From alpine cheese to Michelin-starred chef. Press release
The Hall-Wattens region in the heart of Tyrol may be small, but it is truly special. Particularly when it comes to food: here, regional quality and world-class international cuisine go hand in hand.
Above all, lamb’s lettuce, radishes and courgettes don’t have far to travel before they end up in Johannes Nuding’s kitchen and, ultimately, on the plates of his delighted guests: It is only about one and a half kilometres as the crow flies from the fields of Thaur to the atmospheric old-town restaurant run by this Haller native, who, after years in Paris, Moscow and London, now cooks to the highest standards in his home town. “You can really taste that everything comes fresh from the field and was harvested just a few hours before delivery.” Johannes Nuding, who has been awarded four toques by Gault Millau for his restaurant, remains enthusiastic about the freshness of the local produce. “It’s a real joy to work with ingredients of this quality, and it’s the very best foundation for successful dishes.”
Handmade cheese from the alpine idyll
A change of scenery: the Außermelangalm in the Lizum valley near Watten. Here, the cheese is still made by hand. An alp could not be more idyllic; set amidst lush pastures, with the picturesque peaks of the Tux Alps in the background. The dairy cattle also get to enjoy these surroundings when they graze in the Lizum during the summer months. The result of this alpine summer retreat is raw milk of the highest quality, which is then processed on site into the popular alpine cheese.
Fresh from the field: farmers’ markets and farm shops
The region’s farmers’ markets are also true temples of indulgence. Here, lovingly home-baked cakes sit alongside tempting jars of jam and pickled vegetables, all ready to be sampled. Towering majestically above them are loaves of tasty Tyrolean farmhouse bread, for which every farmer’s wife has her own recipe. The farm shops offer a similarly delightful experience. Anyone can pop in, have a look round and then take whatever they fancy. Payment is traditionally made via a ‘Körberl’ – a small basket into which you simply place the correct amount – or, increasingly, using modern self-service systems. If you’re lucky, you might even meet a farmer in person. And then you can have a chat with them and sample the goods: from the field to the farm, fresh and local.
The best of both worlds: salt water and fresh water
Daniel Flock and Markus Schreiner prove with their Alpine prawns that regional cuisine can certainly have an exotic touch. When they set up their company, prawns were almost exclusively sourced from Asia, where they are produced under largely dubious conditions. Daniel and Markus, on the other hand, prioritise the highest quality in their farming practices: in specially designed saltwater tanks, the ‘White Tiger’ prawns can grow happily before being delivered via the shortest possible transport routes to local restaurants and into home cookers and pans.
Not exotic, but already extinct in Tyrol, was the Danube-native primitive trout. It is now being bred again by the enterprising master fishmonger Nikolaus Medgyesy in Thaur. A sustainable flagship project with strong historical roots: the first written mention of fish farming in Thaur dates back to Emperor Maximilian I.
For further enquiries:
TVB Region Hall-Wattens
Vera Fluchtmann
Unterer Stadtplatz 19
6060 Hall in Tirol
Tel.: +43 5223 45544 32
v.fluchtmann@hall-wattens.at
www.hall-wattens.at