Local butcher has "lamb", "poultry" and "beef" explained to him

Saarburg's only butcher, or should we say pork retailer, with his shop nestled in the main street between all the shoe shops and pharmacies, has gone on a training course to improve his techniques, including:

• recognising and naming new kinds of meat (beef, lamb, venison, veal, poultry and wild boar)
• cutting and cooking them
• how to correctly present products in the shop
• suppliers of other meats and correct pricing
• keeping customers interested in products other than pork

The idea is to gradually introduce Saarburgers to the idea of varying their diets. Since the recent influx of arrivals from other countries, more and more people have been confusing local caterers and food suppliers with requests for products that do not contain pork meat. These new sources of food could bring more sustainable farming to the area and at the same time introduce Saarburgers to the idea of eating dishes such as roast beef, leg of lamb, chicken chow mein and goulash.

Two cows were brought to the training course as part of an interactive exhibition to show participants, which included regional butchers and restaurateurs, what alternatives to pork there were. Unfortunately only black-and-white milking cows could be found in the neighbourhood, but it was enough to demonstrate the availability of livestock in the area.

Two milking cows being taken to the training course

Not everyone is happy with the setup. Reinhold Horn-Ochsler, a local farmer, said: "we've had pigs in this area for centuries, and now they want us to have some other animals. And what for? So a bunch of arty-farty arrivals from the city can have spaghetti bolognese or burgers. I beg your pardon, but I was always under the impression they were there to provide us with leather, cheese, milk and wool, but apparently there's this new fashion in town and we're supposed to eat them too. Well pardon me if I give it a miss."

However, local man Hartmut Landei said, "We're getting cows and sheep here! I'll be trying out this new delicacy, and I've bought a cook book from the second hand bookshop to get me started. It has recipes for cow Schnitzels which it says are called 'steak' and you can even roast some pieces of sheep with rosemary or mint. This will put Saarburg on the gastronomic map!"

Italian restaurant owner Giovanni Vaccamangia, was joyful: "I have not been able to cook a decent lamb cutlet in ages, and now it seems my prayers have been answered. I won't add it to the official menu, as it might put off some local people, but I'll add it to our chalk boards which I can discreetly present to visitors to the area."

Other restaurants in the area are weighing up this new competition, as until now, they all listed similar products on their menus. Two have already petitioned the local council to decree a period of hiatus in the phasing in of alternative foodstuffs until they can be declared safe for consumption.

Local butcher Engelbert Ferkelmacher, was enthusiastic: "Soon we will have a wide range of products available to our customers, although I will have most of the cows and the other ones - sheep - behind the counter for the protection of our more fragile visitors."