Fancy Food Show Part 4: The Parties

There are always after-hours events at the FFS.  I attended three of them.

The Polish Union of Producers and Employers of the Meat Industry (UPEMI) held a press conference followed by a banquet in celebration of “Tradition, Quality, and European Taste.” During the  press conference, I learned that a settlement of the meat trade dispute between the US and EU was announced in March 2012, resulting in a lifting of the ban on European meat imports into the US since 1997.  All parties are anticipating a liberalization of the market, bringing opportunities and challenges for the EU and Poland.

The Polish meat industry was determined to show us what they could provide, and they did a great job of it.  The banquet was held in the Hyatt Regency Washington, with separate buffet tables of meat dishes and vegetables.

The place of honor was given to a display of hams, complete with their own chef.

In addition to more conventional choices, the dessert buffet was crowned with a most unusual cake.

The tree cake also came with its own waiter, who explained that it was made on a spindle, layer by layer, and spun while baking.  When sliced, it resembles a tree’s growth rings and outer bark.  The cake, or Sekacz, tradition, dates back to the 14th century.

The other two parties had a lot to live up to.  The Egyptian party was held at the Economic and Commercial Bureau of the Embassy of Egypt.  It had tables full of products from Egypt, all appropriate for party food: olives (many kinds), cheese, jam, cookies, pickles, artichokes, hummus, chickpeas, and other goodies.  There were also passed finger foods.

The Austrian party was the same night, in a nightclub in Georgetown.  We cabbed it there and were rewarded with traditional Austrian food: bratwurst and sauerkraut, pork and spaetzle, wiener-schnitzel, something else (my notes and pictures were both fuzzy by this point!)  We were too tired to wait for dessert.  We were partied out!