The 18th international Cous Cous Fest for cultural integration starts on Thursday in San Vito Lo Capo.
Ten countries will be taking part: Brazil, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Mauritius, Palestine, Senegal, the United States and Tunisia will be facing off at the most prestigious part of the festival.
For Brazil there will be Christopher Cabicieri, who manages
the Zuza restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, who will be making
couscous with broccoli, octopus and red-hot chili peppers.
For France there will be Jean-Roch Audion from the Edgar
restaurant in Saint-Laurent du Var, who will be presenting
'Couscous Constantin' with fava beans, carrots, zucchini,
cucumbers, chickpeas and tomatoes.
For Israel there will once again be chef Boaz Cohen with 'The
Colors of Jerusalem' and its chickpeas, chicken, carrots,
spinach and dried apricots.
Italy will be represented by San Vito chef Rocco Pace, who
heads up the restaurant 'Crik e Crok', alongside the Lombard
chef Stefano De Gregorio, winner of the Italian BIA couscous
championship.
For Morocco there will be Suede Barouz, born in Essauoira
(Morocco) but who has lived in San Vendemiano (Treviso) for 28
years, with a recipe of using meat, zucchini, carrots, pumpkin
and lettuce.
For the first time in San Vito Lo Capo there will also be the
Mauritius islands with Vinod Sookar, head chef of the
Michelin-starred Fornello da Ricci in Ceglie Messapica
(Brindisi), who will be presenting a couscous with Trapani
shrimp, curry and lemongrass cooked in glassware.
Palestine will be represented by the Jerusalem chef Jack
Antar with a couscous including beef, carrots, peppers, zucchini
and eggplant.
Competing for Senegal will be Maremma Cisse, the chef of
Ginger People&Food, a restaurant inside the Farm Cultural Park
in Favara (Agrigento), which offers specialties of African
cuisine. The cook - a member of the social cooperative Al
Kharub, was started to foster social and cultural integration of
non-European immigrants - will offer a version of couscous that
reflects his homeland's traditions.
The US is fielding two female chefs: Sara Kramer, co-chef and
owner of Madcapra, a 'falafel shop' inside the Grand Central
Market in Los Angeles, and Pamela Young, co-owner and baker at
'Semilla' a mostly vegetarian restaurant in Brooklym.
For Tunisia there will be Fethi Kahlaoui, executive chef at
the Caribbean World Beach and Garden Hotel in Hammamet, helped
by Wichtati Bilel with stuffed squid couscous.
As part of the Cous Cous Fest, which runs through Sunday,
there will be cooking shows, debates with experts and wine and
food specialists and evening open-air concerts.
After Caparezza, Elio e le Storie Tese and Vinicio Capossela,
on Thursday there will be Marracash, one of Italy's most well
known rappers.
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