Exchange beer for sunflower oil? German pub finds way around European cooking oil shortage

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A German brewpub has found a novel way to beat Europe’s cooking oil shortages — letting customers pay for their beer with sunflower oil to ensure plentiful stocks for frying schnitzels.

With Ukraine and Russia accounting for about 80 per cent of global exports of sunflower seed oil, many European countries have seen supplies dwindle since Russia invaded its neighbour in February.

Managers at the Giesinger Brewery, a brewhouse and pub in the southern city of Munich, think they may have the answer, offering beer lovers a litre of their favourite brew for the same quantity of sunflower oil.

“The whole thing came up because we simply ran out of oil in the kitchen and that’s why we have to be inventive,” pub manager Erik Hoffmann said. “Getting oil is very difficult … if you need 30 litres a week and only get 15 instead, at some point you won’t be able to fry a schnitzel any longer.”

Customer Moritz Baller bought 80 litres of sunflower oil in Ukraine during a trip to deliver humanitarian aid, swapping his shipment for eight crates of beer for his birthday party. “The campaign is cool,” he said. “We can get cheap beer and yes, Giesinger Brewery is also helped.”