The Grand Formosa Regent kicked off its Central American Gourmet Fiesta today in celebration of Central America Independence Day. The gourmet extravaganza showcases authentic dishes from seven nations — Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvadore, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama — and will be held at azie and Brasserie from today through Friday.
Six guest chefs have been flown in from six nations to lay down some of Central America's finest cooking including Manuel Enrique Rosales from Honduras, Alfonso Jaen from Panama and Juan Nogueras Bussalleu from Nicaragua, all executive chefs at five-star hotels.
Other chefs include Jose Antonio Vasquez from El Salvadore and Euda Lisseth Morales Ruiz from Guatemala — publisher of the culinary magazine altaCocina — both chairpersons of professional culinary associations in their home countries. Rounding out this all-star line up of chefs is Oscar Castro O'Sullivan, a famous TV cooking show host from Costa Rica.
Central American cooking is influenced by Mayan and Spanish cultures.
“This blending of cultures has created a unique blend of traditional flavors and recipes,” said Morales Ruiz.
Although the land area of Central America is small, its geographical features — tropical rain forest, crystal clear seas, high mountains and rich volcanic soils — have made its commodities such as sugarcane, nutmeg and coffee world-famous.
As maize — or corn as it's known in many Western countries — is a major crop in Central America, it is only natural that it would be used in many dishes such as Rosales' rum popo and rosquilla — an eggnog type drink poured over corn cake.
But the star of any Central American table is the seafood. Each nation has its own way of cooking seafood from the Belizean pan-seared tuna on xuxu salada to El Salvador's tilapia fish wrap with ayote.
“Being surrounded by ocean and with many rivers and lakes in each country, you can imagine why seafood is important in a lot of our dishes,” said Vasquez.
For the coffee lover, Morales Ruiz' corn flan with coffee sauce and O'Sullivan's coffee and coconut cheesecake both achieve a level of culinary perfection.
Food connoisseurs have long known that Central America has been a leader in organic farming. Less known is the fact that many of the cattle found in this tropical region are also organically raised, making Jaen’s Panamanian shredded beef and Bussalleu’s carne asada taste sensations you won’t want to miss.
The chefs will rotate their culinary creations beginning on the 16 Sept. For details of the menu to be served through the week, contact the Grand Formosa Regent at (02) 2523-8000.
On top of this Central American feast, there will be performances by professional Costa Rican dancers and Guatemalan and Honduran musicians will also perform during lunch and dinner hours (1pm to 2pm; 6:30pm to 7:30pm; 8:30pm to 9:30pm) at azie restaurant on the atrium stage. This is a great opportunity to explore the wonders of Central American culture through its fabulous cuisine.
The set meals start at NT$600 per person. Some items from the set menu are available a la carte with prices from NT$180 to NT$550. On weekdays at Brasserie, lunch is NT$700 and dinner is NT$850 per person. On weekends and holidays, lunch is NT$850 and dinner is NT$940.
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