Foraging for food with Joe McCloud!
Last month tutor Hughie Blues and ākonga undertaking the NZC in Cookery (Level 4) got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to head up north to Te Uri o Hina Marae, Pukepoto near Ahipara for a wānanga on traditional Māori cuisine with Chef Joe McLoud.
The students were taken into the bush where, with Joe’sguidance and knowledge, they were able to forage 70 different types of plantswith which to cook. Joe taught the students how to identify each plant, and thefood items they were traditionally used with.
Back at the marae, the students then prepared food for alarge group attending a wānanga, working not only with Chef Joe and their tutorChef Hughie, but also with two other renowned chefs, Adrian and Asher.
Despite the focus on pre-colonial cooking techniques, therewere still some modern adaptions. A kai cooker was used, rather than thetraditional hangi, due to the fire ban in place. Beef, lamb, pork, goat, andchicken were used as the proteins, along with a range of seafood.
Throughout the wānanga, less traditional foods were also made and ākonga learnt to make bagels from scratch as well as other meals.
