Some of the best Maltese chefs will help to identify new opportunities in favor of the valorization of Maltese agricultural and fishing products, as a five-year collaboration agreement was signed between the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights and the Malta Chef Society.
Minister Anton Refalo explained that the agreement is establishing a platform for collaboration between the two entities and will help to identify and exploit opportunities in the agriculture and fishing sectors that go beyond the product itself and that can making these industries more attractive and financially viable.
The agreement envisages joint research on agricultural and fishery products, with an emphasis on edible products and the use of local products in culinary activities. Another goal is the identification of ways and means to improve the quality of these products with the view that they are used more and better in cooking, and the identification of new market opportunities for use of such products.
The two parties also agreed to organize activities together with local agricultural products as the main theme, as well as to facilitate the processing of these agricultural products according to the best practices and the placing on the market of these – new products.
“Through this agreement we are recognizing the richness, the goodness and the freshness of the Maltese and Gozitan product, and therefore the potential it has to be exploited better,” said Minister Refalo.
The agreement is building on a practical collaboration between the Malta Chef Society and the Public Slaughterhouse which resulted in the publication of a number of recipes aimed at exploiting the secondary cuts of the pig including the gizzard, blood, ix -hip and shoulder. In addition, the two entities worked together during the Agrifair where they served more than six thousand dishes based on meat products not popular with the Maltese public.
The Malta Chef Society gathers some of the best Maltese professionals in the culinary field. It was founded with the aim of helping local chefs to improve their skills and knowledge as well as to strengthen the levels in the tourism industry. Among others, it organizes Culinary Malta which includes the National Cooking and Culinary Arts Championships and the Master Chef course.
Photo (MAFA)
