Bartlett to cook run-down in Thailand
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett is to participate in a cooking demonstration of Jamaican cuisine at the fourth UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism in Bangkok, Thailand.
“Thais have expressed that they are excited about the prospect of Jamaica’s rundown, coming to compete with their rengdang. While we were talking about the cuisines in South Korea recently, they asked us to look at the two and have a cook-off. So, I agreed on the condition that at the end of the demonstrations, we create a new cuisine that is a fusion of both the rengdang and run-down, which we can call Jamdang,” Bartlett said.
The minister explained that he first noticed the similarities in the Thai rengdang and the Jamaican run-down while at the last UNWTO Gastronomy Forum, which took place in San Sebastian, Spain.
“We saw a cooking presentation from the Thais last year which struck a note. When we looked at the rengdang closely, we noticed that they used coconut cream to make a sauce for mackerel – similar to the way we prepare rundown. So I knew that in Thailand, Jamaica would have to be represented in the presentations,” he said.
Bartlett said the fusion of the two cuisines could create a new market for local manufacturers and culinary experts in the Asian economy.
“I have talked about it with some of our producers here and they are excited about it because it has the potential for us to create a new line of products for a new fusion cuisine that may be popular in Jamaica and Asia – which is the new frontier of wealth and power. It’s an exciting prospect to have Jamaica inserted in that narrative from a culinary perspective,” said Bartlett.