Cooked, the new documentary series on Netflix by Michael Pollan which is based on the best-selling book by Pollan is a must watch. It follows the same structure of the book and is based on four episodes looking at cooking through the four elements: fire, water, air and earth. Pollan is not new to food. He is probably one of the most influential writers in the United States on the subject and has made it a mission to get people to learn more about the food we eat. Famous for his book the Omnivore's Dilemma, with Cooked Pollan takes a different approach. He tackles the subject of cooking through the four elements and shows how these have been crucial in shaping the society we know today. But, unlike ever before, we are at risk of losing a lot of our culture and identities by our decision to 'outsource' cooking to corporations. The four documentaries in the series are narrated by Pollan himself and include interviews with the author. He visits different parts of the world to … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #71
Identita Golose has published Massimo Bottura's speech that was delivered at the event in Milan earlier this month. It is worth reading. Entitled the contemporary chef's manifesto, here is the first paragraph. "Creativity is a happy hindrance. When you have mastered a technique, you’ve become aware of your means, you have developed a critical ability and most of all you know yourself, at that moment, on the road to creativity, by slipping on an over mature banana, by tasting a pesto made with breadcrumbs or a lemon tartlet that fell down, at that moment you see the world with different eyes, the eyes of a child hiding underneath a table who steals a raw tortellino from the cutting board, catching a glimpse in the darkness." Recipe for success: Tiziano Gérard might be the greatest chef you’ve never heard of. He combines the skills and repertoire acquired in the kitchens of five-star hotels in Monte Carlo, Milan and Sardinia with the traditional cuisine of the Aosta Valley in … [Read more...]
Tomorrow’s kitchen is the theme of MAD5
Tomorrow's Kitchen is the theme of this year's MAD5, the non-profit culinary event organised in Copenhagen by René Redzepi, chef of world famous restaurant Noma. The event is returning after a one year break and will be held on August 28 and 29. The organisers have said that this year's participants will be pushed to ask themselves two questions: What do we hope our kitchens will be like in future? And what can we do today to make those dreams a reality? The organisers of the event said that they have spent the past 18 months listening to lots of opinions and considering what needs to change in order for MAD to spark real action and fuel new initiatives in the food and restaurant industry. Apart from the usual keynote speakers and presentations, this year's event promises to be more collaborative and engaging. MAD5 is inviting visitors to the event to delve into the topics, to discuss more, and even to lead talks and discussions and become active participants rather than … [Read more...]
A perfect day in San Gimignano
San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena in Tuscany famous for its towers. It is perfect for a day trip from Florence or Siena but also worth visiting if you are on a trip in the Chianti region. San Gimignano's medieval architecture is unique particularly with the preservation of around 14 medieval towers which dominate its skyline. This town used to be a relay point for pilgrims that travelled to and from Rome and the patrician families who controlled the town built around 72 tower-houses (some which were around 50 metres high) as symbols of their wealth and power. Today, 14 have survived making this hilltop town extremely unique particularly when you are approaching it from the countryside. This town has retained the feudal atmosphere and appearance though like many towns and villages in Tuscany, it is now home to many souvenir shops selling typical Tuscan produce like wines, cheese, salami and ceramics from the … [Read more...]
Bean to bar chocolatier Benoît Nihant: ‘Our motto is to have fun every day’
Benoît Nihant is one of only a few chocolatiers worldwide who starts his chocolate making process from the beans he procures in different plantations worldwide. Known as bean to bar production, this Belgian chocolatier, who has his workshop in Awans, close to the Belgian city of Liege, has been producing his own chocolate from the beans he procures for the past six years. It was not an easy journey because he had to start from scratch not only to find the raw material but also the machines he uses in his workshop. Finding the right quality of beans can be a challenge particularly since farmers are used to dealing with large corporations though he acknowledges that it has now become easier. A mechanical engineer by education, he decided to follow his passion and quit his corporate job together with his wife just before they turned 30. Together, they set up Benoît Nihant and today they are reaping the rewards of their work by being recognised as one of the elite chocolatiers in the … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #70
It has been 20 years since "Under the Tuscan Sun" was published. The book became iconic and was also turned into a film. The New Yorker revisits the book that made people dream of going to live in Tuscany. The author of the article says it reads slightly better now though he has a longtime love-hate relationship with the book as its success has haunted him, teased him and turned him. Read why in the article especially if you are thinking of a trip to Tuscany any time soon. Robots could be staffing hotels by 2020 according to this article. Robot butlers and bartenders could be staffing hotels by 2020 as consumers become increasingly open to the idea, according to new research. A survey of 6,000 travellers from Europe, Asia and North America by Travelzoo found that almost two thirds would be comfortable with artificial intelligence being used in the travel industry in the next five years. Netflix has ordered more 'Chef's Table'. The streaming company has … [Read more...]
