Vintage Destinations - New Zealand, A New Culinary Cornucopia

New Zealand
A New Culinary Cornucopia

By Michael Vaughan
Weekly National Post Columnist
(also featured in Wine Access Magazine)
links have been updated in 2014

Before I even set foot in New Zealand, I knew something special was happening. It concerned what was being served for dinner aboard Air New Zealand Business Class service. In addition to the sparkling china and beautiful coloured-glass bowls, the specially created menu developed by New Zealand's leading chefs focused on locally grown ingredients with premium wines.

You may well be familiar with the reliable New Zealand standbys such as lamb, orange roughy and giant green-lipped mussels, which excel in this land of plenty What most don't know is how the three million citizens of this thinly-populated Garden of Eden have zipped forward, producing some of the most highly-prized foodstuffs in the world.

All food lovers know that France is the home of the Pèrigord black truffle (tuber melanosporum), which abounds in the limestone-rich, alkaline soil hills to just south of the Massif Central. How many are aware that in 1987 New Zealand's first truffiere (pronounced true-fee-air) or truffle plantation was established by Dr. Ian Hall under climatic conditions that mimic those in the Mediterranean?

By July 1993, a handful of farm raised genuine Pèrigord truffles were harvested in New Zealand, the first in the Southern Hemisphere. They were unearthed by Tosca the truffle hound, who found 1 1/2 kilograms - the largest weighing in at 475 grams. Unfortunately, it has taken almost another decade for these initial efforts to prove their commercial viability Today, there are dozens of truffle farmers, with the crop fetching up to $3000 NZ per kilo!

Tony Adcock, owner of the Harbourside Restaurant in Auckland,
and chief culinary consultant for Air New Zealand

As if taking on French truffles wasn't enough, local growers are now challenging Italy's premium extra virgin olive oil producers. Marlborough is New Zealand's leading olive-oil producing region and is situated at the northern end of the South Island. Best known is Ponder Estate, whose holdings comprise 10 hectares in the heart of Marlborough's famous wine-growing area. (2014 update - unfortunately it is no longer being produced)

They planted their first olive trees in 1989 and by 1994 had their first commercial pressing. Like wine, olive oil varies dramatically from region to region, vintage to vintage and tree to tree. The Barnea, Manzanillo, Nabali Mahousan and Frantoio are some of the key varieties grown in New Zealand.

How well do they stack up? Well that depends on which brand we are talking about. There may be up to one hundred producers in New Zealand. I brought a small collection of favourites back to Canada for a comparative blind taste test with Jamie Kennedy, owner/chef of the JK ROM in Toronto. The stunning, extremely elegant, fresh, slightly grassy flavours of Blumenfeld Extra Virgin Olive Oil swept us off our collective feet. Look for Batch T004 that was first cold pressed in 2000. Try their previous web site is not working - try foodlovers.

It is befitting that the late Dr. Gidon Blumenfeld, father of New Zealand's olive industry, would win. In 1986, he was the first to import mother trees from the "world collection" in Cordoba, Spain, as well as the research centre of Israel. While production has increased significantly, the industry is still small, struggling to supply discerning buyers from around the globe.

Moo-ving on, I was stunned to discover that New Zealand also has, what might well be, the happiest cows in the world. They were munching themselves crazy on natural organic grasses planted by a path-breaking cattle farmer just south of Auckland. I was told that these very low fat steaks were the world’s tastiest. Naturally, I was skeptical that any low-fat sirloin could be tasty or tender - after all, it's the fat that gives the meat these characteristics.

Well, how wrong I was. I almost fell off my chair when Cambrian owners Julia and Ewan Campbell plunked me down not only the tastiest and tenderest, but also the lowest-fat pieces of beef I have had the pleasure to savour. Their previous web sitewww.cambrianmeats.co.nz is no longer working - try http://www.ecofarm.co.nz

Total fat content comparison of different beefs

I brought samples back to Canada for comparative blind tastings with key Canadian chefs. Executive chef Jean-Pierre Chalet at Toronto's chi-chi Windsor Arms Hotel was amazed at Cambrian's terrific tenderness and flavours. The New Zealand sirloin beat out the other two contestants - Canadian Sterling and Chicago-based Bruss corn-fed US Prime.

The more I tasted, the more I discovered that there is a tremendous variety of fine new products awaiting - from avocado oil, locally-grown saffron, some of the world's finest honey (an immense variety from Rata and Kamahi Manuka and Blue Borage), sublime cheddar cheeses, new varieties of chestnuts, and on and on.

It seems that suddently from out of nowhere New Zealand has ascended to the culinary main stage.

Copyright: Food & Beverage Testing Institute of Canada 2003
Prior written permission is required for any form of reproduction
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Contact Michael Vaughan at
mbv@total.net