5 Best Culinary Exhibitions Worldwide

Food is a subject that is close to everyone's heart and a subject which is important worldwide and yet so varied by country and even region. Travel to Italy and you will often find that the local dishes in one town are very different from a neighbouring town. To satisfy this international interest in cuisine, there are many great culinary exhibitions worldwide each year. Below is a guide to some of the best.

FHA Culinary Challenge (Singapore) - This is a culinary event like no other as it is an event where people come to gain accreditation. Chefs and general culinary talents from around the world are known to gather here to partake in gourmet team challenges, individual challenges and practical classes. The winners of the competitions gain highly sought after accreditation which looks great on CVs and PR for restaurants. The event is held alongside Food and Hotel Asia which is also a highly regarded culinary exhibition.

World Culinary Travel Expo (Vancouver, Canada) - There is so much for the visitor at this event to enjoy and experience, including appearances from celebrity chefs, authors of cookbooks, retailers and representatives from wineries. There are unique food experiences as well as the opportunity to see what happens behind the scenes at restaurants with chefs and their teams. The event runs for three days and is held in the BC Place Stadium which has fantastic surroundings.

The Source (Exeter, UK) - Visitors arrive here to discover more about food and drink, such as what the story is behind it, how it was produced and the effect that its production has on the environment. This is also a great opportunity to also experience some traditional and local Devonshire foods including the local speciality of cream teas and scones with clotted cream. This is a relatively small show but a great chance to meet local farmers and producers from the Devon area.

Cuisinez! (Paris, France) - This exhibition has over 60 live shows and cooking demonstrations from leading chefs and culinary figures. There is also the opportunity to take cooking lessons, either as part of a group of privately. There are many fun events for visitors to enjoy including rallies and challenges which see people searching Paris for recipes and ingredients. Around 50,000 visitors attend here each year make it one of the largest events of its type in France and giving an indication as to the quality of the shows features.

World Culinary Travel Expo (Vancouver, Canada) - This event sells itself on the principle that a country's culinary style says a lot for its culture, influences and history. Visitors attend this show to experience the culinary offerings from people around the world with a view to being inspired as to where to visit on their travels. Some of the exhibitors visit the Culinary Travel Expo with the sole purpose to promote trips where a country's gastronomy is the main attraction. This is the main exhibition in the world for promoting travel through gastronomy.

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Truffles topped the list of culinary delights!

Those of us who have never had the opportunity to taste truffles, thinly shaved and sprayed over a salad of know how delicious and just down right may be yummy! However, not everyone runs to the style of gourmet cuisine, incorporating mushrooms in the mixture. Truffles tend to be both a love or hate, which means that it becomes a person "guilty pleasure" might be another "Thanks but no thanks"! Found growing on or under the ground, usually in moist climates, truffles are a fungus that is rare and unusually good.

Truffle oil, found in gourmet dishes around the world

The oil derived from truffles is regarded as a gourmet's delight and fairly heavily used in many dishes requiring high prices in restaurants of quality far and wide. While the oil is lower in cost solid truffle itself, is considered to be a valuable resource for many dishes, adding a delicious and delicate flavourings, this olive oil or vegetable oil can not provide. The aroma is pronounced and obvious when heated, making any dish that is embedded in more expensive (menu), although there is little added cost to the chef or restaurant. When added to the vodka truffle oil becomes a bit of a drink type aphrodisiac which is very appreciated by connoisseurs of high quality spirits.

The question was asked as to how a simple mushroom can be so tasty

Mushrooms have a tradition to add much in terms of taste almost any dish or meal. Many types of mushrooms, known to man the truffle is perhaps the most desirable for its remarkable flavours and aromas. There are several popular types of truffles, including:

1. Black truffles (Perigord) or Tuber melanosporum region of Perigord France. The commonly grow under oak trees and hazelnut and are somewhat milder in flavor than the more common white truffle. They are large, with a pleasant smell and often found finely shaved above dishes containing eggs, soups and salads.

2. White truffles, also known as the Madonna Alba (Tuber magnatum) can be found more often in the regions of Northern Italy, near the town of Alba, who get their name. Small and pale in color, white truffles can also be brown or cream color, often with white marbling. Stronger flavor of black truffle, whites are also served thinly shaved and sprinkle fried eggs in or above, salads, pastas and added to the buttery sauces.

3. A black summer truffle or of Burgundy is found growing wild throughout Europe. It is very appreciated for its delicate aroma and culinary value. Not actually black, but rather a grey, Burgundy truffle is cheaper and has a slightly lower quality taste wise that black or white varieties.

4. Pecan or Scorzone truffle can be found growing wild in the United States and, as the name suggests, pecan trees spread around mostly in the southern United States even if it can be seen in selling gourmet for a kilo of pecan truffles $ 100 is not considered a delicacy by many connoisseurs of fine.

Why not experiment with white truffles in your kitchen and purchase on-line when you want to enjoy truffles.

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Master Chefs - The Culinary Elite

When entering a restaurant, there's nothing more reassuring than to glimpse a Master Chef certificate mounted in a prominent position on the dining room wall. It is, indeed, a title worth savouring.

But there's more to this title than a warm fuzzy feeling of eager anticipation. To those in the know, membership of this prestigious association means a great deal more. Since the foundation of the Association of The Master Chef's of Great Britain, in 1980, the term has become a benchmark for excellence in the culinary domain. Outside the profession, however, and certainly from a customer point of view, surprisingly little is known about who is eligible for the title and what membership of the Association involves. So, here are the facts...

The Association of The Master Chef's of Great Britain was first set up "to provide a forum for the exchange of culinary ideas". Above all, the aim was to encourage young chefs to develop their professional skills through various training schemes and apprenticeships.

To this day, the emphasis remains upon nurturing the talents of young chefs and allowing them to achieve their full potential, The highly successful Modern Apprenticeship Scheme, which only recently relaxed its entrance requirements, in order to attract a larger quota of budding young chefs, is a perfect example. Open to all young chefs who are currently training in MCGB kitchens, the Master Chefs of Great Britain Training Diploma and Advanced Training Diploma schemes aim to recognise and reward "the hard work and dedication required by any young chef who enters the catering trade at the top end of the market and the high level of skill they need to acquire".

Over the years, the Association has monitored and reflected trends on the culinary scene, not only in London restaurants, but also throughout Britain. With a mission "to promote all that is best about British cuisine and the produce available in this country to both the chef and the consumer", the MCGB is constantly updating its remit. Members, for example, are constantly devising new "lighter" recipes, with a focus on freshness and natural flavours.

The recent introduction of a top level of attainment, The Fellowship of The Master Chefs of Great Britain is yet another example of the Association moving with the times. This new level of distinction is targeted at the crème de la crème of British Master Chef and, according to Chairman, Peter Juckes, "acknowledges those Master Chefs recognised as being at the top of their trade and who are known for making outstanding contributions of excellence to the industry". With up-and-coming young talents in mind, the Fellowship award is designed to meet the "aspirations of the ever-younger head Chef", destined for the ultimate accolade in culinary circles. Qualification for the Fellowship involves chefs demonstrating that they have achieved three or more rosettes in accredited guides or a series of similar awards in the catering industry, accumulated over a period of no less than ten years.

So there we have it. And, isn't it good to know that food prepared in a MCGB kitchen has to meet such exacting standards. With a Master Chef at the helm, diners can safely assume that they are in the expert hands of Britain's culinary elite.

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Posted in: Chefs,Culinary,Elite,Master