Soon you wouldn’t need to buy snacks while roaming in the streets of Copenhagen. The city council has recently made a decision of planting fruit trees for the whole community. Many trees will be planted including apple trees and blackberry bushes. The trees are to be planted in public places like playgrounds, churchyards, and parks.

The primary aim of the council is to familiarize people with the local vegetation and food. Danish diet has had a variety of food traditionally. But the present generation has lost the connection with food and plants. This plantation drive will hopefully re-introduce the traditional flavors in the food.

The trend of foraging has been on the rise since the last few years at a global level. Denmark is one of the countries that is taking it very seriously though. There are several ecological as well as gastronomic benefits related to foraging. The New Nordic Cuisine uses these benefits to their full advantage. This cuisine focuses on preparing food out of plants growing in one’s backyard.

Local foraging has been a long-forgotten tradition of Denmark. There are law books from the Middle Ages that allow the citizens to freely harvest food from the public lands. The footpaths on private lands were also open to the public for harvesting. People had to follow the trail though, they couldn’t divert. The recent decision which will allow us to munch on the streets of Copenhagen is thus pretty old!

The age-old practice is now only being extended to the urban areas. Children will find it easier to learn about their native plants now. They will also find healthier options for snacking. Planting fruit trees for the whole community will increase the communal feeling.

Vild Mad (meaning “wild food”) is an app for educating people about foraging. Those who don’t know about the different ingredients and their locations will find it useful. This app will also suggest delicious recipes made from the wild ingredients. The purpose of this app is to familiarize people with the food that grows in their backyard. It will also help the visitors discover all the amazing food Copenhagen has to offer them.

Planting fruit trees for the whole community will prove to be a win-win situation for everyone. People will have delicious fruits to munch on and the city will become greener.