Taste, test and explore the future of food with AU FOOD at Food Festival 2026

The Department of Food Science at Aarhus University is back at Food Festival 2026 – and we’re bringing a tent full of food experiments, tastings, hands-on activities and curious researchers ready to challenge your taste buds and your ideas about food. 

If you’re heading to Tangkrogen in Aarhus between September 4th and 6th, make sure to put the AU FOOD tent in your festival itinerary. You’ll find us in the Kål & Ko area. 

There’s plenty to taste at the AU FOOD tent this year. 

You can try lupin- and soy-based tofu, taste Danish-grown faba beans, and explore different varieties of rhubarb, apples and carrots.

But tasting is only the beginning.

You can also test your sense of smell, discover what algae can do as a food ingredient, get hands-on with food stabilization, and explore food science through interactive activities with our Kitchen Adventure, EFL 2.0 and FoodCLIC teams.

And if you’re in the mood for a quieter festival moment, take a seat in our lounge section and write a food letter about what you ate yesterday.

In other words; there’s something to taste, something to try, and lots to talk about at this year’s AU FOOD tent!

What did you eat yesterday? 

A homemade dinner? A frozen pizza? A Danish tomato, or an imported one? Maybe yesterday’s meatballs were slightly burnt? 

Our FoodOikos team wants to hear all about it.

Take a seat in our cozy food-letter corner, relax in a lounge chair and write about your food experiences from the day before. Your story can be funny, ordinary, surprising or completely uneventful. 

For the researchers, every story provides a glimpse into how food choices actually happen in everyday life – and that’s valuable information you can contribute to.

Come by, grab a pen and tell us what was on your plate!

Think tofu is boring? Think again. 

At the AU FOOD tent, you can taste different lupin- and soy-based tofu products developed as part of a PhD project investigating new plant-based foods.

Taste the samples and tell us what you think: Which one do you prefer? How does it feel in your mouth? And would you eat it again?

Your answers will help researchers understand which sensory characteristics influence whether consumers accept new plant-based foods – and whether lupins could find their way into more familiar foods in the future. 

Here, your taste buds are the research tool. 

How does a Danish-grown faba bean taste? Come and find out! 

Our researchers will bring faba beans grown at AU’s research facilities in Flakkebjerg to the festival. You can taste them, share your experience and tell us whether you could imagine eating more faba beans in the future.

Faba beans have potential as a Danish-grown source of plant protein – but what matters is whether people actually want to eat them.

So we want your opinion: would you put more faba beans on your plate?

Algae might not be the first thing you think of when you think about dinner. 

But they could have more to offer than you might expect! 

Come and explore how algae can function as food ingredients and discover some of the science behind using new resources in future food systems. 

Our Food Technology researchers will bring the topic to life with interactive activities and demonstrations.

Come take a closer look at the green stuff – you might be surprised.

Food doesn’t just need to taste good. It also needs to stay stable.

At the AU FOOD tent, you can get a hands-on introduction to food and ingredient stabilization and discover what happens when researchers work to control the properties of food ingredients.

It’s a chance to explore some of the food science that normally happens behind the scenes.

Come experient with us and see what keeps food in shape!

You might know an apple when you see one.

But how many different varieties can you recognize? 

The Plant, Food & Sustainability team invites you to explore different varieties of rhubarb, apples and carrots, and discover the diversity hiding in Danish crops. 

Come look, smell, taste and compare – and find out why the choice of plant variety matters when we think about the future of food.

How good are you at recognizing smells and tastes?

Our sensory science researchers are bringing different scent pens and taste solutions to the AU FOOD tent, giving you the chance to put your senses to the test.

Can you guess the right smell? Can you identify the taste? And will your nose and taste buds give you the same answer?

Take the challenge and find out how sharp your senses really are!

And, of course, you can simply stop by for a chat.

Throughout the festival, AU FOOD researchers and students will be ready to answer questions, talk food and explain what they are working on.

Wondering what it’s like to study food science? Curious about what a food scientist actually does? Or just have a question about something you’ve tasted in the tent? 

Ask us. We’ll be there.

Food Festival is full of things to see, smell and taste. But if you’re curious about why food behaves the way it does, how new foods are developed, and what we might be eating in the future, make sure to stop by AU FOODs tent. 

Taste something unfamiliar, challenge your senses, tell us what you think, and perhaps leave with a new idea or new knowledge about what food can be.

We’re excited to see you at Tangkrogen!