2019 is the 20th anniversary of D.O.M.To say the
least, it will be a special year for all of us. It’s time to
celebrate our successes but also renew our energies
and try new things to conquer the nextstages. And
to do everything while still keeping our high standards.
I’ve been connected with Amazonian cuisine, ingredients
and flavours ever since my early childhood.I believe that
the richness that comes from the forest and from all
other Brazilian biomes is the backbone to all my
work. The kitchen brought me amazing things and
the jungle is my everlasting fountain of inspiration.
Working with Brazilian ingredientsgives us the chance
to find new ingredients and different flavours every
single day. After all, we are talking about the greatest
and largest biodiversity in the world. I learnt years
ago that, in order to cook Brazilian cuisine, I’d have
to be open-minded and notjudge anyingredient
before tasting. That is a thought I still hold on to
today whenever I come across new ingredients in
Brazil or anywhere.
Right now, I’m really passionate aboutthe potential
of a type of giant vanilla with a scent that is truly
mesmerising. It’s called baunilha do Cerrado (vanilla
from Cerrado, a Brazilian biome). When speaking of
vanilla from Madagascar or Mexico, we’re talking pods
that weigh 10 to15 grams. One single Cerrado pod
can weigh 80 grams, and we’ve harvested some double
that weight. It also has a higher concentration of
vanillin – this makes it quite different from other
types, which usually have more of a tobacco scent.
It was around 2007 when I first had contact
with it, and I was surprised to discover such a wild,
untamed vanilla, and in that moment, a dream was
born: the Baunilha do Cerrado project. The project
encourages and trains the local Kalunga community➤
GOURMET TRAVELLER 55