Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/920426
maltatoday SUNDAY 31 DECEMBER 2017 This Week 35 away in food prep. "2018 is also expected to be the year of the root-to-stem cooking. As more and more restaurants get to grips with the problem of wastage, we are seeing a root to leaf approach emerging in many restaurant kitchens. In line with this ap- proach, restaurants are trying to limit waste and create dishes that include parts of ingredients that we are generally not accustomed to find on our plates." Gauci said. The notion of avoiding waste is repeated by Sammut, though he refers to serving of meat rather than fresh veg, "Among meat- serving restaurants there is a global trend to move back to- wards our grandparents' ways and serving every part of the ani- mal rather than just the prime cuts. "This nose-to-tail attitude is a trend we expect to see plenty more of in 2018, and we plan to continue to work with local farmers where we have the pig slaughtered just for us and we take the whole animal, taking care to create recipes also using the off cuts that generally go to waste." Asian niche markets Diacono sees an opening in the market for Asian eateries "Malta seems to be head over heels for ramen, so I expect to see more niche Asian outlets pop up soon – Korean BBQ, Vietnamese, per- haps even a Peruvian. We seem to be moving towards becoming a small European city, let's hope they're somewhat gen- uine with the classics, and little experimental with the specials, why not?" Trendy ingredients There are always ingredients that are more fashionable at one point in time. Bartolo believes that the time of the gin in the spirits' world is not over and is set to rise even more throughout 2018. In the world of sweets, Aqui- lina believes that pralines, made primarily with nuts and sugar, are on the rise and will show promise throughout the year. He believes that this will not just be the traditional type but also with a different variation of fill- ings, colours and f lavours. Ruby chocolate, which is considered the fourth type of chocolate, is made from the ruby bean and has only been discovered and produced in 2017, so we are set to see a lot more of this type of chocolate which is sweet but also with sour notes. Gauci believes that "2018 will definitely be an exciting year for the food industry especially on a local context where Malta's capi- tal city will be hosting the Eu- ropean Capital of Culture. The event will definitely entice the brains of local talent who will produce amazing dishes to high- light Malta's rich food traditions and culture." the Maltese culinary world in 2018 THERE are plenty of chefs in Malta that act as trend-setters on the island. What they have in common is enormous passion, verging on obsession, when it comes to food. Not only do they spend their time creating in the kitchen but also on travelling the world to see what others are doing and to draw inspiration. The chefs Marvin Gauci is chef patron at Caviar and Bull in St Julian's, his second restaurant after the success of Tarragon in St Paul's Bay. He has won numerous awards and has perhaps the most innovative fine dining restaurant on the island. Tommy Diacono, together with his brother Nicky, are the brains behind New York Best and Fat Louie's. Though New York Best is mostly fast-food, what they insist on is that eve- rything is made from scratch to the very best standards on the market. They have won the internet for their incred- ible social media strategy, setting trends all over the island. James Bartolo is the executive chef at Radisson Blu Resort and Spa, Golden Sands, while Jimmy Aquilina acts as his pastry chef. Meeting guests from all over the world they need to stay current, creating the very best dishes that rival culinary delights from trend-setting cities around the world. Rafel Sammut owns a small company, The Pulled Meat Company, that started out selling pulled pork sand- wiches from a stand at Tigne Point. He is setting trends in the way in which he sources his meats – local pork from local farmers, where he uses the entire pig and not just the prime cuts. Seasonal produce: Consumers are becoming more concerned about where their food is coming from and how it has been grown or reared Healthy foods: Superfoods are set to take centre stage in 2018