Germany seeks to expand food reputation

Germany, evidently, isn’t all sauerkraut, bratwurst and Becks.

The country is host of the Anuga trade fair for the food and beverage industry this year, and beginning this past Saturday and lasting until this Wednesday in Cologne, the fair aims to showcase the newest trends, products and ideas. Germany is the second largest food producer in Europe, and the food and beverage industry is the country’s the fourth largest, according to Invest in Germany, a promotion agency for the government.

The agency says that 5,900 food and drink companies in Germany generated more than €138bn in turnover last year. Multinational producers such as Muller, Bahlsen, Haribo and Storck are based in the country, and most other multinational producers are stakeholders in the German market economy.

Germany also has the highest number of consumers in Europe, and, the agency claims, an optimal central location for trade and distribution.

Germany may be an industrial powerhouse for the food and drinks industry, as it is for many other industrial sectors, such as steel and construction. Matters of efficiency and quality have not generally troubled the country.

Culinary excellence and experimentation may be another kettle of fish, however. Even the German Press Agency, picking up on the delicacies on show at the Anuga fair, single out sweets from Syria, fruits from India, and probiotics from neighboring Belgium. While it is an international conference, wouldn't a country’s press agency note some of its own national goodies?

Two years ago the FT picked up on a lack of greatness in the Germany culinary world, noting that the Michelin guide had granted only six three-star and 14 two-star awards in the whole of the country, compared to a total of almost 100 in neighbouring France.

This could be about to change, though: earlier this year, an Independent article highlighted a young German chef, Tim Raue, who was awarded his first Michelin star for his Berlin restaurant, 44, for his mix of regional German cuisine and modern dishes. Gault Millau named him the cook of the year in 2007.

Perhaps the image of sauerkraut, bratwurst and beer isn’t so shameful after all: the country does have its own museum dedicated to the curried sausage. And Oktoberfest, evidently, is the biggest public festival in the world.