MLA, a producer-owned marketing and research company for the Australian cattle and livestock industry, presented The Lambassador Initiative, a global project that identifies influential food professionals who are passionate about cooking with Australian lamb. Renowned as one of the world's leading sheep producers, Australia excels as one of the leading sheepmeat exporters globally.
Australian lamb is celebrated for its consistent high quality and great flavour. Lean and tender, Australian lamb is containing key nutrients important for a balanced diet. In Thailand, lamb consumption has been growing steadily due to factors such as the increasing popularity of a diversity of cuisines, a growing middle class, and rising incomes, aided by the availability of Australian lamb in supermarkets and restaurants.
"In the present day, Australia has approximately 78.75 million sheep. Australian sheep are 'renowned for their natural upbringing', grazing on native grass, surrounded by clean water sources, free from synthetic additives, and hormone-free, making Australian lamb a truly natural product. Moreover, there have been developments in breeding and production processes to obtain Prime Lamb, which are young sheep, up to around 12 months of age, averaging a carcase weight of 25 kilograms. They also offer a unique taste and a tender, succulent meat texture," said Spencer Whitaker, MLA's market development manager for the Asia-Pacific region.
The Lambassador campaign, a flagship MLA program, works to encourage global lamb consumption through partnerships with influential food professionals like Lambassador Yakup-Tharit Tangsongsirisak who had his fair share of Michelin-starred restaurants and celebrity chef experiences and now Lambassador Art-Pakpoum Suwarnatemiya in Thailand, offering lamb masterclasses, innovative recipes, and exclusive promotions with retail and foodservice partners.
"In today's world, which appears to be narrowing down and increasingly more accessible, if a genuine taste of Australian lamb is well presented to consumers, there will certainly be high demands for the meat as consumers are more open to try new ingredients. However, there needs to be guidance and the introduction of quality products. Visiting high-quality Australian lamb farms, which demonstrate careful attention to detail including the environment, food, and the dedication of producers or farmers, helps build greater confidence in Australian lamb products. The Aussie Meat Academy & The Big Lamb Feast event aims to offer participants not only knowledge about Australian lamb but also a new culinary experience especially for the secondary cuts. This event brings together the culinary cultures of various nations and styles such as Indian, Spanish, American, smoked, and a Thai lamb noodle dish, which has not been in the culinary scene before, showing that there is no need to rely solely on loin cuts or prime cuts to create delicious dishes. You can prepare diverse and tasty lamb recipes using affordable cuts. It also highlights the versatility of Australian lamb that many may not have realised," said Art-Pakpoum Suwarnatemiya.
At The Big Lamb Feast by Lambassadors, Art-Pakpoum, Thailand's latest Lambassador, along with three other celebrity chefs, presents an exceptional menu featuring the following dishes: Pulled Lamb Carnitas and Smoked Lamb by Chef Billy, Lamb Biryani and Lamb Masala by Chef Rouf, Lamb Thai-style Noodle Soup by Art-Pakpoum, and Deep-dish Pizza by Chef Yakup.
"We are slowly smoking an entire lamb, each part of which has its own unique flavour and texture. Cooking the lamb in its entirety combines all the flavours and textures for an unparalleled dining experience. An entire smoked lamb takes 9+ hours to create, which is very technical and requires several chefs to pay very close attention to. We are also creating a slow cooked Mexican style 'carnitas' with lamb shoulder. This dish is normally prepared with pork, so in order to do it correctly
with lamb the chefs will require special skills and special copper pots. We will make tacos with this tender, juicy, and crispy lamb that is sure to wow," Chef Billy Bautista from Billy's Smokehouse discussed his culinary creations.
Source: 4D Communications