"Crown" in the village

When a little plant conquers the culinary world

Catrin Ferrari- Brunnenfeld, also known as "Cooking Catrin", has preserved recipes from her great-grandmothers and created new ones.(Bild: CARLETTO FERRARI WWW.CARLETTO.A)

Culinary expert "Cooking Catrin" was out and about in the "Hadn villages" of southern Carinthia, following the trail of buckwheat. The new cookbook contains 55 recipes - some of which are even secret. 

One grain conquers the small villages of Schwabegg, Bach and Leifling in the municipality of Neuhaus. "We are waiting with rock-rich soil, so to speak. Buckwheat needs little soil and even grows faster than weeds," says Josef Hirm, Hadnbauer and chairman of the Genussregion Hadn association in Schwabegg.

Plant gives the region its name
This plant, which also gives the region its name, can be found throughout the municipality. "It's great that our businesses showcase the Hadn and use it to conjure up something delicious," says Neuhaus mayor Patrick Skubel. At the "KunstHadn-Kulturangebot" (until September 29), the Hadn innkeepers Hafner, Hartl, Luckner and Sternjak will also be conjuring up a wide variety of creations based on the power grain.

Hirm: "Incidentally, we also have the only pure Hadn mill in the Hadn Center. The flour made from it is also gluten-free." 20 hectares are cultivated in the villages of the Hadn region. Hirm: "We grow around 150 hectares in the entire Jauntal valley."

55 different recipes in the Hadn cookbook to prepare at home(Bild: CARLETTO FERRARI WWW.CARLETTO.A)

This grain conquers the entire region and is ground in the Hadn mill.(Bild: CARLETTO FERRARI WWW.CARLETTO.A)

The Hadn cake, which is made here by Hadnwirt Reinhard Hartl, is also in the cookbook.(Bild: CARLETTO FERRARI WWW.CARLETTO.A)

Hadn used to be a poorman'sfood
Buckwheat, which was once used to cook "poor man's food", also has its own peculiarities. Hadnwirt host Reinhard Hartl: "In the past, people only knew Hadn from Sterz. The product has only become fashionable again in the last 15 years." Another interesting fact: "These plants only thrive in unfertilized soil." The buckwheat plant, which is sown in mid-July, is harvested from October to mid-November.

Modern buckwheat in the culinary world
Now, for the first time, an entire cookbook has been dedicated to buckwheat, which is considered modern and creative in the culinary world. Catrin Ferrari-Brunnenfeld, also known as "Cooking Catrin", went on a culinary voyage of discovery in the southern Carinthian "Hadndörfer". "I immediately fell in love. I invite everyone to taste this unique product." The grain of the Slow Food Village community could soon conquer the world.

55 recipes, including secret ones from grandma's kitchen, can be found in the book "Hadn - Das Buchweizen Kochbuch". It is available in bookshops, in Neuhaus and at the St. Kanzian tourist office.