Flemish Primitives Festival in Ostend, Belgium, Showcases Innovative Food from Flanders
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Distinctive cooking is happening in the Belgium region of Flanders and the Flemish Primitives, now in its third year, is the opportunity for Flemish chefs to show what they can do.
Moving from its traditional home of Bruges, the festival now takes place over two days in Ostend. The first day is devoted to master classes which this year included cooking with liquid nitrogen, fermentation and pickling and revolutions in stocks and bouillons. In the evening there’s a 17-course gala dinner prepared by 12 Belgium chefs with the appropriate wine pairings.
The second day is an opportunity for these chefs to confront their counterparts from France, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands. This is more of collaboration than a confrontation and the results are presented live on stage, in front of the audience.
The Flemish Primitives
You may wonder about the title of the festival. After all it doesn’t sound particularly delicious. However it’s based on historical precedent. In the 15th and 16th centuries, painters like Jan Van Eyck from the group known as the Flemish Primitives, were masters in combining talent with new techniques. These techniques were drawn from other disciplines like calligraphy and sculpture and had a major influence on the art of Western Europe. And this is what the Flemish Primitives event is also about. It’s an opportunity for cross fertilization between the food and beverage industry, the world of gastronomy, and also artists and scientists.
New Flemish Cuisine
Belgium Flanders is home to over 17,000 restaurants and possesses the highest number of Michelin stars per inhabitant in Europe. Thanks to its location at the crossroads of northern and southern Europe, between Latin, Germanic and Anglo-Saxon cultures, the region has developed a unique culinary identity.
Interestingly the cuisine is about using less meat, but of better quality. Vegetables should be given a more prominent role without any concessions to flavour and they should be local, seasonal products. Fish should be sustainable and come from the seas around the coast. Flemish chefs have developed a distinctive style, innovating traditional dishes with modern techniques. And their fame is spreading - at the prestigious Madrid Fusion gastronomic summit in January, the region was picked out for its culinary innovation.
Judging by the talents on display and the exciting dishes served up at the gala dinner, this is a region that’s got much to offer in the way of food. Its influences range north and south, both from Scandinavia and Spain, yet it still manages to create something that is distinctly Flemish - primitive it is not.
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Flemish Primitives
For further information about visiting Ostend please contact Tourism Flanders-Brussels on +44 (0)207 307 7738 (Live Operator Line, Mon – Fri)
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