GIF Activity Package POTATO COMPETITION

Age group (1 ST class of the Professional Course for Food preparation)

Main purposes The main purposes of this Activity Package are the following: - Encouraging students’ participation and cooperation - Working in staff to realize a common project aimed at the preparation and presentation of a recipe based on a local and typical product (POTATO) of both Italy and Finland - Valorization of local food and products through the knowledge of its nutritional values and chemical properties and history

Materials used Local food products that can also be found on the Finnish market (potatoes, onions,beer,etc) Cookware and utensils

Procedure and results - The students are grouped into 4 teams, each consisting of 5 students of the Food Preparation Course - Each team prepares one recipe having POTATOES as the main ingredient - For each dish the team also chooses the best way to present and serve it

Procedure and results After selecting the ingredients the students proceed with the calculation of the right quantities needed and with the practical realization of the dishes. The final dish is aesthetically arranged in order to be presented in a pleasant and attractive way In order to examine more closely the nutritional functions of the potato carbohydrates, the analysis of the chemical characteristics of potatoes is carried out. The students also study and summarize the history of the potato

The history of the potato According to scholars, the cultivation of the potato goes back to more than five thousand years ago but the potato arrived in Europe only towards the end of the 16 th century, when the Spanish conquerors brought it to the old continent. Once imported, the potato was not immediately appreciated. Indeed, it took many years before it was accepted in the European banquets. At the end of 1780, the yellow tuber won mistrust and hostility and spread to every corner of Europe. Thanks to its nutritional properties, versatility and high productivity, the potato is the fourth largest crop in the world today and, in Italy, the second most widespread crop after the tomato. Nowadays the potato has no longer the image of " food for the poor " it used to have the past and it is appreciated as a low calories food, fat - and - cholesterol free, and a good source of fibers and vitamins.

Procedure and results The students describe to a group of teachers the dishes they have prepared. After tasting them, the teachers choose the winning recipe: “ Potatoes and onions braised in beer”

Discussion In the following days, the students are encouraged to discuss with their teachers the results of the competition and to translate the winning recipe into English for their Finnish partners, so that they can prepare it. With the help of their teacher, the students also list a series of suggestions to obtain the best result while preparing this dish.

Conclusion The results of the discussions allow teachers and students to understand what has gone well and what could be improved in a future similar activity. Our students expect now to know if their Finnish friends enjoy testing the recipe and the final outcome.

Serving: 10 persons Type of recipe: Traditional Italian recipe of the Trentino-Alto Adige region Type of dish: Side dish Category: Vegetables Period: All year round Cooking time: minutes “Potatoes and onions braised in beer”

Ingredients: Potatoes - 1,5 kg Beer (Lager) - 1 lt. Onions g. Cream – 100 g. Smoked bacon g. Black pepper - 3 g. Salt - a pinch “Potatoes and onions braised in beer”

Procedure: Clean, wash and slice the potatoes and onions. Lightly stew onions and combine them with the potatoes in a saucepan. Add the cream and beer, smooth taste with salt and pepper.

Finely chop the bacon and with this coat the inside of a clay pot, a pan with edges that are not too high or a stencil portion.

Arrange on the bottom layers of potatoes and sliced ​​ onions, salt and pepper and continue until ending all of the ingredients. Pour and finish with beer and cream.

Close the molds with the bacon.

Bake in a preheated oven at ° C. until the potatoes are soft. Serve in a hot pot with bay leaves as a garnish.

Suggestions for a good result: - To prepare this recipe it is advisable to buy floury potatoes, which are drier and more suitable to be used for mashed potatoes, dumplings, pies. Being floury and dry, they will absorb more liquid, such as the cream contained in the recipe. - If we want to prepare a lighter pie, we can replace half of the cream with milk. - The floury potatoes are the ones with white pulp, generally round in shape. They cook more quickly than those with yellow pulp, which are harder and more compact, and best used for frying. An alternative to white potatoes may be the red ones, suitable for all uses. - Never prepare pies with new potatoes, which are too watery.

Activity Package produced and developed by: Istituto Santachiara – Stradella (PV) – Italy: Proff. Silvano Vanzulli - Antonella Buttazzoni – Luisa Quaroni