Martin with one of his European finger food dish cooked with Malaysian palm oil.
KUCHING: Renowned French chef David Martin has been promoting palm oil in the streets of Paris.
According to a press statement, Martin distributed nearly 200 dishes of Potato Churros with a Choron Sauce, Spicy Chicken Wings, and Fish and Chips with Palm Oil Vinaigrette within an hour.
“This was an excellent opportunity for French people to get to know palm oil better. In France, palm oil is not well known or well understood. We cannot grow oil palm in Europe, and people cook with local oils instead such as sunflower, rapeseed or olive oil. As a result, palm oil has been the focus of some fear in Europe, and negative campaigns and misunderstandings are prevalent,” he remarked.
“The best way to counter misunderstanding in my experience is through education and experience, especially if the experience is fun. On Feb 11, we took the Palm Oil Food Truck to Place de la Défense in Paris – the main business district. I cooked three European finger food with a Malaysian twist,” he said.
The three dishes were all cooked using Malaysian palm oil.
“That was a golden opportunity for the people of Paris to see and experience palm oil instead of just reading about it. The crowd was so pleased and I even gave away to them some of my personal stock of palm oil.”
“I had many enlightening conversations with my fellow French citizens about palm oil. Some were genuinely curious as they had never tasted palm oil before; some were cautious because they had read negative stories about it from some media campaigns here in France. Some were just hungry! Fortunately, most people were open to the idea of trying something new and challenging their prejudices.”
Martin’s work on palm oil is supported by renowned scientist and cardiothoracic surgeon Dr Guy-André Pelouze who provided the scientific and health advice.
Vitamin A (converted from betacarotenes found in palm oil) is necessary for healthy skin and mucous membranes, our immune system, and good eye health and vision.
Martin, who is the son of the TV celebrity Jacques Martin, is a famous French cook, celebrity and former TV host on major French television culinary shows.
He runs and manages restaurants near Paris, and two restaurants in Cambodia next to the Angkor temples where he has lived for a couple of years.