The "Cookathon" culinary marathon was held as the final event of the three-year "Food for Tomorrow" project of the Swedish Institute and the Embassy of Sweden in Serbia in cooperation with the Metro HoReCa Center in Belgrade. Six three-member teams participated in the cooking competition, each consisting of one chef, one food blogger and one cooking school student.
The project approaches and explains the goals of sustainable development through food, which is important and close to everyone. The task was to prepare two dishes from seasonal and local ingredients, which show some of the goals of the United Nations Agenda 2030.
"Our intention was to point out the importance of sustainable food and its importance, both for the health of each individual and for the preservation of the planet, through "Food of Tomorrow". During three years, the embassy cooperated with the Swedish Institute in order to spread the idea of healthy food preparation both in Serbia and in the region. We managed to awaken ecological awareness in the preparation of food in Serbia, which is famous for its food", said the deputy ambassador of Sweden, Joakim Vern.
The manager of the "Food of tomorrow" project, Birgitta Tenander from the Swedish Institute, says that the intention was to inspire people to approach the production and consumption of food in an ecologically sustainable way, with a built-in awareness of how much food is wasted during meal preparation.
"We had more than ten events in the region and for the first time small food producers met with farmers, chefs, restaurant owners, environmental activists, media and bloggers. This proves that food is a topic that connects us, it is important to everyone and it was an honor for me to meet and collaborate with people who deal with sustainable food in the right way," said Birgitta Tenander. She added that food is a challenging topic regardless of whether one lives in the village or in the city and that she is encouraged by the fact that how many people in the region are ready to change their approach to food preparation for the sake of health and the preservation of the planet.
Among the participants was the Swedish chef Magnus Naes, who designed a vegetarian menu for students in schools in Stockholm because - they asked for it.
"We had a vote and 70% of the students voted for a vegetarian diet because it is sustainable, they wanted a school that is focused on sustainability. The challenge is to work for conscious children, to prepare meals for them. Most children say that when they leave home, it is food that they miss the most. I've been cooking for 700 students for seven years, it's a big responsibility, but I'm also glad that they understood the importance and variety of a vegetarian diet. It is a big thing to make them appreciate traditional vegetarian dishes at least as much as they appreciated meat dishes", said Magnus Naes.
As a result of the "Cookathona" culinary competition, the Embassy of Sweden in cooperation with the Metro HoReCa Center will publish the first sustainable cookbook in which recipes for preparing meals will be presented, all in accordance with the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations.
Press release: Embassy of Sweden in Serbia and Metro Cash & Carry Serbia
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