Open for business

The Culinary Digest has been on holiday for the past month but is now back up and running.

Here’s a quick recap of a few developments in the food world over the last few weeks. The Culinary Digest takes you to Tokyo, southern California, Poland, and the year 1621. Go on, have a bite:

Tokyo’s stellar status

Tokyo has pipped London, Paris and New York as the best city in the world for fine dining.

Michelin, which awards hard-to-come-by stars to restaurants that stand out from the ordinary, has granted 191 stars in the Japanese capital, as compared to Paris’ 98, London’s 50 and New York’s 49.

Out of 117, eight restaurants in Tokyo received three stars on Michelin’s rating system, 25 received two stars and 117 received one, which is still a very high honour.

Haughty Parisians convinced of their home country’s superior cuisine can rest somewhat comfortably in the knowledge that their city has 10 three-star restaurants, two more than Tokyo can boast. And, of the restaurants that received three-star designations in Tokyo, two –and Quintessence, serve French fare.

Tesco tries it “fresh and easy”

British supermarket retailer Tesco aims to penetrate the US market where its compatriots have failed, opening its first store in California early this month.

Under the brand name Fresh and Easy, 122 stores have been announced, with 50 scheduled to open by the end of February 2008. The goal will be to offer “fresh, wholesome food at affordable prices to our new neighbors here," explained a spokesman.

The own-brand ready meal offerings, core products of Tesco’s brand, should help the new stores to stand out from its American competitors.

According to the company, Fresh & Easy's own brand has no artificial colours, flavours or added trans fats, preservatives are kept to a minimum. National brands will also be available. All food will be delivered daily.

On an environmental notes,the stores will be built to environmental specifications, and shipping and display materials will be either recycled or reused.

Tesco’s move follows US supermarket Whole Food’s move to the UK, where it opened its first store in London a few years earlier. Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer have both attempted to take a slice of the US market but have since closed their shops.

Giving thanks, stateside

Americans gathered around their dinner tables on 22 November, the fourth Thursday of the month, to celebrate a national holiday.

The first recorded Thanksgiving in the colonies was in 1621, when the Pilgrims and Native Americans shared in the autumn harvest, though there is evidence that the tradition was in place long before the English boarded the Mayflower to sail to the New World.

In modern times, the menu generally consists of roasted turkey or ham, alongside stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans (often in a casserole form), mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Historians doubt that many of these items were served at the “First Thanksgiving” in 1621. More likely, seafood or wild game (including turkey) would have appeared on the menu. Vegetables dished up could have been pumpkin, peas, beans, onions, lettuce, radishes, parsnips and carrots, though no recipe for pumpkin pie is in circulation from that period. Plums and grapes were available, as were walnuts, chestnuts and acorns.

Christmas carp

Carp sales in the UK are up as the country’s Polish population buy up the fish as a holiday treat.

The fish, generally unpopular in the UK, forms the main ingredient in the traditional Christmas Eve dish in Poland called Wigilia. Borscht, dumplings, mushroom soup, boiled potatoes, herrings, pierogi, sauerkraut, as well as fruit compote, assorted pastries, nuts and candies are eaten at this meatless meal, likely for religious reasons.

Waitrose has reported a 50% increase in sales of carp last year. The fish has been considered to be a sustainable alternative, alongside the likes of pollack, particularly popular in the UK, and tilapia in the US.

Open for business

The Culinary Digest has been on holiday for the past month but is now back up and running.

Here’s a quick recap of a few developments in the food world over the last few weeks. The Culinary Digest takes you to Tokyo, southern California, Poland, and the year 1621. Go on, have a bite:

Tokyo’s stellar status

Tokyo has pipped London, Paris and New York as the best city in the world for fine dining.

Michelin, which awards hard-to-come-by stars to restaurants that stand out from the ordinary, has granted 191 stars in the Japanese capital, as compared to Paris’ 98, London’s 50 and New York’s 49.

Out of 117, eight restaurants in Tokyo received three stars on Michelin’s rating system, 25 received two stars and 117 received one, which is still a very high honour.

Haughty Parisians convinced of their home country’s superior cuisine can rest somewhat comfortably in the knowledge that their city has 10 three-star restaurants, two more than Tokyo can boast. And, of the restaurants that received three-star designations in Tokyo, two –and Quintessence, serve French fare.

Tesco tries it “fresh and easy”

British supermarket retailer Tesco aims to penetrate the US market where its compatriots have failed, opening its first store in California early this month.

Under the brand name Fresh and Easy, 122 stores have been announced, with 50 scheduled to open by the end of February 2008. The goal will be to offer “fresh, wholesome food at affordable prices to our new neighbors here," explained a spokesman.

