In the pantry at Nyborg Castle, salted hams, spiced sausages, and dried fish hung in neat rows beneath the ceiling. The shelves along the walls held small bundles fragrant with exotic spices from distant lands – cinnamon, cardamom, and pepper.

On the floor stood the vats – that is, the barrels – lined up in neat rows. Some held grain, others salted herring, a few contained precious wine and imported beer, and in the coolest corner stood the barrels of fruit delivered by the farmers of the king’s own pantry estate, which covered all of eastern Funen.

The pantry was full, and the castle and town were ready to receive the royal court and all the others who came to the city when, once a year, the king met with the realm’s leading nobles to hold parliament at Nyborg Castle, or when the kings resided and held court in Nyborg. The many people also required large quantities of food, then as now, it was supplied by the producers of Kongens Fadebur.

Kongens Fadebur aims to create food experiences rooted in origin and history, drawing on the heritage of the Nyborg estate and the story of Nyborg Castle and the town as a centre of royal power in the Middle Ages. Throughout the medieval period, the king met with his parliament at Nyborg Castle, and later the town developed into what can be described as Denmark’s first capital.

It was a grand occasion when the king and his retinue came to the town. There was a need for abundant food and drink from Kongens Fadebur. In Nyborg, this was particularly well provided for. The royal Nyborg estate covered almost half of Funen and, as one of the only estates in the country, always belonged to the king’s pantry. This meant that farmers and craftsmen in the estate paid taxes in the form of crops and goods directly to the royal court.

The producers of eastern Funen thus have an almost 800-year-old tradition of supplying the Danehof and Nyborg Castle. Kongens Fadebur aims to carry this tradition into the 21st century in collaboration with Funen’s food producers and Nyborg Castle.