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Lifestyle
| Bel-Air
香
港人近年響應世界各地的本土農產市集文
化,開始遠離不健康的快餐,改為購
買有機農作物帶回家煮食。數碼港
週末藝墟、港島東農墟與Green Queen市集
推動我們的城市進行飲食革命,講求健康、
惠及社區與環保可持續性之餘,更重要是
讓大家對食物重新投入熱情。
天天新鮮
麵包師GregoireMichaud一手創辦Bread
Elements麵包工場,他相信飲食潮流會轉
變,但亦有一些食品是任何時候都受歡迎的,
所以看市場需求之餘,食物有質素始終是重點所
在。他的手製麵包使用傳統古法,將天然酵母菌加入
麵糰烘焙,沒有化學成份,對消化系統特別有益。他了解現時香
港人對飲食的看法,指出﹕「我們不能將香港與外國飲食相提並
論,香港有自家獨一無二的飲食文化。」
我喜歡與農夫們
交朋友,我確切
地感受到他們對
農作物的熱情。
Renowned as gourmet paradise,HongKong stays on the
pulse of international culinary trends, including the global
shift towards organic fare. Fàbrega says that the number
of local organic farms has increased fromonly 20organic
farms a decade ago to 451 today, a clear sign that consumers
are demanding chemical-free food.He says, “HongKong
people have a sophisticatedpalate and are always looking
for the freshest, tastiest products. Food that is locally,
sustainably grown tastes better because it doesn’t travel as
far, is picked closer to its peak ripeness and retains flavour
andnutritional value.”
Farmers’markets are theperfect solution toHongKong’s
increasing food safety and environmental concerns, offering
an alternative to conventional supermarkets, and allowing
consumers tomeet suppliers of their organic, freshvegetables
inperson.Not only are theyusuallymore affordable and
nutritious, they alsohave a lower environmental impact
comparedwith conventional farming,which tends touse
chemicals, antibiotics andhormones.
Thevarietyat farmers’markets is ahighlight,with
thousandsof vegetables available, includingunusual offerings
like red carrots andpurple cauliflower,whichwouldnever
ordinarilygrace supermarket shelves. Fàbrega says, “My
favourite thing is interactingwith local farmers. I enjoy
learningaboutwhat theygrow, how theygrow it and their
cooking secrets!The farmers’market is funand canbe a
不過Gregoire承認週末市集的產品比起外地進
口貨的確較為優勝,它們大部份都是手造、有機
而且本地生產。他道﹕「超級市場全年出售的
蔬果類離不開20款,當中更可能包含大量農
藥。供應當季時令產物,應該由農夫作主
導,而不是像當下的情況,由市場需求決
定一切。」
外地進口食品佔香港銷售市場的很
大比例,推動綠色飲食要面對一定挑
戰,Gregoire指出香港很多酒店和餐廳都喜
歡採用外國食品多於本地農產。他說﹕「本地
新鮮農產應被視為均衡健康飲食的一部份,我寧
可光顧本地農場也不買那些聲稱有機的外國產品。
經加工的食品通常有過量色素、防腐劑、鹽、糖與植物
性脂肪。」
Gregoire最享受香港週末市集依然保留以物易物的傳統,他解
釋道﹕「商販們給你一件他們賣的東西,你又送他一件你自己的貨
weekendactivity for thewhole family. It’s
theperfect opportunity to support local
farmers, the economyand tobring the
community together.”
NurturingTradition
Anotherway to improveHongKong’s
foodculture is toencouragecookingat
home.AngelaSayell, founderofPantry
Providore, aproducerofhandmade
preserves, pickles andpastries, observes
thatwhile the typical executive lifestyle
favours convenienceandeatingout,
the situationhasbegun tochange. She
says, “Local kitchenswerenotdesigned
for entertaining.Nowmanymodern
apartmentsprovide themeans to
cookand theyoungergenerationare
embracing this.”
Sayell takespride inherhandcrafted
goodscomprising seasonal ingredients
andusing limited sugar, salt and fat. Shemakeseach small batch
four to sixweeks inadvanceof themarket toensuregoodsare
inpeakconditionwhenpurchased.The fun lies indiscovering
which items sell out fastest at themarket, and shealso loves the
camaraderie. She recalls, “Wewerecaught in thepouring rain
at lastNovember it createdawonderful atmospherebetween
customersandother stallholders.”
Organisersofweekendmarkets tend tounderstand that
stall pricesneed tobe reasonable for small artisanproducers to
break even, let alonemake a small profit. Sayell enjoys tasting
the samples and learningabout newways touse foods that
aren’t immediatelyobvious.After speakingwithother suppliers
she learnhow tousequince asnot onlyanaccompaniment to
cheese, but as anaddition to fruit tarts, a stuffing ingredient
andglaze for roastmeats. She encourages experimentingand
has learnt to replace redcurrantswhenmaking jamwith locally
grown roselle, traditionallyused forherbal tea,whichmakes a
deliciouspreserve.
Customer recommendations alsoprovideSayellwithplenty
ofnewways toworkwithherownproducts, and shehopes to
passonher culinaryenthusiasm toher children. She says, “As a
parent, I try to set agoodexamplebygetting thekids involved
preparingandcooking simpledishes athome from scratch.
Have fun sharing tipswith friends and family.Anutritious,
healthymeal canbecookedeasilywithin30minutes andcost
less thaneatingout, or a frozenor takeawaymeal.”
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Lifestyle