The own-brand ready meal offerings, core products of Tesco’s brand, should help the new stores to stand out from its American competitors.

According to the company, Fresh & Easy's own brand has no artificial colours, flavours or added trans fats, preservatives are kept to a minimum. National brands will also be available. All food will be delivered daily.

On an environmental notes,the stores will be built to environmental specifications, and shipping and display materials will be either recycled or reused.

Tesco’s move follows US supermarket Whole Food’s move to the UK, where it opened its first store in London a few years earlier. Sainsbury’s and Marks and Spencer have both attempted to take a slice of the US market but have since closed their shops.

Giving thanks, stateside

Americans gathered around their dinner tables on 22 November, the fourth Thursday of the month, to celebrate a national holiday.

The first recorded Thanksgiving in the colonies was in 1621, when the Pilgrims and Native Americans shared in the autumn harvest, though there is evidence that the tradition was in place long before the English boarded the Mayflower to sail to the New World.

In modern times, the menu generally consists of roasted turkey or ham, alongside stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn, green beans (often in a casserole form), mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Historians doubt that many of these items were served at the “First Thanksgiving” in 1621. More likely, seafood or wild game (including turkey) would have appeared on the menu. Vegetables dished up could have been pumpkin, peas, beans, onions, lettuce, radishes, parsnips and carrots, though no recipe for pumpkin pie is in circulation from that period. Plums and grapes were available, as were walnuts, chestnuts and acorns.

Christmas carp

Carp sales in the UK are up as the country’s Polish population buy up the fish as a holiday treat.

The fish, generally unpopular in the UK, forms the main ingredient in the traditional Christmas Eve dish in Poland called Wigilia. Borscht, dumplings, mushroom soup, boiled potatoes, herrings, pierogi, sauerkraut, as well as fruit compote, assorted pastries, nuts and candies are eaten at this meatless meal, likely for religious reasons.

Waitrose has reported a 50% increase in sales of carp last year. The fish has been considered to be a sustainable alternative, alongside the likes of pollack, particularly popular in the UK, and tilapia in the US.

Germany seeks to expand food reputation

Germany, evidently, isn’t all sauerkraut, bratwurst and Becks.

The country is host of the Anuga trade fair for the food and beverage industry this year, and beginning this past Saturday and lasting until this Wednesday in Cologne, the fair aims to showcase the newest trends, products and ideas. Germany is the second largest food producer in Europe, and the food and beverage industry is the country’s the fourth largest, according to Invest in Germany, a promotion agency for the government.

The agency says that 5,900 food and drink companies in Germany generated more than €138bn in turnover last year. Multinational producers such as Muller, Bahlsen, Haribo and Storck are based in the country, and most other multinational producers are stakeholders in the German market economy.

Germany also has the highest number of consumers in Europe, and, the agency claims, an optimal central location for trade and distribution.

Germany may be an industrial powerhouse for the food and drinks industry, as it is for many other industrial sectors, such as steel and construction. Matters of efficiency and quality have not generally troubled the country.

Culinary excellence and experimentation may be another kettle of fish, however. Even the German Press Agency, picking up on the delicacies on show at the Anuga fair, single out sweets from Syria, fruits from India, and probiotics from neighboring Belgium. While it is an international conference, wouldn't a country’s press agency note some of its own national goodies?

Two years ago the FT picked up on a lack of greatness in the Germany culinary world, noting that the Michelin guide had granted only six three-star and 14 two-star awards in the whole of the country, compared to a total of almost 100 in neighbouring France.

This could be about to change, though: earlier this year, an Independent article highlighted a young German chef, Tim Raue, who was awarded his first Michelin star for his Berlin restaurant, 44, for his mix of regional German cuisine and modern dishes. Gault Millau named him the cook of the year in 2007.

Perhaps the image of sauerkraut, bratwurst and beer isn’t so shameful after all: the country does have its own museum dedicated to the curried sausage. And Oktoberfest, evidently, is the biggest public festival in the world.

Germany seeks to expand food reputation

Germany, evidently, isn’t all sauerkraut, bratwurst and Becks.

The country is host of the Anuga trade fair for the food and beverage industry this year, and beginning this past Saturday and lasting until this Wednesday in Cologne, the fair aims to showcase the newest trends, products and ideas. Germany is the second largest food producer in Europe, and the food and beverage industry is the country’s the fourth largest, according to Invest in Germany, a promotion agency for the government.

The agency says that 5,900 food and drink companies in Germany generated more than €138bn in turnover last year. Multinational producers such as Muller, Bahlsen, Haribo and Storck are based in the country, and most other multinational producers are stakeholders in the German market economy.

