The 55th edition of the ‘Taittinger’ culinary prize, on the theme of pork, will take place in London on 31 january 2023.
Held for more than five decades, the International Culinary Prize the ‘Taittinger’ has witnessed the emergence of leading French and international chefs (Régis Marcon, Michel Roth, Joël Robuchon, Tom Meyer, Kenichiro Sekiya, Jonathan Zandbergen, etc.). In 2019 the Prize took on a new direction by placing a single product at the centre of the competition, to be interpreted freely by the candidates. There is still one fixed rule however: a single candidate per country is selected for the international final to represent their own individual culture and the country they currently call home.
This year the Organising Committee, made up of leading Michelin star chefs, revealed a few months beforehand that the theme would be pork.
Each of the eight participants took home their winning ticket for the international final on January 31 (USA, Belgium, Japan, Sweden, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland and France), having tailored their chosen recipe around this product.
For the first time in the competition’s history, the international final will take place in London. The honorary president this year will be Michel Roux (Le Gavroche), from the family dynasty of chefs based in the capital since the 1960s. The practical tests will be held at the ‘London Le Cordon Bleu’ culinary school.
“The committee chose the theme of this 55th edition of the ‘Taittinger’ Culinary Prize for its universal aspect. Pork is one of the most widely consumed meats in the world. It’s a product that can be found in all countries at a good level of quality and reflects a strong cultural identity. In cooking, all parts of the pig can be used. It’s this creativity that we’ll be looking for the candidates to demonstrate,” explains chef Emmanuel Renaut (Flocons de Sel, ***Michelin in Megève), president of the jury.
In line with this year’s selected theme, Secretary General of the prize Jean-Pierre Redont and Éric Birlouez, an agricultural engineer and sociologist in agriculture and food, are taking part in a conversation about the origins and history of the pig, but also the symbolism of this animal as well as its place in the human diet through the ages.