Eel creativity cooking competition.
Eel generally is an expensive food in most people’s mind, except it is the traditional winter worming foods, it is also common to cook eel as BBQ tariyaki eel rice. But of course eel has much more ways of cooking than this. In order to make people eat more eels, the Fisheries Administration of COA and the National eel aqua farming have cooperate together to hold a competition of eel creativity cooking at Changhua, Yunlin, Chiai, Tainan and Kaohsiung etc. Each local champion will be able to get into the National eel creativity cooking competition at Taipei, the winner will have the title of the eel-cooking king and got a champion price.
Council of agriculture said, in early years, most of national eels were exported to Japan and only few left for national market, that is why people have the impression of eels are expansive food. But as national citizen consuming ability increases and gradually increasing of global eel farming, cause huge pressure on national eel market. Therefore, relative industry businessmen have readjust their marketing direction towards national marketing. Because people have limited knowledge on using eel as an ingredient, However, which could effects of fewer interests on buying eels, so in order to increase people’s willingness on buying eels, the eel creativity cooking competition has being hold at five places which has main national eel farms at locals. To use eels as the main ingredient for competition is to hope able to create more creative eel dishes.
The ell creative cooking competition is divided as local competition and national competition. There are five local competitions, the first one will hold at Yunlin Shien Mt. Maming Jan Angong at November 30th, and others will be hold at separately: December 17th at Chiai Hsien Tungshih Fishing Harbor, December 15th at Tainan Hsien Agricultural holiday market, December 21st at Kaohsiung Hsien Hsingta Fishing Harbor and December 28th at Changhua Hsien Lugang Jen Tenho Temple. Candidates enrolled as a pair for the competition, the host will provide live eels or fresh eel slices as the main ingredient, candidates can freely use their creativity to create a dish within set time. Good dishes will be included in the eel cousin recipe, which will be published, in the future time.
The council of Agriculture said the national competition will divided into two parts, one for professional cooking group, and one for harmony family group. The national competition is expected hold at 2003 January 18th at Taipei fish market before the Chinese New Year. The professional cooking group competition will be divided again into 1st competition and final competition. The aim of 1st competition is for testing skills of cutting and catching eels, and also test the candidates’ relative eel knowledge. The first three winners can goes into the final at the afternoon, and they will have to make a set of New Year dishes that are accords to the theme of long life, healthy, nutritious concept. On the other hand, for the harmony family group, the winners from the local competitions will going to the final with the topic of ochharmony feeling eel dishes, which the dishes will be suitable for a four people family. At this national competition activity, the winner will gaining the title of ‘eel cousin king’ (the professional group) or ‘harmony family cousin king’ (the family group) and price of NT$10,000.
Except each competition, the show ground are also arranged some fishery product presentation, and already invite some national relative fishing and agricultural organizations. Visitors are not only watching the competition but also can buy some clean and safe Taiwan agricultural and fishing products back home to enjoy it. The activities are all hold at weekends, so welcome anybody come to join the activity. Anyone who meant to join the competition can contact the Fisheries Administration on Internet (www.fa.gov.tw) click on the relative competition activity link under the notice board to see the full details, or call the competition enrolment line: 0800-521-526 for any request.