Sra Bua by Tim Raue: Showcasing the purity of flavours
Tim Raue is a Berlin institution. Famous for his two Michelin star restaurant by the same name, Raue also has another two restaurants in the German capital. One is La Soupe Populaire which serves primarily German and Prussian dishes and the other is the Sra Bua by Tim Raue which is located at the Kempinski Hotel Adlon. On a recent visit to Berlin, and given it was a Monday, the only Tim Raue restaurant that was open and which I could therefore visit was Sra Bua. It turned out to be a very good choice. You might ask why a German chef would open a restaurant whose culinary concept focusses on Thailand and Japan. And you would be right to ask that question. But Tim Raue's flagship restaurant is the answer. Because while it is non unusual for Asian chefs, especially Japanese, to serve French style cuisine in Europe, very few Europeans are well known for their 'Asian cuisine'. Raue is the exception. His two-Michelin star restaurant is known for the bold flavours. He loves to … [Read more...]
Mitsuharu Tsumara: ‘Nikkei is a blend, a perfect blend of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine’
Peruvian chef Mitsuharu Tsumara is the face of Nikkei cuisine in Peru today. Nikkei is a word that describe both Japanese emigrants and their descendants. But in Peru, it is considered to be the blend of Peruvian and Japanese cuisines invented by the migrants who arrived in Peru many years back. Nikkei cuisine, like Peruvian cuisine today, is very much in vogue everywhere in the world even though it started off as food that was cooked in homes of Japanese migrants many years ago. Tsumara, also known as Micha, is today the heir of a legacy that has been built over the years and is slowly becoming mainstream not only in Peru but also outside. He is the chef of the highly acclaimed Nikkei restaurant Maido in Lima. Micha owes a lot of his success to his father. He guided him towards turning his passion for food into 'studying about it'. When Micha wanted to open a restaurant that would serve sushi in Peru, his father asked him a simple question: “How are you going to prepare … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #69
We are often reminded of the impact that technology is having on our lives. In Sweden, the first unstaffed food shop has opened. This is the work of a 39-year old IT specialist who runs a 24-hour shop with no cashier. Customers simply use their cellphones to unlock the door with a swipe of the finger and scan their purchases. All they need to do is to register for the service and download an app. They get charged for their purchases in a monthly invoice. In Australia, Noma Forages for Ingredients and Inspiration: On the menu that comes to the table at the end of the meal, it is described simply as “abalone schnitzel and bush condiments.” But those words don’t really do justice to the delicious eccentricity of the dish, part of a 10-week pop-up being staged there, through April 2, by the team from Noma, the Copenhagen restaurant famed for foraging indigenous ingredients and weaving them into a new kind of contemporary cuisine. The New York Times has an article about … [Read more...]
A tour of Sicily through its wines
Goethe said in the 18th century that to have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the clue to everything. Is that valid for Sicily's wine? And how do you take a tour of Sicily during a wine tasting? That was the question I tried to answer in a tasting of Sicilian wine that I presented recently. A tour of Sicily is by no means easy. Many refer to the largest island in the Mediterranean as a continent and you can see why when you are in the process of selecting the wines for such a tasting. You can approach Sicilian wine in many ways. Maybe the simplest approach would be to focus either on Mount Etna as a region on its own or else look at some of Sicily's indigenous grapes and showcase them specifically comparing the way the wineries work with the grapes and their terroir. But I wanted to take a different approach which was that of showcasing the different styles of wines that you can find and also challenge stereotypes. The … [Read more...]