Led by esteemed Magyar chef Tamás Széll, the Hungarian team earned two prestigious Bocuse d’Or prizes – for the best meat plate and the best promotional poster – in this high-pressure contest spanning two delightfully demanding days with participants from 24 countries. Overall, Hungary’s team ranked fourth on the list, ahead of host country France in fifth place. This year’s culinary contest saw fresh innovations, including an event challenging the chefs to create a vegan plate, alongside a dish that features Bresse chicken – a French poultry breed – and shellfish. Bresse chicken is a signature dish in French cuisine, and it proved to be the perfect choice to be served on a tray to celebrate the contest’s 30th anniversary.
Széll and his team had been intensively training for the competition, where the Magyar squad presented a vegan plate named “Roots & Leaves”, a fine composition created with such Hungarian ingredients as Tokaj wine, pumpkin seed, ramsons, celery, truffles, and paprika; meanwhile, the meat tray, presented under the title “The Hungarian Forest in Winter”, contained Tokaj Furmint and Aszú wine, Mangalica ham, bacon, pumpkin seed, duck liver, and paprika. We congratulate Széll and his team for their achievements – and those who would like to give a toast to them can head to Budapest’s Downtown Market Hall on January 29th, where an After Party is organized for the team and anyone who would like to celebrate with them.
