Passion for Pork www.PassionforPork.com

Slow Food Edmonton’s Berkshire & Beer Nose-to-Tail event

Sharman - Thursday, May 23, 2013

On Sunday May 26 Slow Food Edmonton and Yellowhead Brewery are teaming up for “Berkshire and Beer”, a nose to tail culinary adventure with an emphasis on locally grown, Alberta pork. Chef Jan Tschudin of Yellowhead Brewery will be using my favourite Irving Farms Berkshire pork to create a multi-course meal of consisting of different parts of the pig.

 

Chef Tschudin is from Switzerland and grew up watching his father slaughter and cure his own meats. His father was a butcher and when it came time to kill and slaughter the pig, Jan was in charge of holding the bullet. His father started learning how to butcher animals in the 50’s, and Jan often touches base for tips and tricks on curing or how to perfect his blood sausage or tongue headcheese.

Chef Jan Tschudin preparing some blood sausage

Chef Tschudin will be creating a number of dishes on Sunday night and is excited to use Irving Farms Berkshire Pork. “I can notice a difference in the product,” says Tschudin. “You may pay more but the taste and quality is worth it.” He certainly got creative designing a nose-to-tail menu; I got to sample the bacon fat maple whisky ice cream which was delicious!

Housemade blood sausage and red wine Green Valley onion demi on Treestone crostini & Bacon fat ice cream with maple whiskey

Slow Food Edmonton is a local chapter of a larger umbrella organization known as Slow Food International.  Their goal is to redefine the dialogue of what local food means and why choosing a “slow food” lifestyle is not only great for the local economy, but also preserves the natural, heritage foods that ancestors of this region have been consuming for decades, if not centuries.

This event will be a fundraiser for their initiative to create 1000 Gardens in Africa. Each chapter is responsible for raising funds for one garden.  The purpose of this initiative is to create a symbiotic lifestyle in countries that lack infrastructure, in order to have people redevelop an interest in their local heritage of food and culture.

Join Chef Jan for his Nose to Tail menu and a pint at Yellowhead Brewery

The evening will include a series of local-food champions (including Allan Irving of Irving Farm Fresh) speaking in between tasting and sampling Chef Jan Tschudin’s menu – which will include some Swiss favourites like the Schnitzel and blood sausage. The event is $60 a person and tickets can be purchased through http://www.berkshireandbeeryeg.com/

Passion for Pork will be giving away 2 tickets to this event on Sunday May 26th – like our facebook page for your chance to win these tickets.

https://www.facebook.com/PassionForPork

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