A week in Luxembourg is normally dominated by returning to good old routines: going for a stroll in town, catching up with my friends at Coffee Lounge, going for a glass of wine at Inter, followed by a ‘mini’ (a glass of beer) at Urban or Tram. Days at home are all about family, friends and simple relaxing. Food is of course always part of the several aspects of home, but never in the way it was this time!
You can’t imagine how surprised I was when I found out the “Culinary World Cup” was taking place in Luxembourg – of all places, they chose our little corner of the world to host this event…
55 teams from around the world were taking part in this year’s competition (which is held every 4 years), showing off their intricate cooking skills and trying to impress the judges and visitors with stunning visual creations. This is not your average food fair, this is Micheling-style cooking! Fabulous!
On the day we visited you could watch Israel, Korea, Italy and two more countries working away in their little show kitchens. It was a bit like being in a zoo, with chefs behind glass performing tricks to wow the crowds. Pretty weird if you ask me, but fascinating!
But it got weirder! Just a stone’s throw from the chef’s zoo, there was a ‘culinary walk’…
It looked like a healthy version of Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory – all fruit and veg with the odd nut finding its way into the food baskets. Totally random! Were it not for being on a food fair I’d have suspected some kind of new-wave artist having a joke! At least this tacky attraction got kids gaping – probably in awe of this oversized fruit and veg plate…
There was far much going on, but by the time we passed the Luxembourgish wine makers’ corner – in which you bought a champagne glass for 5€ and then could get it refilled at each of the 40 odd stalls – I deemed it better not to point and shoot anymore… Anyway, I shall leave you with a bit of Luxembourgish: “This is the taste of Luxembourg”.
By the way, for those who were wondering: the team from Singapore won the competition. Read more here.
