The Third Reto Moringa Competition awards green energy
On the fitting occasion of FITUR 2018, the International Tourism Fair, we presented the winner of the Third Reto Moringa Recipe competition to the public.
The winner was announced at the Paraguay stand, sponsored by the Minister of Tourism of Paraguay (Senatur) and the Latin American Academy of Gastronomy.
The winning recipe is the Moringa energy bar presented by Montse Toledo, who has been awarded the top prize of 1.000€.
Moringa oleifera is incorporated into this recipe as an infusion but also in leaf and powder form. The mixture is stored cold to maintain all its micronutrients and is blended with other healthy ingredients like manuka honey and cashew nuts, resulting in a practical composition of natural energy that brings together complete vegetable protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and healthy fats.
A total of 103 recipes were received for this Reto Moringa competition”.
The essence of its practical nutritional potential for every day use convinced the jury of the third Reto Moringa competition, comprising Rafael Ansón, President of the Latin American Academy of Gastronomy; Teresa Valero, Director de Information and Scientific Dissemination of the Spanish Nutrition Foundation; Alejandra Feldman, Food Journalist; María Marte, Michelin Two-starred Chef of Club Allard, and Elisa Escorihuela, Nutritionist and Founder of Nutt – Nutritional Board.
Marcela Bacigalupo, Minister of Tourism for Paraguay, who announced this year´s winning recipe, expressed her satisfaction at taking part in this initiative promoted by Moringa, “a natural element from Paraguay that is forging its own identity and prominence in nutrition and the sustainability of the environment”.
It was not an easy task to choose the winning recipe, because of the great increase in versatility in integrating the Moringa into our daily diet, which is, naturally, what we were hoping for”.
Representing the Latin American Academy of Gastronomy, Antonella Ruggiero, General Secretary, highlighted that “the Academy supports the gastronomical patrimony of our peoples, which is why we encourage the Yguá Project. It is wonderful that traditional ingredients such as Moringa are recovered and divulged. Our president, Rafael Ansón, is a leading promoter of this gastronomic capital”.
María del Carmen Figueras, Director of Moringa Guaraní, the company promoting the Reto Moringa, emphasised that the biodynamic certification of Moringa Yguá is “a plus for the nutritional value of the Moringa we produce in Pirareta, as biodynamic methods place value on the entire enormous potential of the species”.
A total of 103 recipes were received for this Reto Moringa competition. Teresa Valero acknowledged that: “The variety of recipes received is proof of what we already know: that the use of Moringa can be of benefit in all food groups; in batter, in sauces, as a broth for cooking, sprinkled, and as decoration etc.”.
“This is something we want to mention and take into account for the next competitions,” she concluded.
Biodynamic methods place value on the entire enormous potential of the species”.
Teresa Valero explained their choice of recipe from the nutritional perspective, and food journalist, Alejandra Feldman, expressed her satisfaction at the way the participants had substantially broadened the varied uses of Moringa, which in the previous 2 Challenges had been more limited.
Alejandra Feldman added, “It was not an easy task to choose the winning recipe, because of the great increase in versatility in integrating the Moringa into our daily diet, which is, naturally, what we were hoping for”.
Yguá Moringa wishes to thank all the participants in the #RetoMoringa2017 for the quality, creativity and dedication they have shown in their proposals for the uses of Moringa oleifera, known as the “tree of life”, and invites them to participate in the next Moringa Challenge, IV.
The winning recipe has been awarded the top prize of 1.000€.”
A selection of the recipes presented in the previous competition has been included in the Moringa I Cookbook, published and edited by Yguá Moringa Guaraní, which became the national winner in three categories of the 2017 Gourmand Awards, specifically in Health and Nutrition and Unique theme.