Rene Redzepi has billed it as one of his proudest moments he can think of. And it is called VILD MAD (in Danish) or Wild Food. It is a resource for learning about, tasting and exploring wild food and is being launched in Denmark, the home of Redzepi, one of the world's best chefs. VILD MAD is split into three parts. The first is a curriculum for school kids in Denmark. The project wants to encourage children of all ages to explore their local landscape and taste the abundance of flavours around them. "We aspire to see knowledge of natural food being taught in schools as commonly as reading, writing and mathematics. We believe that providing young children with a basic understanding of edibility and of the landscape will broaden their perception of flavour, connect them to their surroundings in a more profound way and enable them to understand nature's resources and flow." The second part of VILD MAD is a foraging and wild food school for all Danes. The aim behind the project … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2015
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #47
We may be biased because of our love for food and wine but Eve Turow has a point when she says that in a digital-first era, many people latch onto food as something that engages all of the senses and brings people together in a physical space. Read her views about millennials and why they are obsessed with food here. It might give us an indication on the future of food. Waiters can make or break your experience in a restaurant. Few would imagine that some waiters are forced to pay to work on some shifts because of a tipping policy that means they have to hand over cash to their bosses at the end of the night. Some end up paying more than the tips they receive that evening. Read about it here. Foodiva has a great interview with British chef Jason Atherton who will be opening his first restaurant in Dubai a decade after leaving Dubai. The new restaurant marks his 17th restaurant spanning from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, London and New York. Jay Rayner can be one hell of a … [Read more...]
A visit to the new Rotterdam food market
Rotterdam had not been on our radar screen despite the fact that we had heard great things about the city. But when we read and wrote about the new Rotterdam food market opened in October last year we knew that a visit was a must. This Dutch city is often overlooked as visitors head to Amsterdam, the Hague and Delft instead. That may be set to change in future with the food market that could become a destination for foodies around the world. We will feature the city in our Perfect day series so do stay tuned but in the meantime here are our observations about the food market. For lovers of architecture, Rotterdam has a lot going for it. The recently opened food market, designed by architects MVRDV is the latest architectural gem to emerge in this city. Located in the city centre of Rotterdam the food market is designed in the shape of a horse shoe and has a steel cable facade which is the largest of its kind in Europe. A colourful mural depicts a composition of produce on the … [Read more...]
Food memories and nostalgia – what has happened to that juicy Maltese tomato?
Nostalgia has a way of playing tricks with us. Many times we crave for the things we really enjoyed in our past only to be disappointed when we experience the real thing. It could be a city we visited and loved, a restaurant that is revisited or even a product we used to crave many years ago but which if you are objective is really disappointing. Food memories play a very important role in building our identity. What we eat ends up shaping who we are and who we really want to be with. Food is about sharing moments and experiences. It is also about our past memories. If there is one thing I crave for whenever I am away from Malta, it is the glorious and ripe Maltese tomato. Grown in abundance under the Mediterranean sun, its taste is unbelievably good. And if there was one thing that I could not get used to when I arrived in Belgium, nearly 10 years ago, it was the fact that I could not really find tomatoes that could compare to what I had experienced in the past. Things … [Read more...]
Think twice before posting your photos of food in Germany
Chefs may privately hate it when customers take photos of their culinary creations. For every mouthwatering photo on social media like Instagram and Twitter there are dozens of bad shots taken with phones which do not do justice to the food being served. At the same time, they know this is a trend that they cannot really fight against and in general it has enabled a certain food culture to emerge and one which we are likely to look at years from now as the start of a food revival. Most chefs who speak to Food and Wine Gazette actually don't mind sharing their work on social media or even having people share photos of their culinary creations. There is obviously the issue of food becoming cold on the plate or else disturbing other clients in the restaurants and that is really something that should be avoided. We've heard stories of people standing on chairs in restaurants to take a photo of their dish to be able to share on social media. But in Germany, you may think twice … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #46
We are slowly approaching September and with it come many new things. One of the most-awaited restaurant reopenings is Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck which is set to open again next month. If there is one thing that you should read this week, then it should be this brilliant interview by Jay Rayner in The Guardian. The experience is set to be different. It will be all about story telling and he is questioning everything. He says perfection is the enemy of creativity. "All these ideas of success and failure just equal fear of failure, judgement of others and blame of others. It restricts creativity. The opposite of failure is discovery," he says. Read on here. We look forward to head to the Milan Expo in September. In anticipation, here is an article by Emily Teel of Civileats on whether the Milan Expo can bring food systems into the global spotlight. A small Italian bank gives a select group of dairy farmers the opportunity to finance their operations with Parmiggiano Reggiano. … [Read more...]
