08-12-2017
Mitsuharu Tsumura, to the left, of Maido in Lima, is opening a mocambo on the stage of Gastromasa 2017
Ürün is the Turkish word for “product”: this was the main topic at opulent cuisine congress Gastromasa. The third edition took place a few days ago in Istanbul, with journalists arriving from all over the world, including myself. On stage, some of the big names in the international restaurant scene, Mauro Colagreco, Joan Roca, Virgilio Martinez, Paco Torreblanca, Carlos Garcia, David Thompson, and then some emerging young chefs (Kamilla Seidler, Andrea Dopico, Hiroyasu Kawate…) and Italians Gianluca Fusto and Luigi Taglienti. We’ll speak of them separately.
Tsumura at Identità Milano 2016
In Pre-Colombian Peru, the was a strong connection with the sea, but it was less popular under the Conquistadores. In the early 20th Century Peruvians ate fish, but only a little and only few did. It was either fried or marinated at length in lime juice. Full stop. «Until fifty years ago nobody ate octopus in Peru. Fishermen would throw it away. If you walked on the beach, you’d see all this octopus on the ground, and the Japanese would take it» (Tsumura). Something similar happened with eel and calamari, sea snails and sea weed, and in a way even with tuna and prawns, scallops or mussels, which were once considered “food for the poor”. Thanks to Nikkei people, today they’re used to make fabulous ceviche. «The Japanese people have revolutionised our dish» admitted Gastón Acurio.
Again Tsumura and mocambo at Gastromasa 2017
A farmer from the Amazon forest with a freshly picked mocambo
A tasting of mocambo seeds at Gastromasa 2017
A happy conclusion: «What was once the food of the poor par excellence is proving to be very versatile and interesting. Today modern gastronomy offers a great opportunity for development». And it offers it to farmers from the Amazon too, who need it. Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
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journalist born in 1974, for many years he has covered politics, mostly, and food in his free time. Today he does exactly the opposite and this makes him very happy. As soon as he can, he dives into travels and good food. Identità Golose's editor in chief