Festival of dough, pasta and bread Testival, abbreviated Festival Testival 2020, will be held in Belgrade on February 29.02. and 01.03.2020. in Dorćol Platz.
This manifestation, the festival, is interestingly conceived, with the aim of focusing on small producers of traditional food, and the main goal is to preserve the rich heritage of food culture, while respecting the various influences that have made Serbian cuisine diverse and special since ancient times.
Today we are talking to Dejan Ilić, professional chef and vice-champion of the world in carving, who is the manager of this event.
Is Festival Testival just a random idea?
Festival Testival is a spontaneous reaction and a logical continuation of cooperation with the team that designed and realized the project of publishing a book about traditional Serbian cuisine. Traditional recipes of Serbian cuisine, headed by the author, Miodrag Ilić.
In your opinion, do Serbian traditional dishes and cuisine stand a chance against fancy restaurants of international cuisine?
My opinion is that traditional dishes and traditional cuisine absolutely have their chance. And a big one. Even some things, which we apply in our traditional kitchen, can be included in the trends of both modern and healthy nutrition. Here I mean both aspects: the storage of food and the preparation itself.
What is your favorite traditional dish, which could be adapted in a modern way and served in the world's best restaurants?
I think there are plenty of dishes that can meet the high demands of guests in world restaurants. The possibility that a lot of traditional dishes can be consumed by members of other religions, as well as with different eating habits, is highlighted here. Even vegans and vegetarians.
My picks are:
- More figs than beans,
- Winter salad ruby.
I wouldn't be wrong to mention any other traditional dish...
How ready are professional chefs to use and prepare traditional dishes in their restaurants?
Everything is subject to change, including nutrition itself. Today, it is a big challenge to present tradition in a new guise and to prepare and serve it in a new, modern way.
You are the manager of the Testival 2020 Festival, organized by the Testival Association in Belgrade, in Dorćol Platz, on February 29.02. and 01.03.2020. What are the plans for this event and for later?
The plan of the festival and the idea of the festival is to unify the offer of artisanal dough, pasta and bread. The focus will be on the small producer. Of course, this refers to all dough products: pies, cakes, breads, breads, etc...
We would not like it to be a festival with only an exhibition and sales character, which we are all used to, but for the visitors to be able to see and learn something new live, following interesting interactive workshops, socializing with professional lecturers. Experienced housewives will also have their chance to present their knowledge.
For the next period and in the following years, we are planning the "expansion" of the festival, i.e. hosting festivals in some cities and regions of Serbia. In order to, in this way, bring this festival and this concept closer to the rest of Serbia, so that it is not only a privilege of the citizens of Belgrade.
What, in short, is the agenda of the Testival Festival? Will there be any interesting workshops?
The goal is to be visited by professionals who have excellent experience in the preparation of pasta, dough and bread. Of course, as I already mentioned, there will also be experienced housewives. For now, we can reveal that the Metro HoReCa Education Center will be present with several interesting workshops.
On the first day of the festival, a selection of the best traditional recipes of local cuisine will be held, and Zoran Dragoljevic George, wine knight, chancellor of the Šumadija Wine Knights Order, author of the book Vinorodna Šumadija, will hold a lecture "Pairing traditional food and traditional wines of Serbia".
Dragan Djordjevic, the president of the Association of Authentic Hedonists, will have his culinary performance "Serbian Culinary Adventure for us hedonists and for all those who are not...".
As the host city, the city of Topola i Tourist organization Oplenac, municipality of Topola.
That's it for now. I think I have revealed too many details to you… 🙂
Finally, I invite everyone to reserve their time now for that weekend, Saturday and Sunday, 29.02. and 01.03.2020/2020/XNUMX, to come and join us at the Testival XNUMX Festival!
Belgrade, October 2019.
Interview led by: Miodrag Ilić
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