Tasty treats at Culinary Olympics
SANDTON – Team on their way to culinary Olympics with winning three course meal.
It’s not only the Olympic athletes in Rio who are currently making us proud; there’s an entirely different team heading to a totally different Olympics in an attempt to make South Africa proud.
A group of seven very talented chefs will head off to the IKA Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany on 18 October, hoping to win gold. Chef Heinz Brunner is the team manager and explained that the team will have two challenges: one being a cold table, where food needs to be on display for 12 hours and secondly, the hot kitchen, which means food will be presented restaurant-style, where diners will be served a three-course meal prepared by the 31 participating nations.
Some very lucky diners had the opportunity to attend the final practice of the three hot kitchen meals. They were welcomed to the Restaurant of Nations on 16 August at the Michael Angelo Hotel in Sandton. Brunner explained that guests should give feedback, in order for the chefs to perfect their dishes, before October. It is important the meals represent South Africa and all the ingredients should be bought and sourced in South Africa as food cannot be flown to the event.
Chef Dion Vengatass is in charge of the hot kitchen starter, which is poached crayfish, carrot terrine, carrot mayonnaise and Malay curry sauce. Vengatass clarified that this particular meal represents his childhood, with the subtle curry flavours. This delicious piece of seafood that melts in your mouth is definitely the highlight. This dish is proudly South African as it reminds one of Cape Town and also represents a proud Indian culture in South Africa.
The main course is the responsibility of chef Henrico Grobbelaar. He described that the Springbok masakhane loin needs no explanation as to why it is a proudly South African meal. Some guests were loathe to try the veal sweetbreads, which could be described as veal brains, but it still is very South African. Cabbage, leak, broccoli and a red cabbage puree were fine accompaniments to the meal. Grobbelaar explained that marks would be deducted for too much wastage; however, an extremely delicious meal perfectly paired with red wine was difficult to waste.
The dessert was definitely the pièce de résistance and is the responsibility of our very own, Minette Smith, who is head of the pastry department at the HTA School of Culinary Art in Randburg. The dessert is a texture-crazy affair with coconut sand, coconut sorbet, coconut sponge, rose jelly, raspberry jelly and raspberry mousse. Smith took inspiration from the city of Bloemfontein, as it is known as the Rose City. Hertzoggies were subtly placed on the plate to represent Generaal Hertzog’s favourite dessert. The raspberry was used as South Africa is the best producer of raspberries.
One thing’s for sure, attendees of the Culinary Olympics are in for a proudly South African treat!
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