The gourmet festival started on Königsallee on Friday afternoon. Just an hour after the start, not only was the aroma of a wide variety of food in the air, but the stands were already very busy. Visitors had already settled down on the numerous beer tent sets, drinking their first glass of wine or champagne and enjoying smoked burgers from cardboard boxes, for example.
More than 200 stands along the entire length of Königsallee will be offering food and drinks from eight countries until Sunday. A total of 24 nationalities will be represented. The organizers are expecting up to 100,000 visitors this weekend. “They really taste spicy,” said one visitor on Friday afternoon, praising a French salami made from wild boar that he had tried at the stand called “Extrem Lecker.” Sebastien Sciebetta offers sausage specialties from France here. “In Germany, bratwurst is a tradition,” explained Sciebetta. “In France, on the other hand, people prefer to eat Rosette de Lyon, together with fresh baguette, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese.” The raw sausage is the typical French salami.
In addition to classic and traditional dishes, the gourmet festival also offers a number of new offerings. On Friday, for example, Sergej Münch offered his “Wod-Kö”. He had the idea for the vodka based on Rhenish dough recipes when he noticed that Königsallee was celebrating its 220th anniversary this year. With his product, he wanted to draw attention to the history of the magnificent boulevard, said Münch, who describes himself as an artist and alchemist. In keeping with the image of Königsallee, there is also a type of vodka with gold leaf. He plans to establish “Wod-Kö” as a permanent brand, said Münch.
The low-sugar and vegan organic nut spreads from the Cologne start-up Naughty Nuts have now established themselves on the market. And the must-have and the various chocolate bars also seemed to be a hit with visitors to the Gourmet Festival on Friday. Interested people lined up every minute to try them. “The feedback is very good,” says company founder Lorenz Greiner.
What should not be missing at a gourmet festival are truffle dishes. The stand of the Italian restaurant Bocconcino offered truffle pasta. The pasta is tossed directly in a loaf of Parmesan and then covered with sauce. “We only use fresh truffles, fresh pasta and fresh Parmesan,” explained Mehmet Yigit from Bocconcino.
Apart from that, it was quite quiet at the festival on Friday afternoon. Last year, there was criticism that the music at the stands was too loud. However, a DJ booth could be seen.
