SLOW FOOD AUTUMN DELIGHTS FROM SCHNALSTAL VALLEY
7th-29th September
7th-29th September
SLOW FOOD AUTUMN DELIGHTS FROM SCHNALSTAL VALLEY
Sheep are as much a part of Schnalstal Valley as wine is to Kaltern, the “Spatzen” are to Kastelruth and apples are to Etschtal Valley. Here, the gentle herd animal leaves its traces in every aspect of everyday life: it has long provided the valley's inhabitants with all sorts of useful things for the harsh reality of mountain farmers, and even today, you’ll find it in every barn and on every pasture, in cooking pots and even in wardrobes. Thus, it's no surprise that it also takes center stage in the valley’s restaurants every year in September in the context of the cross-border hiking pasture management “Transhumance”: the Slow Food Autumn Delights from Schnalstal Valley from September 7th to 29th.
In keeping with the millennia-old tradition of the sheep's return, from the lush summer pastures in Austria's Vent, over high alpine ridges and eternal glaciers, back to the Schnalstal Valley, its restaurateurs invite guests to the popular sheep speciality weeks. We at Eishof are once again participating with two lamb dishes featuring meat from Infanglhof farm in Pfossental Valley and Schönweghof farm in Altratheis. At the opening event on September 7th, the Pleasure Mile in the Carthusian Cloister in the famous Village of Silence, we, along with four other Schnalstal Valley restaurants, will serve a five-course menu based on lamb. Fine Vinschgau Valley wines will be served to accompany the meals. The Schnalstal Valley sheep – sophisticated, newly interpreted, in a slightly different way.
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Sustainability, a bond to nature and local sourcing are not just a tourist trend in Schnalstal Valley but are ingrained and lived traditions. Since 2021, the Schnalstal Valley sheep have been recognized as a Slow Food Presidium, a socially and ecologically responsible quality seal that unites over 5,000 agriculturally unique products worldwide, protecting biocultural diversity and animal welfare. As recently as the 1960s, the Schnalstal Valley sheep were the most important breed kept in South Tyrol; today, however, with numbers drastically reduced, only 1,500 remain in the entire valley.
The Schnalstal Valley sheep are a Presidium transcending borders, uniting two countries, and covering a distance of 44 km and 5,000 meters of elevation. Their transhumance, now recognized in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage, is the hard-earned achievement of the Schnalstal Valley farmers and shepherds.
pic.credits: IDM Südtirol | Benjamin Pfitscher, Gudrun Muschalla, Mint Mediahouse
