Culinary Southern Fyn: A wonderland of culinary specialities

Culinary Southern Fyn in Denmark is the biggest annual market and display of foods in the north. More than 120 exhibitors present their delicacies, while the guests fill their stomachs with food and their minds with knowledge.

Each year at the end of June, Svendborg turns into a wonderland of culinary specialties. 15,000 visitors pop by to what will hopefully change their way of thinking about food, while the exhibitors, most of them local, get a valuable experience too. “Our guests are fantastic for the exhibitors for several reasons. First of all, they spend money, which allows the exhibitors to invest in further development of their products, but they also provide useful feedback. If the food tastes good, they’ll buy it. It’s as simple as that, and that’s one of the main reasons why we arrange the market,” says Mikael Hansen, project manager of Culinary Southern Fyn and organiser of the food market.

The market was first introduced 18 years ago and has kept growing ever since. Last year, they introduced The Great Feast as an extension to the market to celebrate the local exhibitors and a focus on local ingredients. “That was a huge success, so we’ll do it again this year in the days leading up to the actual market. We aim to be innovative and make sure that there is always something new for our visitors to taste,” says Hansen.

Food for the mind

Authenticity is one of the keywords for Culinary Southern Fyn. “Our visitors want the real deal. They want to learn new things about the food and understand the process – and we want to teach our visitors where the food comes from,” says Hansen, adding: “That’s the reason why we started the Culinary Folk High School, where local producers serve tastings while our guests listen to the story behind the food. Our visitors will be full when they leave the market. Full of food, and full of knowledge.”

This year’s food market will take place on 23 and 24 June, and even though Culinary Southern Fyn consider themselves food nerds, Hansen promises that there are plenty of things for children to do as well. “We have the Nordic Food Lab, where they can try a lot of different things, and there’ll be workshops where they can make pasta, sushi, chocolate and so much more. The food market is a lot of things, but it’s first and foremost popular, festive and enjoyable.”

www.kulinarisksydfyn.dk