JAPAN and the WORLD Magazine JANUARY ISSUE 2016 #Issue 14 | Page 67

GASTRODIPLOMACY
COLOMBIA
For example, in the cooking lessons offered
by the Embassy, participants are introduced
to Colombian history; learning a variety of
traditional and contemporary recipes, attendees
experience first-hand the subtlety of Columbian
flavors. Moreover, by doing so they get insights
into the interaction of European, South
American and African gastronomic traditions
and on how it is expressed in Colombian cuisine.
The most representative Gastro-diplomacy event
organized by the Embassy of Colombia in 2015 was
the Colombian Gastronomic Week. For an entire
week in August, at the Ambassador’s Residence,
a series of lunches and dinners were prepared
by two of the best-known Columbia chefs: Mrs.
Antonuela Ariza and Mr. Eduardo Martinez, who
came to Japan especially to cook for the Japanese
commensals. With a long trajectory of working with
local communities across Colombia, Mrs. Ariza and
Mr. Martinez have learned preparations of dishes
that were in danger of disappearing because of the
massive use of new technologies and the advent
of fast food. As part of their culinary project, they
have undertaken the task of extensively researching
little-known Colombian products, their nutritional
properties and suitable preparations.
Among the products Mrs. Ariza and Mr. Martinez
presented the subtle Bogotá tea, discovered by
the first European explorers in Latin America,
and a wide range of products from the Colombian
Amazon such as camu-camu, tucupí and copoasú.
During the 2015 Colombian Gastronomic Week,
Mrs. Arisa and Mr. Martinez showcased the
results of their gastronomic experiments to
Japanese chefs, food connoisseurs and gourmet
curators, who together, with representatives from
the Japanese media were happy to familiarize
themselves with Colombia’s products, biodiversity
and culinary traditions.
The other two Gastrodiplomatic events,
organized in 2015, are worth mentioning. First,
the collaboration between Korean Chef Tae
Hwan Ryu, and the Embassy Chef Mr. Lessier
Guerrero. The Chefs prepared a meal featuring
a diverse range of Colombian organic products,
such as organic Palm Tree Oil and organic
banana, brought to Japan by Daabon Organic
Japan. Finally, a Coffee Food-Pairing experience
was presented as a part of the Colombian National
Day in the Ambassador´s Residence. Coffee from
various regions in Colombia was served with
different kinds of food, to enh