Terra Madre Day Special: A Christmas Toast to an Old Tradition

In the old mining town of in Røros in central Norway, many residents still live in the wooden houses and 17th and 18th century buildings that linger from its booming copper-mining days, and have led to the area’s designation as a UNESCO world heritage site. But the town has another legacy that you may not read about in history books.

“It’s a very old ritual in this area that every year before Christmas, families would make a traditional ginger beer,” says Per Tore Holgersen from the Slow Food Røros Convivium. The recipe includes just five ingredients: ginger, raisins, sugar, water and yeast, which are mixed and left for 3-5 days to ferment. The result is a lightly alcoholic beer.

“Some people still carry on this tradition, but not all,” says Holgersen, “and many young people don’t know how to make it.” This was what inspired the Røros Convivium to put this age-old practice at the center of their Terra Madre Day event to be held this December 10, with an event that involves participants making the ginger beer together from an old recipe.

“This recipe comes from families in the area, passed down through generations from mother to children. It’s not something you can buy, but made from information that is passed on through people.”

“We hope that young people will come to the event and learn this old tradition so they can carry it on. We’ll also be serving local food and a ginger beer that we made beforehand, so we can enjoy the final results!”

slowfoodroros.org

Photo: HotelInNorway.net

Find out more about Terra Madre Day, a global celebration of local food.
www.slowfood.com/terramadreday