Recipe (Atsushi Tanaka): Tuna with pickled kohlrabi
Japanese chef Atsushi Tanaka of Restaurant A.T. in Paris prepared a really tasty dish at Flemish Food bash mixing partly cooked and smoked tuna with kohlrabi. It was a perfect summer dish and one which was really enjoyable. The Japanese chef (see interview here) has been called the Picasso of the kitchen by his former master Pierre Gagnaire and has a very contemporary style though his base for his cuisine is French. He has been influenced by his trips and work in countries like Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia. Method and Ingredients Kohlrabi Pickles 1 litre water 50 grammes sugar 20 grammes salt 1 kilogramme Kohlrabi 250 (white) balsamic vinegar Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil. Once it starts to boil, take away from the stove and let it cool down. Kohlrabi puree Remove the cooked kohlrabi and chop it. Heat some olive oil in a pan and sweat the kohlrabi. Add a little bit of water, cover and let it simmer until cooked. … [Read more...]
Drinking wine at the right temperature – not always as easy as it sounds
Drinking wine at the right temperature is a necessity but many get it wrong even in the restaurant trade let alone at home. There is a myth that red wine should be served at room temperature, only that the room temperature is way too warm for your favourite glass of red wine. And even white wines are often over chilled when coming out of the refrigerator. Steve Parker, the creator of Kelvin has come up with a brilliant idea to serve wines always at their ideal temperature. We recently caught up with this UK based company to learn more about the product and also to raise awareness about serving wine at the right temperature, particularly since this is a mistake we have often encountered even in restaurants. Steve, the inventor used to live above a Majestic wine shop in the UK for a short period and became a regular customer and would often get recommendations from the manager for a particular wine. One day, he was recommended a particular Chardonnay from the manager, but having … [Read more...]
Atsushi Tanaka: A Japanese chef conquering Paris
It is not easy to describe the cuisine of Japanese chef Atsushi Tanaka even if he has been described as the Picasso of the kitchen by his master Pierre Gagnaire. Even when asked he hesitates before he answers that his cuisine is French at its basic but with influence from his home country Japan and his travels to Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia. "I wouldn't call my cuisine French. Yes, there is French influence but I have worked in Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and in Scandinavia (Copenhagen and Stockholm)," he tells Food and Wine Gazette. Probably the best way to describe his cuisine would be international. He agrees telling me he would describe it as an international contemporary and modern cuisine. This young Japanese chef is one of the many chefs that are establishing themselves in the heart of the world's culinary centre Paris and cooking French cuisine. These Japanese chefs have moved from their traditional Japanese cuisine and are making a name for … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #45
If there is one thing that makes me really nostalgic about my country it is the tomato. At its best, not much is needed to turn it into a meal for the gods. Just a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, basil and you are sorted particularly at this time of year when the peak season of the tomato is fast approaching. Alas things have changed and it is now rather common to find imported tasteless tomatoes in supermarkets or shops which is really a pity. Many times I find myself having to ask whether the tomatoes are local or not. But here is a really interesting trick to make tomatoes taste better than they are. It is worth trying. Chris Dwyer who writes at Fine Food Dude has a very interesting article in the CNN on the hottest Asia food trends in 2015. It is worth a read. We love to support a good cause and this is really worth sharing. Virgin have teamed up with OzHarvest by turning food snaps on social media into real meals for people in need thanks to a … [Read more...]