BALLYMALOE LITERARY FESTIVAL 2013

Ballymaloe Literary Festival 3^rd – 6^th May 2013

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I approached Ballymaloe Literary Festival programme with a certain curiosity. This was a new festival with a new festival format, food and literature.  I am neither a chef nor a novelist so I decided to book some events influenced my own personal interests and preferences.

                           Darina Allen assists Madhur Jaffery at her cookery demonstration
 

I signed up for Madhur Jaffrey’s Indian cookery demonstration at the Ballymaloe Cookery School on Saturday morning.  It was a delightful.  Madhur is an award winning actress as well as a world authority on Indian cooking.  She was born in Delhi and while she cooked she regaled us with stories of her childhood in India.  I was gradually transported to a land of colour and spice.  Tantalising aromas filled the air.  Spices, exotic fruits and vegetables sizzled.   We were treated to a mouth-watering array of Indian dishes, from whole roasted Masala chicken to salmon cooked in a Kerala style.  Madhur cooked and entertained for three and a half hours with passion and flare.  Not bad for a lady who will be eighty in August!  By  lunchtime we were ravenous and her wonderful creations were devoured in minutes by audience members, including myself!     

 

     

 

                                        Some of Madhur Jaffrey's delicious Indian dishes

 ‘Wine and Words’ in the Carrigaun room was presented by Tom Doorley, wine writer and restaurant critic and John Wilson, wine writer with 'The Irish Times'.   We tasted some excellent wines from Austria, France and Italy.  The two gentlemen entertained us with funny wine related anecdotes and readings.  Tom Doorley read extracts from a wine book written by Corkman Maurice Healy – Ireland’s first wine journalist.  Healy was a barrister and a legendary wit and conversationalist.  He wrote celebrated books on wine in the 1930s.   A very pleasant afternoon.

                                                                 Tom Doorley and John Wilson 

John Bowman chaired a Questions and Answers discussion in the The Grain Store at Ballymaloe on Saturday evening . The expert panel included Darina Allen, John Wilson, Jancis Robinson and Nick Lander. The panellists answered food and wine related questions from an audience comprised of small food producers, farmers and many other interested parties.   It was an informative, lively discussion mainly about the future of Irish food and Ireland’s food industry.
 

                                      John Bowman chairs Questions and Answers session

Madhur Jaffrey was in the Grain Store on Sunday morning for a literary conversation entitled  'Curry Nation'. She discussed our Western love affair with curry.  She explained how curry travelled from East to West with the British Colonisation of India and how we Westerners have changed Indian cuisine to suit our Western taste.  I was surprised to learn there is no such thing as a Chicken Tikka Masala in India!  

                                                                       Darina Allen takes notes at Madhur Jaffrey's talk

 

I am not a culinary expert so I was not familiar with Claudia Roden.   I decided to attend her talk on ‘The Food of Spain’ on Sunday afternoon because I love Spain and Spanish food.  I was glad I did.  Claudia was a revelation. She spoke knowledgeably and gracefully about the history of Spanish food. We travelled from Andalusia to Asturias, Catalonia to Galicia on a culinary magical mystery tour.  Moors, Berbers, Celts, Romans, Visigoths, French and many more have influenced Spanish Cuisine.   Spain has a rich culture and this is reflected in a large variety of Spanish dishes.  Claudia informed us it is an exceptional time to be travelling and eating in Spain today.  Spain is a dynamic country, where everything, especially food, arouses great passion.  Spain has transformed itself into one of the world's effervescent centres of gastronomic creativity.  I am booking flights as I type!

 

 

 

Claudia Roden signs her wonderful cookery book,

 'The Food of Spain'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The grand finale, a panel discussion ‘Fusing Culinary Cultures’  on Monday at the Grain Store proved to be a festival highlight.   The question put to the panel:  ‘Is the fusing of culinary cultures leading to confusion?’.  Matthew Fort, food critic with' The Guardian', chaired the discussion and noted he had ‘never seen a most distinguished panel gathered in one place’.   The panel included Rawley Leigh, Madhur Jaffrey, Darina Allen, Stephanie Alexander, Claudia Roden, and David Thompson. Each panellist was allotted time to give their own unique opinion.  As anticipated each person had a different perspective.  A lively debate ensued! Too many chefs.....  

 

              From left: David Thompson, Rowley Leigh, Madhur Jaffrey, Matthew Fort,
                                Stephanie Alexander, Ben Reade, David Tanis, Claudia Roden


This is just a small sample of the festival highlights.  The festival included top food and wine writers and chefs from around the world.   There were talks and demonstrations on varied topics from Thai street food to the Nordic food revolution, from the art of fermentation to Abracadabra! - Confessions of a kitchen witch.   Participants included Claus Meyer, Ella McSweeney, Skye Gyngell,  Camilla Plum, Rachel Allen, Thomasina Meirs, Stevie Parle, Rory O'Connell and many more.  There was great diversity and choice. There were foragers, fermentations, wine grapes, shellfish and Albarino!   It has been confirmed that the festival was such a success Darina Allen, Rory O’Connell and Ballymaloe will run a festival in May next year.  Looking forward to it already.    This is my first blog.  Hope you enjoyed it!

 

                                                  Madhur Jaffrey and Darina Allen