It’s that time of the year when people gather, exchange gifts and most of all, feast! With virtually everyone adhering to the Gregorian calendar, the festivities start and end around the same time. When do chefs start preparing their menus for the festive season and is there still a demand for traditional dishes? What about countries that Christmas have been introduced to: what sort of food do they serve?
How do chefs cope with the large volumes of people and maintain the food quality? How do suppliers deal with the demands from the food and beverage (F&B) industry? What about wastage? We speak to established chefs from varied backgrounds and cultures around the world.
Traditional Dishes: Tales As Old As Time
The most celebrated of year-end festivities would probably be Christmas – the result of evangelism, migration and popularised media influence. The first noted instance where Christmas was celebrated was during 336AD. in the home of Roman Emperor Constantine The Great. Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol published in the year 1843 tells us the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge – the infamous penny-pincher whose name has become synonymous with miser-like qualities. Dickens was said to have written the Christmas classic in a period where the region was examining past traditions and modern customs. In the novel, Scrooge calls for a large turkey to be sent to his employee after realisation hits him and he turns over a new leaf. All over the world, the requisite preparation for year-end festivities begin almost three months ahead as most chefs have their menus planned out and their bulk orders already punched in. “The tradition of Christmas is one of family and everyone getting together, and in my opinion, the turkey was a premium item back in the old days. I guess it was seen as a luxury item with that central piece focus a wow factor if you like, that was served on the table which the whole family would sit around the table in a family style sharing, bringing the family together as one in celebration.
Esta historia es de la edición November/December 2017 de Cuisine & Wine Asia.
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Esta historia es de la edición November/December 2017 de Cuisine & Wine Asia.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Movin' On Up!
Mr Leonard Lam, Senior Vice President & Managing Director of Welbit Asia-Pacific region
Imports/ Exports: The Singaporean Chef Story
How has the Singaporean palate and F&B scene changed thanks to the chefs that come into Singapore? How has the F&B standards changed thanks to chefs leaving Singapore to learn from other countries? In this two-part series, we will be focusing on the Imports and Exports of chefs that have made an impact on the local cuisine and F&B scene in Singapore and their work overseas.
A Fruitful Blooming For The World Gourmet Summit & Peach Blossoms
The World Gourmet Summit has, for the last 24 years, been a pinnacle of excellence with regards to gastronomy, service and hospitality. This can be seen best at parkroyal collection marina bay, singapore, where long-standing modern cantonese restaurant peach blossoms was the host of the world gourmet summit silver jubilee edition 6-hands dinner, where chefs Edward Chong, Tony Khoo and Chan Tuck Wai came together to conceptualise and execute a seven-course menu for discerning guests who have long been fans of the work of all three chefs.
Jack Of All Skills, (Re)master of All
Chef Kong Kok Kiang, Executive Chef of Sentosa Golf Club
Scrambling After Eggs
Eggs are a huge part of our lives, and a large part of our lives with regards to cooking. At the same time, we tend to forget the importance of them, so ubiquitous in our lives that they then get ignored. We ask dessert creators, and chocolatiers to examine their relationship with eggs, and what would happen if eggs should, god forbid, fall out of our lives.
Austrian Wines + Singaporean Cuisine = International Gastronomy
Austrian wines are known for being one of the more underrated regions for winemaking. These exceptional wines are fast becoming more explored in Southeast Asia, and we ask two sommeliers to sit down and taste wines from Austria. All these wines are easily available for purchase in the Singapore market, and can easily match with local delights.
On The Coffee Train
Cimbali Group’s regional director for Asia & Pacific, MS Millie Chan sits with us and discusses coffee, cimbali group and their facilities, and how their newest training facility is going to help elevate the coffee scene in singapore and the Asia Pacific Region.
Measure Of A Man
The late Mr wolf-dieter rösch was the modern take of the renaissance man: a man who embraced the warmth of knowledge and the determination to keep learning from every place he visited. In turn he leaves behind a legacy that will be fondly remembered by the people who he met.
SUSEGADO Paradiso: Part Two
A Three Part Series On Goa
A Portrait Of The Chef As A Young Woman
To get a sense of Chef Aeron Choo’s work ethic as well as personality, we first have to tell the story of meeting her for the first time in her restaurant, Kappou Japanese Sushi Tapas Bar at Fortune Center. She’s working with her kitchen team, scrutinising the ingredients she has prepared, making sure that the slices of tuna she has made is up to scratch, prepping and discarding elements that she is dissatisfied with that don’t work with the dishes. Then, she pulls out a 1.7kg spiny lobster, fresh from the tank, and very much alive. When the lobster is clearly flailing from being yanked out of the tank it had been swimming in, she takes time to stroke, pet the lobster and whisper sweet nothings to calm the creature down.
