Apicius at the Int'l Tapas Competition
Created Dec 7th 2009, 17:57
THE ITALIANS IN SPAIN: Apicius at the Int'l Tapas Competition!
Valladolid, Spain. The backdrop for the 1st international tapas competition organized by Fundación de la Lengua Española is a quaint Spanish town an hour train ride south of Madrid with a population of 300,000. An exposition area was set up in the city center, composed of the cooking areas for 12 contestants (6 at a time) and stands featuring winemakers and food producers offering everything from culinary to microbiotic specialties. An enclave of prestigious international culinary schools were the highlighted element consisting of a culinary battle to determine who whipped up the best tapas. The represented Apicius team included Professors Francesco Mansani and Andrea Trapani supported by culinary student Kimberly Verkuilen. Other contestants hailed from the CIA in the US and culinary institutions from Mexico, Sweden, Denmark, Canada, and Italy. As for the unfolding of the competition itself, the cooking and preparation rules were akin to the very concept of enjoying tapas, an astounding variety of hors d'oeuvres and finger foods consumed in Spanish bars and restaurants: rapid fire 15 minute time limits to prepare the dish, once the presenting chef was done the next one successively prepared the new dish entry right away. In the end the pronounced winner was the Swedish team. As Prof. Mansani puts it, “The overall experience was fantastic - a refreshing encounter between schools and gastronomic producers resulting in the exchange of mutual culinary interests.”
The Apicius team's tapas creation: paella encrusted veal milanese style served wtih potato foam, pimiento "air," and asparagus sauce with parsley chlorophyll coloring
Live broadcasting was produced during the event. SEE RELATED LINK
