Luxemburg cheese

Snapshots from ITB 2013, Luxemburg Pavilion

Before attending the ITB Berlin, I did not know anything about the special cheese from Luxemburg. After a couple of hours of intensive reading the secrets of this cheese are not revealed yet, but at least I know more about the general context. 

Situated between France and Germany, the cuisine of Luxemburg mixes both the French and the German influences. There are a couple of meat products very similar to the German ones. Especially the wines are strongly influenced by the Riesling style of the German neighbors.

As for the cheese, the most famous is kachkeis, a combination of brie and camembert, based on cow milk. It is a simple and good taste, that it is always pleasant to combine with a glass of white wine.

Short trip in the world of Gozo's cuisine

The advantage of being in Berlin this time of the year was that I was able to attend regularly the main happenings at the International Tourism Fair. Most part of them, at least during the days when the public does not have access, are dedicated to corporate customers, but from time to time, at least for the media, there are interesting presentations taking place. At one of them I was invited yesterday: cuisine in Gozo, organized by Malta Pavilion. 

I must confess that I did not know too much about Gozo cuisine before, and the confusion with the generous 'Mediterranean cuisine' was prevalent. Of course, Malta and Gozo especially were influenced by the Mediterranean cuisine, but when we are talking about Mediterranean, we must be very careful which side of the sea are we referring too. This explains why within Malta one can encounter different styles and flavours.

In the case of Gozo, for instance, one should have in mind that it is one of the oldest trading routes connecting Europe to Africa and thus there were many spices and special recipes brought here by travellers from all over the world. If you wonder why you may find many chutney-like recipes, this is because of the British influences. As in the case of the olive oil, it always depends which side of the sun you are on.

The cuisine in Gozo contains many organic food, with vineyards and farming. Due to the rich wheat produced by the island, there are many types of bread that are delicious with the olive oil and dried tomatoes. The original Gozo cuisine does not used additives and is extremely healthy, especially if you suffer of too much fast food and hasty eating. There are some special types of wine produced on Gozo, and the island has its own Certified Denomination of Origin. 

The green beans, the grapes and the olive oil

A chef from Gozo explained life the secrets of the healthy cuisine

A big temptation

Homework for the next days: what's the secret of Gozo cuisine?

Another original product

I will come back soon with new information about this gorgeous cuisine, but also with other fresh recipes from the International Tourism Fair Berlin.