- Title: TUNISIA: First "Mediterranean Cookery Festival" held in coastal town of Bizerta
- Date: 3rd June 2010
- Summary: BIZERTA, TUNISIA (MAY 29, 2010) (REUTERS) VIEW OF THE WALLS OF THE ANCIENT CITY IN BIZERTA POSTER ON THE WALLS OF ANCIENT CITY, WRITTEN IN ARABIC: "Mediterranean Art Cooking Festival from 27 to 30 May 2010 VARIOUS OF THE FLAGS OF PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES AND OUTDOOR KITCHENS WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE OLD CITY WHERE THE FESTIVAL IS BEING HELD VARIOUS OF CHEFS AT WORK VARIOUS OF CHEFS FROM TURKEY AND SPAIN (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) AKRAM AL-SHARIF, DIRECTOR OF THE MEDITERRANEAN COOKING FESTIVAL, SAYING: "Cultural heritage between the north and south Mediterranean is shown in the same customs and traditions, and in their art of cooking, that's why our aim through this festival is to bring them together.'' VARIOUS OF CHEFS FROM ITALY PREPARING DISH (SOUNDBITE) (Italian), GIANNI ZICHICHI, CHEF FROM ITALY, SAYING: "We represent Italian cuisine through Ricotta, Pinoli, etc and spaghetti, which is the symbol of Italian cuisine....and we've created a fun dish with different coloured pasta of our flag, our Italian flag: spicy with spaghetti three colours. ITALIAN DISH, WITH THREE COLOURS OF ITALIAN FLAG VARIOUS OF LEBANESE CHEFS, PREPARING DISH (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ILY, CHEF FROM LEBANON, SAYING: "We are representing our country and we are trying to show people what Lebanese food is, a lot of people have asked me for example, for the first time, what is this food? As though it's the first time for the world to see this. And it makes us happy to see our Lebanese food reaching other countries, and for the world to taste our food.'' VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS OFFERING THEIR DISHES TO THE JURY (SOUNDBITE) (French) GERARD VIVES, DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ART MEDITERRANEAN COOKING, SAYING: "There is a variety of dishes and flavours presented in the festival and I think that this is the important thing, despite the similarity in the cultural traditions of Mediterranean cooking, we found difference in the flavour that distinguishes one dish from another, and which is the basis of our judgement." VARIOUS OF THE DISHES VARIOUS OF TUNISIANS PARTICIPATING IN THE FESTIVAL AFTER OPENING THE DOOR TO THE PUBLIC TO TASTE THE MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE AT THE END OF THE COMPETITION
- Embargoed: 18th June 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Tunisia
- Country: Tunisia
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVAD4WH4MTLP93GYWFC7T40ZD11Y
- Story Text: Tunisia hosts the Mediterranean Cookery Festival. This year, European, Middle Eastern and North African participants demonstrate their culinary skills from their local dishes.
The first "Mediterranean Food Festival" was held in the Tunisian coastal town of Bizerta, 70 kms north of the capital Tunis, from May 27 to 30.
The event, which drew together chefs from eight Mediterranean countries (Tunisia, Lebanon, Turkey, France, Italy, Spain, Morocco and Algeria), was organised by the the Medina of Bizerta Association in collaboration with the Mediterranean cookery Institute based in Marseille.
The cooking contest was organized on the theme "traditional and new pasta".
The festival aims at exchanging cultural and culinary heritage between participants through a cooking competition.
Akram AL-Sharif , director of the Mediterranean cooking festival explained:
"Cultural heritage between the north and south Mediterranean is shown in the same customs and traditions, and in their art of cooking, that's why our aim through this festival is to bring them together.'' Italian chef, Gianni Zichichi said he tried to create an original idea for an Italian dish named " Con- Spaghetti-three colours ", which reflected the colours of Italian flag.
"We represent Italian cuisine through Ricotta, Pinoli, etc and spaghetti, which is the symbol of Italian cuisine....and we've created a fun dish with different coloured pasta of our flag, our Italian flag: spicy with spaghetti three colours.
Lebanese chef, Ily considered that the festival is a way for introducing the specificities of Lebanon kitchen for the Tunisian public.
"We are representing our country and we are trying to show people what Lebanese food is, a lot of people have asked me for example, for the first time, what is this food? As though it's the first time for the world to see this. And it makes us happy to see our Lebanese food reaching other countries, and for the world to taste our food.'' The judges were made up of professional chefs from the Mediterranean Institute in Marseille and from the different participating countries.
Gerard Vives, director of the international institute of art Mediterranean cooking said that despite the similarity in the cultural traditions of Mediterranean cooking, he found different flavours distinguished one national dish from another.
"There is a variety of dishes and flavours presented in the festival and I think that this is the important thing, despite the similarity in the cultural traditions of Mediterranean cooking, we found difference in the flavour that distinguishes one dish from another, and which is the basis of our judgement."
Turkish kitchen won first prize, Spanish kitchen came in second place and Italian kitchen took third.
The Mediterranean food festival was opened to the public after the end of the cooking contest.
Organizers are hoping to build on the success of this year's culinary event to make next year's bigger and better. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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