Ghana : TRAVEL/FOOD

MOROCCO, MAURITIUS AND TUNISIA STAND OUT FOR THE AFRICAN CONTINENTAL SELECTIONS FOR THE BOCUSE D’OR AND THE PASTRY WORLD CUP.

The podium of the 2022 African Pastry Cup

BOCUSE D’OR AFRICA 2022 MARKED BY THE FIRST WINNING PARTICIPATION OF MAURITIUS

The African selections of the prestigious gastronomy competition, Bocuse d’Or and the Pastry World Cup, were held respectively on September 9th and 10th in Dakhla, Morocco, and qualified the best teams for the Grand Finales that will take place from January 20th to 23rd, 2023 during Sirha Lyon.

1st: MAURITIUS – Kritesh Halkory
2nd: MOROCCO – Faical Zahraoui
3rd: TUNISIA – Marwen Younssi

Best commis award: MAURITIUS – Brady Ng Fuk Chong

Team spirit award: BURKINA FASO – Adama Ernest Dakoure (candidate) / Najem Pierre Najem (commis) / Armand Kinda (coach) / Cathy Nassar (president)

Last step of the continental selections, the Bocuse d’Or Africa reveals the last chefs qualified for the Grand Finale after 5 hours and 35 minutes of competition to create two themes: a plate based on sea bream and a platter highlighting the lamb saddle..

For its first participation, Mauritius, represented by chef Kritesh Halkory and his commis Brady Ng Fuk Chong, won the first place. The team was able to make the difference for the theme on platter by using among the different dishesthe mouroum brede, a typical plant of the Mauritian cuisine. The Moroccan team, led by chef Faical Zahraoui and his commis Achraf Retbi, finished on the second step of the podium and thus took the final qualifying place.

After this competition in Dakhla, Morocco, the continental selections of the Bocuse d’Or are coming to an end and we now know all the candidates for the Grand Finale. This last one will be held on January 22nd and 23rd, 2023 during the Sirha Lyon in France, and will gather 24 chefs from all over the world from the 4 continental selections of 2022 (Bocuse d’Or Europe, Bocuse d’Or Americas, Bocuse d’Or Africa & Bocuse d’Or Asia-Pacific).

MOROCCO, HOST COUNTRY AND WINNER OF THE 2022 AFRICAN PASTRY CUP

1st: MOROCCO – Abdelkader Ejjatioui / Ali Gousaid
2nd: MAURITIUS – Lasbastide Stephane / Pravesh Gookhoola
3rd: TUNISIA – Al Moez Krid / Hamed Bechir

Team Spirit Award: GHANA – Isaac Danso / Fred Brown

On Saturday, September 10th, after 5 hours of intense competition, Morocco, Mauritius and Tunisia qualified for the Grand Finale of the Pastry World Cup, which will take place on January 20th and 21st, 2023 during Sirha Lyon.

As the host country of these African selections, Morocco has established itself as the reference country of pastry on the African continent by taking the first place of the African Pastry Cup podium. Led by Abdelkader Ejjatioui and Ali Gousaid, the Moroccan team seduced the jury with its creations and working techniques.

The next stage of these 2022 continental selections is the Asian Pastry Cup on October 25th and 26th (Singapore) during which the last teams will qualify to participate in the Grand Finale.

The final event is in January 2023 at Sirha Lyon, a prominent professional summit gathering leading culinary professionals, food experts and everyone involved in the Food Sector.

Credit photo: Rahal Event

A native of Ghana, Chef Selassie Atadika studied at The Culinary Institute of America and also earned a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in geography from Dartmouth College. Now back in Ghana after working for the United Nations, Atadika takes advantage of the cocoa beans as well as the spices and herbs that thrive in her country’s terroir to craft Midunu, her line of truffles that are distinctive not only because of the complex layers of taste but also because they each etched with delicate and colorful designs. Midunu, which means “let us eat” in Ewe, a language spoken in Togo and Ghana, is a call to embrace all that the table offers – great food, conviviality and connection.

Chef Selassie took time out of her busy schedule to answer my questions about her truffles, the ingredients she uses, and her commitment to bringing to the fore what is quickly becoming a major culinary trend–New African Cuisine.

I didn’t realize Ghana was the second largest producer of cacao though most of it is exported. Can you tell us about why it is such a wonderful place to grow chocolate and if it differs in taste and quality from other regions?

Cocoa needs hot temperatures, humidity, and good rainfall. The ‘Cocoa belt’ is within 20 degrees of the equator. Every region has its unique qualities, and the West African terroir gives the ‘chocolatey’ flavor, which chocolate consumers worldwide know as chocolate.

The traditional process of fermenting the cocoa beans in plantain/banana leaves in Ghana provides the second layer of flavor to the beans, which you don’t get in other countries.

How does your team of female chocolatiers go about incorporating locally and regionally sourced ingredients to create your chocolates?

Inspiration comes to me from everywhere. It might be a fruit or spice I see in the market, an element I taste in a dish, or a memory that comes to me from childhood. Sometimes, the ingredient is at risk of being forgotten in a culinary sense or lost in terms of biodiversity. So I try to see how it would pair with chocolate and then play with it in our kitchen.

Can you describe some of the herbs and spices and other ingredients you use?

The Afua truffle features the buttery, nutty, and caramel notes of prekese, one of my favorite West African spices, infused in a milk chocolate ganache, enveloped in dark chocolate.

Aṣa Introduces you to scent leaf, a wonderfully herbaceous variety of basil from West Africa infused in a white chocolate ganache, wrapped in dark chocolate.

The Azar truffle will transport you to North Africa’s souks. Get ready for the bright, tangy notes of sumac infused in milk chocolate, then enrobed in dark chocolate.

Can you give us a brief overview of New African Cuisine?

My cooking philosophy is what I call New African Cuisine. It celebrates culinary heritage where culture, community, and cuisine intersect with the environment, sustainability, and economy by employing local, seasonal, and underutilized ingredients, including traditional grains and proteins, to deliver Africa’s bounty to the table.

And when are you going to write a cookbook?

Great questions. I’m setting aside time right now to work on my book proposal.