A window to the flavors of Colombia

On November 12, 2020, thanks to a virtual Master Class, the students of the DP3CU1 and DP3CU2 class (3rd year of the training of cooks) left to discover Colombia, to explore its biodiversity, its products, its flavours. Their culinary journey began with the distribution of woven baskets full of food from the Amazon: tamarind, farofa, tilapia, copoazú, guanábana, açai, all exotic ingredients that go into the composition of a typical starter, main course and dessert, to be made with the help of an instruction booklet.

The students worked in pairs, supervised by their cooking teachers, A. HOSTERT and S. LENTZ. The challenge: to reproduce the prescribed recipes, but also to imagine original dishes combining Colombian flavours and local products. The idea is indeed, to make culinary discoveries, to take an interest in world cuisine, while developing an ecological awareness through the choice of regional products and short circuits.

After the work, the tasting: the students were able to taste and comment on their creations. The ceviche prepared with tilapia and offered to 150 people at lunch time at the EHTL was unanimously approved: a real treat. On the other hand, the tamarind paste used for the appetizer was perplexing. Problem of dosage? An exchange organized by videoconference with two Colombian chefs, Antonuela ARIZA and Eduardo MARTÍNEZ, made it possible to look back on the experience of the students and to address all the questions related to the preparation of the dishes.

The young cooks of the EHTL were delighted to have been able to benefit from this introduction to Colombian gastronomy, all the more so as they are all driven by the spirit of discovery and the desire to travel the world to enrich their culinary knowledge and thus express their passion in a unique way.

On the other hand, they regretted not having been able to meet the Colombian chefs in the flesh and bones and cook alongside them. This wish could soon come true, since, as H.E. Mr. Felipe GARCÍA ECHEVERRI, Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia, pointed out, a collaboration agreement will soon be signed between the EHTL and the SENA (Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje). In this context, Mr. LANNERS, director of the school, has already evoked the idea of exchanges and study trips.

This one-day initiative was an opportunity to pass on an important message in the context of the environmental problems shaking our planet: cooking, beyond the pleasure of the mouth and its convivial spirit, represents a powerful weapon of change, an essential lever for producing and consuming in a sustainable way.