stew is a regular accompaniment to pork chops.
Photo: Wenche Lamo Hadland / NRK
I think it will turn around
At the same time, vegetarian food has gained an increasingly large place in Norwegian households and in the restaurant industry.
Experts are still not surprised that kohlrabi is losing ground.
– It’s no wonder. The kohlrabi has got so many competitors. Before, we mostly only had potato, carrot, celery and parsley root. At the same time, we know that the consumption of vegetables is still lower than desirable, says researcher Annechen Bahr Bugge at the consumption research institute Sifo at Oslo Met.
Annechen Bahr Bugge is a sociologist and researcher at Oslo Met. She is a specialist in consumer behavior and Norwegian eating habits.
Photo: Eivind Røhne / OsloMet
Even though vegetables have also become more expensive, turnips are still among the most affordable.
– Root vegetables are relatively cheap. We see that the celebrity chefs love to bring out traditional Norwegian ingredients and trust in Norwegian products is relatively high. This could mean that kohlrabi will get more space on the plate in the future, says Bahr Bugge.
And not all young people dislike kohlrabi.
– I really like kohlrabi stew and komle, says Emmeli Leidland.
– So there is hope for kohlrabi?
– Yes, I would certainly say that.
Here are some tips for new ways to use it:
2023-09-04 09:17:50
#kohlrabi #popular
