Snail sausage anyone? Dutch Design Week presents some interesting dishes

The Dutch Design Week (DDW) for 2021 shed light on our production and consumption. The result? Zwarma, snail sausage, and more were added to our future menus.

In the largest design event in Northern Europe, DDW ran between October 16 to October 24 this year, with a theme of The Greater Number. 🧮

Visitors of this year’s addition were given a chance to examine the supermarket of the future according to RTL Nieuws, as many designers focused on food waste in an attempt to find the right and creative balance. 🔍

So what about snails?

Now to the snail part. 🐌 Among the dishes presented during DDW’s food display was snail sausage, a creation by Xander Cummings in partnership with a Lebanese butcher and farmers.

According to Cummings, the product itself not only taste similar to regular sausage and is full of proteins, but it also emits much less CO2 than the production of regular sausages.

But it’s not all about the snails. Founder of Botanic Bites, Doreen Westphal, presented a range of products that rely on the legs of oyster mushrooms — a part that’s often discarded by farmers.

With hundreds of servings sold in various places, Westphal’s Zwarma — which is shawarma made from mushrooms — tasted just like pulled chicken. Vegetarian shawarma that tastes like chicken? Sign me up. 🍗

Smart labels

Another DDW notable invention is the Fresh Tag, which is a printed pH-sensitive label with ink that measures the freshness of perishable products like vegetables, meat, and fish by detecting microbacterial growth, oxygen, and carbon dioxide in an effort to combat food waste.

Notice the label changes colour? It’s time to throw away your food product according to Rui Xu. 🚮

“I want less food to be thrown away. The label is slowly changing colour. From farm-fresh to something less fresh, also showing edible and no longer edible,” Rui Xu explains.

What do you think of this year’s DDW display? Would you try any of the products shown? Tell us in the comments below!

Feature Image: JohanSwanepoel/Depositphotos

Accuracy, clarity, and a touch of humour — that’s DutchReview. Read our editorial mission.

Farah Al Mazouni 🇸🇾 🇺🇸
Farah Al Mazouni 🇸🇾 🇺🇸
Farah believes she's been on many adventures during her millennial life, each for a different (sometimes invisible) purpose. The latest adventure whisked her away to Amsterdam for love, and what a magical surprise she found in this city. Armed with imaginary confetti in her pocket, and ready to celebrate all wins, big and small, Farah says "ahla w sahla" or “welcome” to her latest adventure in this wonderland.

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