Old and new recipes at the second edition of the Cooking days

Pastry made of old bread and apples, cake in a jar that can last for years, chutneys - sweet-sour pickles from the last harvest, honey candied thin strips of vegetables and fruits, butter flavored with dried flowers such as cornflowers, marigolds, rose ...

These are just some of the delicatessen that Dutch culinary expert Carolina Verhoeven presented during the second edition of the culinary Days in the Eastern Rhodopes, which took place on October 5th in the "Wild Farm" in the village of Gorno Pole, Municipality of Madzharovo.

Carolina Verhoeven is a culinary ethnologist and owner of Academy Culinary History. She is the director and a leading expert on cooking of organic and healthy food. She is interested in everything that concerns the preparation of food. Carolina has almost 40 years of experience in processing and preserving of sausages, canned meat, fruit and vegetables and instant soups. She is an expert in the area of bottling, use of glass jars, freezing and canning food. Carolina has followed the trends in fruit and vegetable processing and has developed many recipes for fruit and vegetable preserves such as jam, chutneys, instant soups, etc. She gives courses/presentations in cooking, especially traditional local products, conservation of food, food history and culinary heritage. She has experience in international projects. Days before her trip to Bulgaria Carolina opened her new Museum of Culinary Heritage.

Carolina, Betty Vasilieva from the "Wild Farm", local women and even enthusiastic guests showed craftsmanship cooking with local produce, canning fruits and vegetables, using recipes from the culinary heritage. Everyone tasted the dishes, the wine, and the delicious fruits brought by the producers of NTG’s network -grapes, apples, quince...

The expert Dirk Hein-Montagne talked about the EU standards for local and domestic processing of agricultural products and foodstuffs, paying particular attention to the production of tahini. The previous dayDirk-Hein Montagne and the coordinator for organic farming in NTG Vladislav Popov visited Ivailovgrad to talk with sesame producers and Rabovo where organic spelt is grown.

Later, Carolina Verhoeven, Dirk-Hein Montagne and Vladislav Popov discussed with the Deputy governor of Kardzhali Esat Sadak the possibilities for the development of organic farming in the region.

The three and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food were the main speakers at the seminar for organic farming the Eastern Rhodopes, organized by the project for the local producers on October 6th in Kardzhali.

This was the second edition of  the "Cooking days with organic and local products from the Eastern Rhodopes" organized by NTG project. In June, their first edition was also a great success.

Within both editions of the Cooking Days, the NTG Culinary Guidebook to the Eastern Rhodopes was presented.

See here photos