Calamansi Marmalade - Silver Medal
A calamansi-based marmalade with brandy won for the Philippines the silver medal in the recently concluded 2012 World Marmalade Championships in the United Kingdom.
The marmalade, done by Bacolod-based British chef Robert Harland, also marked the first time the Philippines was represented at the international championship.
“Harland’s marmalade scored 19 points out of a maximum of 20. He was edged out by Singaporean Sharon Lee Puay Ming, who won the gold medal,” the UK Embassy in Manila said.
The small citrus fruit calamansi is sometimes referred to as the Philippine lemon.
While the embassy noted calamansi is not too well-known in Europe, the judges at the competition “noted the marmalade’s unusual taste, but they enjoyed the flavor.”
“This is a great example of the UK and Philippines working together. A British national uses local produce to make marmalade in the Philippines that then wins an international award in England. It must taste good!” British Embassy Chargé d’ Affaires Trevor Lewis said as he congratulated Harland.
For his part, Harland said he heard one can make a “very decent” marmalade with calamansi.
He said he and his friends liked the taste and decided to try their luck in the championship.
“I had heard that one can make a very decent marmalade using calamansi so I decided to have a go. I liked the taste as did friends so when I heard about the championships I thought why not give it a go. But I knew that competition would be fierce with so many entries coming in from around the world,” said Harland.
Earlier, Harland had also presented Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon with the first jar of the locally-made marmalade.
Harland said he intends to join the competition again next year, with a slightly modified recipe using whisky rather than brandy.
The UK Embassy said organizers of the championship received over 1,700 entries from around the world.
The contest was part of a weekend-long marmalade festival held at the Dalemain Estate in England’s Lake District
Source:-
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...ubsection_item
