Cooking from food waste in Poland
On Monday 22 October, the Circular Economy Week in Warsaw organized a workshop related to food waste which was well attended. Intended to show participants what delicacies can be created when giving food a second life, the event also had a serious undertone: food waste is a waste of resources, an ethical problem, contributes to climate change and if that sounds unconvincing, is bad for the wallet of every individual involved.
Remains as ingredients
As to the cooking itself, at first, the cooking ingredients did look unpromising: wilted salad, chick peas past their due date, shriveled carrots and blemished radish and apples, and some fine looking mushrooms. These were remains of a daily market, which were perfectly safe to eat but because of their appearance would not be bought anymore and would therefore -very sadly- be thrown away. Using them, Chef Jakub Emanuel Maleof from Novotel improvised a delicious vegetarian curry with side dish and sauce to be tasted by participants. Polish blogger Sylwia Majcher, who focuses also on food waste in her blog, also attended the event and helped to prepare a fruit filled desert. While having the dinner, a meaningful discussion among participants emerged on the ways food waste happens and how it might be prevented.
Unfortunately, in Poland each year still 9 million tonnes of food is wasted, according to 2006 estimates. To learn more of the reasons behind the occurrence of food waste and what is being done in Poland to combat food waste, please read more in our article “Food waste in Poland”.
Food Waste Event, Circular Economy Week in Warsaw, Poland
Note: anyone who recognizes him/herself on the movie and does not want to appear please send an email to war-lnv@minbuza.nl