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Best chefs of Europe to compete in Budapest
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The Bocuse d’Or Europe is where it is decided who will get into the grand finale of Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, part of the Sirha trade show in 2017. The event is held in Budapest this year, where 20 enthusiastic chefs are determined to prove themselves in the competition, reports turizmusonline.hu.
The 20 well-prepared competitors have all succeeded in the first round, the national qualifiers. They represent their home countries, cultures, culinary traditions while working in open contest kitchens in front of an audience. Not surprisingly, they already rehearsed every move in order to be precise and to be ready in time, as they will have 5 hours and 35 minutes to impress the jury.
The competition is held in 2 days, therefore, the group of the 20 chefs is halved: on the 10th of May the first ten will have to show their talents. This group includes competitors from Iceland, Austria, Norway, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Estonia, Spain, the United Kingdom and Turkey. The 11th May will be the day of the second group, in which chefs from The Netherlands, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Croatia, France, Belgium, Hungary, Denmark and Sweden will be in charge of the kitchens. On the second day also the results are announced. 11 of the competitors will be given the opportunity to take part in the 2017 grand final and win the greatest title, the Bocuse d’Or.
Turizmusonline mentions that one of the sayings of Paul Bocuse highlights the importance of good ingredients. Thus, a major part of the Bocuse d’Or competition is the use of excellent ingredients, through which, the hosting countries are also honoured. This year, as it is Hungary, chefs have to apply Hungarian components.
The competitors, at first, will have to prepare a dish of Danube sterlet sturgeon (Acipenser ruthenus) and its caviar with the help of their commis, and serve it on plate, as if in a real life restaurant. The jury will pay special attention to the use of the ingredients while tasting, as 50% of them have to be plant-based. Moreover, to make the event more exciting, the chefs should include a component which is yet unknown, and will be revealed only the night before the competition.
The second and main course is the meat. Here, the chefs will have to prepare a dish using the saddle and thighs of a young red deer. 14 portions are to be made, of which 10 are served whole or pre-cut, then combined together on tray, whereas the remaining 4 are arranged on plates. Decoration is allowed, dishes will be judged based on the special features and the originality of the recipe, and the reasonable use of ingredients. Furthermore, at this stage of the competition, the chefs are especially encouraged to represent the cultural and gastronomical heritage of their countries, through the tastes, serving, cooking techniques and the spices.