'Nieuw Amsterdams Peil' refers to N.A.P. (Normaal Amsterdams Peil) – a reference measurement of the city’s water level. The measurement is also known as the Amsterdam Ordnance Datum. The NAP is the oldest measuring unit of its kind in the world and is based on the average sea level during the 17th century. The NAP was established in Amsterdam and today serves as a reference point in many parts of Europe. In the near future, due to rising sea levels, the N.A.P. will change. This will affect the food that is on our plates.  In the near future, more than 125.000 hectares of land in the Netherlands will become increasingly saline. Worldwide salinization has already made large areas unusable for conventional agriculture, as salt water is harmful to conventional agricultural crops.

 

To sustain the traditional way of agriculture, salinization of the soil must be kept to a minimum. However, preventing salinization is becoming more expensive due to the restriction in freshwater. To be able to still produce crops in the future and to avoid a global food crisis, cultivation on soil with high salt concentrations must be considered and developed. The 'Nieuw Amsterdams Peil' appetizers give you the taste of what food in the future will be like.