Chefs sought for Kiwi cooking competition

The search is on for the best dishes in the UAE that use ingredients from New Zealand.

Mussels, part of the Taste New Zealand competition. Courtesy Taste New Zealand
Powered by automated translation

Calling all chefs: a panel of judges is looking for the best dishes in the UAE using ingredients from New Zealand.

Back for its second year, the Taste New Zealand competition is open to all professional chefs in the country. To enter, chefs are required to submit a recipe online using New Zealand ingredients.

The judges will then choose 10 finalists to compete in a one-hour cook-off, where the winner will not only take home the title, but will also win a trip to New Zealand.

New Zealand cuisine is characterised by fresh products, simplicity and a focus on flavour. “In New Zealand, our cuisine draws on our multicultural population and our proximity to the land and sea,” says Steve Jones, the New Zealand trade commissioner and consul general who’s also judging the competition.

“We grow lush produce. We have enough space for animals to roam free. They are grass-fed, which means great tasting meat and dairy products.”

Popular food from the Pacific Ocean island nation includes beef, lamb, chicken, fish such as John Dory and New Zealand king salmon, manuka honey, apples, pears, kiwi fruit and sweet potatoes.

New Zealand has exported food to the UAE for more than 30 years. “We have a strong trade relationship with the UAE. Our food sector accounted for 87 per cent of the value of the top 20 exports from New Zealand in 2013,” Jones says, adding that the competition “aims to raise awareness of the diversity and quality of New Zealand food and drink products among professional chefs and, of course, consumers”.

• Entries for the competition will open in March. On April 26, the 10 finalists will receive a range of New Zealand ingredients to develop one plate in one hour. Chefs can register their interest by visiting www.nzte.govt.nz/TasteNZ