| Lyna Mohamad |
IT’S a mouthwatering start to the second half of the month as Brunei Gastronomy Week was officially launched yesterday by Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong in a ceremony that took place at the Setia Pahlawan Hall of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT).
An annual initiative by the MPRT and the Brunei Tourism Board and organised in conjunction with the 34th National Day celebrations, Brunei Gastronomy Week aims to celebrate Brunei and create awareness on Bruneian cuisine.
The event this year will see the involvement of a total of nine participating hotels and restaurants/culinary bodies as well as Royal Brunei Airlines (RB), where they will be serving their own signature dishes alongside Bruneian cuisines as the highlight of their buffet or a la carte menus.
Other organisations involved in the event include Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, the Association of Travel Agents, Brunei Association of Hotels, and CHMP Media.
The week-long culinary showcase will commence on February 23 and run until March 11 at all the participating hotels and restaurants, and will target locals as well as international visitors. Prior to the launch, the minister in his speech called on more hotels and restaurants to serve Bruneian cuisines in a more sophisticated way and to further improve on their taste and presentation, so that the dishes can be served as part of a fine dining experience or at receptions held within or outside the country.
He added that it is important to provide a unique Bruneian gastronomical experience for those in the country and to those who are visiting.
“During the recent Asean Tourism Minister’s Meeting held in Chiang Mai, a joint declaration on gastronomy tourism was adopted. Gastronomic tourism helps create a strong sense of place for branding and marketing destinations, and also assists in maintaining and preserving local heritage and identity, and protecting biodiversity,” said the minister.
Yesterday’s ceremony also saw the winners of last year’s Brunei Gastronomy Week being presented with awards.
Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali expressed hope that the winners’ achievements will encourage talented, experienced and young budding chefs to step up and contribute to creating a more innovative and vibrant food industry in Brunei Darussalam.
“We want to heighten the level of skilled personnel within the food and beverage industry and support Bruneians who are driven and passionate in the culinary industry, who want to excel further and gain international experience to achieve world class recognition,” said the minister.
This year’s highlight will be foods wrapped in banana (or other culinary-purpose) leaves as banana leaves are used for cooking and wrapping foods in a wide range of cuisines in tropical and subtropical areas, and adds a nice aroma and improves the taste of food.
Popular Bruneian cuisines which are typically wrapped in banana leaves are Pais Daging, Pais Udang and Pais Ikan.
The nine bodies participating in Brunei Gastronomy Week 2018 are Radisson Hotel, Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Brunei Catering, School of Hospitality and Tourism – IBTE Sultan Saiful Rijal Campus, The Brunei Hotel, The Empire Hotel & Country Club, The Rizqun International Hotel, V-Plaza Hotel, and Sumbiling Eco Village.
Winners of Brunei Gastronomy Week 2017 which were presented with prizes yesterday are The Rizqun International Hotel for ‘The Best Taste’, The Empire Hotel & Country Club for ‘The Best Presentation’, URBN Kitchen for ‘The Best Innovation’, The Brunei Hotel for ‘The Best Creativity’, and Royal Brunei Airlines for ‘The Best Wholesomeness’. Certificates of appreciation were also presented to the judges of last year’s event, namely Hazizah Osman from Brunei Press Sdn Bhd, Wan Zainal Abidin from CHMP Media, Haji Jali bin Haji Ibrahim and Siti Kiprawi from Astera Consultants, as well as an officer from the Tourism Development Department.
Throughout the duration of Brunei Gastronomy Week, the signature cuisines served by each event participant will be continuously judged in terms of presentation, taste, innovativeness, wholesomeness and creativity, with winners to be announced at the next Brunei Gastronomy Week in 2019.
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