something hot

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If you follow the route of the Aare River in Bern, which passes under the Lorraine Bridge from the coastal road, you will come to Füüri, where the old Gassner Brewery is located, which smells of fire and spices. Chillfood provides aromatic air. You won’t find an electric stove in the kitchen because everything is prepared on fire, according to the recipes of founders Monika Di Muro (55) and Chris Bay (62), whether it’s a starter, main course or dessert.

Cooking on an open fire: archaic cuisine is in fashion. Videos showing how to cook outside are going viral on social media. The tiktoker “Man with the Pot” alone has over twelve million followers. This is part of a general trend. The Orell Füssli bookstore confirms that the demand for cookbooks has increased and continues to rise since the pandemic. Cold foods are also feeling the effects of the cooking boom. “Our fire cooking classes and events are almost always fully booked,” says Bay. Cookbooks are also selling out fast. His new book “Feuerkochen” was published last fall.

with real wood

Now anyone considering simple grilling where the meat sizzles boringly should reconsider their views because what Monika Di Muro and Chris Bay are doing has nothing to do with it. They cook, roast, steam, smoke, stew and grill over an open fire with real wood.

They are currently preparing the “dancing bean” dish. To do this, they stab the hot peppers into small sticks and stick them in the sand around the fire. The broad beans are roasted with the heat of the fire and then they can be eaten with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

“We almost cooked the world our way,” says Di Muro, as he spears a pod. “We’ve always been interested in markets and people selling food.” They learned to cook in different ways and to use fire.

“Even toasting bread is a lot harder than it looks,” says Bay. “When cooking with fire, you can’t turn off the stove or heat the pan for a short time once the water starts to boil. Fire takes time and preparation,” said Mr.

Cooking on fire is not for men

Di Muro explains that helping hands is also needed when adding wood. Because cooking by the fire or simply preparing meals outside is a community act. “You need to get wood or charcoal, move the material to the fire and prepare,” says Bay, putting a baffle on the fire. That’s the core of his passion for fire cooking: “Unlike grilling, everyone has to help cook on the fire,” says Di Muro. Cooking over the fire isn’t as macho as a barbecue where the women make a salad and the men sit by the grill.

“Cooking by the fire can be daunting at first, but it becomes super easy once you learn the basics,” says Chris Bay. “You don’t need expensive equipment to prepare good meals.”

As the sky clears over Bern and it starts to rain, the two of them simply shrug and smoke their chili peppers over the fire. Whether it’s raining or snowing, they’re fired up for their hot kitchen.

Source : Blick