Germany also has the highest number of consumers in Europe, and, the agency claims, an optimal central location for trade and distribution.

Germany may be an industrial powerhouse for the food and drinks industry, as it is for many other industrial sectors, such as steel and construction. Matters of efficiency and quality have not generally troubled the country.

Culinary excellence and experimentation may be another kettle of fish, however. Even the German Press Agency, picking up on the delicacies on show at the Anuga fair, single out sweets from Syria, fruits from India, and probiotics from neighboring Belgium. While it is an international conference, wouldn't a country’s press agency note some of its own national goodies?

Two years ago the FT picked up on a lack of greatness in the Germany culinary world, noting that the Michelin guide had granted only six three-star and 14 two-star awards in the whole of the country, compared to a total of almost 100 in neighbouring France.

This could be about to change, though: earlier this year, an Independent article highlighted a young German chef, Tim Raue, who was awarded his first Michelin star for his Berlin restaurant, 44, for his mix of regional German cuisine and modern dishes. Gault Millau named him the cook of the year in 2007.

Perhaps the image of sauerkraut, bratwurst and beer isn’t so shameful after all: the country does have its own museum dedicated to the curried sausage. And Oktoberfest, evidently, is the biggest public festival in the world.

A dozen Michelin stars for Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay has received two more Michelin stars, rounding his total to twelve and putting him at the top of the list for most stars received with French chef Alain Ducasse.

His latest pair of stars comes for his restaurant in New York City, Gordon Ramsay at the London, which opened last November. The Michelin rating system awards two stars for venues with “excellent cuisine, worth a detour.”

Not all would agree: Frank Bruni, the New York Times food critic was not impressed on his first outing at the restaurant, which has been reportedly further plagued by neighbourhood complaints and staff disagreements.

The Michelin guide has existed in some form since the early 20th century, and is known for its minimalist approach to awarding stars. One star denotes "a very good restaurant in its category"), while three stars identifies "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey".

Gordon Ramsay’s eponymous restaurant in London is the only three-starred venue in the UK capital. Speaking about his New York City restaurant, he was quoted as saying, “I won’t sleep until I get three stars in the bag.”

Three menus are available at the London: a set lunch menu, an a la carte menu, and the prestige menu, a set menu available from 5:30-10:30pm.

The prestige menu includes nine courses: a canapé; pressed foie gras and game with port sauce and pickled mushrooms; lobster ravioli with celery root cream and shellfish vinaigrette; striped bass fillet with pak choi and caviar velouté; either fillet of corn-reared Brandt beef with braised oxtail and sauce Bordelaise or roast cannon of lamb with candied onions, confit tomatoes and marjoram jus; roasted pineapple with crystallized cilantro or Selection of cheeses from the trolley; apricot soufflé with Amaretto ice cream; and teas, coffees, infusions and a Bon Bon trolley.

A vegetarian version of the prestige menu is also available.

A dozen Michelin stars for Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay has received two more Michelin stars, rounding his total to twelve and putting him at the top of the list for most stars received with French chef Alain Ducasse.

His latest pair of stars comes for his restaurant in New York City, Gordon Ramsay at the London, which opened last November. The Michelin rating system awards two stars for venues with “excellent cuisine, worth a detour.”

Not all would agree: Frank Bruni, the New York Times food critic was not impressed on his first outing at the restaurant, which has been reportedly further plagued by neighbourhood complaints and staff disagreements.

The Michelin guide has existed in some form since the early 20th century, and is known for its minimalist approach to awarding stars. One star denotes "a very good restaurant in its category"), while three stars identifies "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey".

Gordon Ramsay’s eponymous restaurant in London is the only three-starred venue in the UK capital. Speaking about his New York City restaurant, he was quoted as saying, “I won’t sleep until I get three stars in the bag.”

Three menus are available at the London: a set lunch menu, an a la carte menu, and the prestige menu, a set menu available from 5:30-10:30pm.

The prestige menu includes nine courses: a canapé; pressed foie gras and game with port sauce and pickled mushrooms; lobster ravioli with celery root cream and shellfish vinaigrette; striped bass fillet with pak choi and caviar velouté; either fillet of corn-reared Brandt beef with braised oxtail and sauce Bordelaise or roast cannon of lamb with candied onions, confit tomatoes and marjoram jus; roasted pineapple with crystallized cilantro or Selection of cheeses from the trolley; apricot soufflé with Amaretto ice cream; and teas, coffees, infusions and a Bon Bon trolley.

A vegetarian version of the prestige menu is also available.