Nguyen Chu, a Viet kieu informatics expert, defeated his native contenders in a slow-food contest in Italy, where the concept of slow food –food to relish, in contrast to fast food – originated, with a unique dish seasoned with his home country’s nuoc mam (fish sauce).

Chu, who trained in informatics at the Polytechnic University of Torino on a scholarship, currently holds a high position at the ITW Test and Measurement Corporation’s Italian branch.

He defeated other native contenders to win the first prize of the annual cooking contest for nonprofessional cooks called ‘Play with Food,’ which was held by the slow-food organization Torino By Gnam (Cuisine in Torino) late last month.

“I’m so passionate about cooking and inquisitive about the cuisine culture as well. For me, cooking doesn’t only mean appetizing dishes but also making the best of natural ingredients and spices instead of ‘plug and play’ ready-made ones,” Chu, who was born in Vietnam’s central Quang Nam province and has lived in Torino for more than 40 years, shared.

This is the first time Chu has taken part in a cooking competition to see how good he is at preparing slow-food dishes and to please his daughter, who spurred him on.

His prized dish at the competition is called Magret de canard à l’orange (Filet of duck breast with orange), a French dish which originated in Italy.

“I took a huge risk with such a familiar dish. I then decided to ‘revolutionize’ it   by flambéeing some fish sauce over the meat while sautéeing it,” Chu shared his ‘secret.’

His creativity was highly appreciated by the judges, who awarded him with the highest prize.

“I was told when I was young that Westerners couldn’t stand the smell of nuoc mam, but now I realize they love it as much as we do, as long as we show them how to use it properly,” Chu noted.

He then began seasoning Italian delicacies with nuoc mam. He also plans to make the best of nuoc mam at an upcoming cuisine show on rice in Vercelli.

Slow food returns

Though regarding cooking as his hobby only, Chu is especially dedicated to slow food, which he stressed is one of Italy’s remarkable contributions to cuisine.

Slow food originated in Torino, which is home to the Fiat car company and is now a non-profit cuisine hotspot.

In recent years, the slow food trend has been spreading fast as a counterpoint to the unhealthy fast food movement, which emerged some decades ago and has enjoyed remarkable popularity since.

“The fast-food style also deprives people of the chance to relish the dishes, which is one of the greatest pleasures in life,” Chu noted.

There are now a good number of businesses and cattle-raising ranches in Western countries which have adopted the slow-food philosophy, steering clear of harmful growth stimulants and other health-damaging substances and making the most of natural ingredients, as well as being environmentally-friendly, Chu added.

According to Chu, the slow food movement stemmed from Cuneo, near Torino, which is one of the cradles of Italian haute cuisine, including Italian champagne and world-famous tartuffo, a kind of mushroom.

The slow food movement in Torino gave rise to scores of projects which ‘renovated’ Italian deluxe cuisine, such as the GROM ice cream company and the Eataly supermarket chain.