The President of the Zwiakze Polskie Mieso (Polish Meat Union) Mr. Witold Choinski delivering his welcome remarks
The Chief Veterinary Officer of Poland Mr. Wlodzimierz Skorupski
Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr. Rafal Romanowski delivering his brief remarks before the opening of the culinary workshop; on the extreme left is renowned chef Mr. Marcin Budynek and on the extreme right is the translator
Ambassador Paez during the culinary workshop following instructions from the chefs
Preparing the sauce before grilling the Polish steak
On the left is chef Mr. Piotr Olechno who is also one of the owners of a restaurant called Koku Sushi with several branches in Poland
Cookimg the sauce made of tomatoes and honey
The group giving a thumbs-up for Polish beef
Ambassador Paez and her group mates during the cooking session with renowned chef Mr. Marcin Budynek
Ambassador Paez gave chef Mr. Budynek a copy of the Philippine cookbook entitled Kulinarya, a CD of Philippine music, a bottle of VuQo and Philippine tourism brochures
A demonstration on how a “home” for bees is made by carving out the wood from a tree trunk
Ambassador Paez in a huddle with Mr. Choinski and another official after the official luncheon
Philippine envoy to Poland Ambassador Patricia Ann V. Paez forged links with the officers and members of the Polish Meat Union (Zwiazek Polskie Mieso) during the promotional event organized by its president Mr. Witold Choinski in Radziejowice last June 16.
The promotional event dubbed as “Polish Meat-The Flavorful Ambrosia” was held under the Honorary Patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Development and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
Zwiazek Polskie Mieso is the largest Polish non-government organization which brings together and represents the economic interests of entities operating in the meat sector.
After the welcome remarks by Mr. Choinski and Poland’s Chief Veterinary Officer Mr. Wlodzimierz Skorupski, a short video was played which showed that the “cutting-edge infrastructure and machinery in the Polish meat processing plants guarantee that the output is of uniformly exceptional quality.”
After the opening remarks of Undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Mr. Rafal Romanowski, a culinary workshop using Polish beef followed under the primary guidance of famous Polish chef Mr. Marcin Budynek. Guests were divided into groups and each member “apprenticed” under the direct supervision of Mr. Budynek and his other chefs-colleagues. A short visit to a honeybee production “farm” and an official luncheon, featuring different dishes using Polish beef, followed.
The officials of the Polish Meat Union inquired about the beef market in the Philippines and expressed interest in exporting beef to the country. Ambassador Paez subsequently wrote to the officials and provided them with the Polish translation of the briefing paper on how to export meat and meat products to the Philippines which was provided by the Office of the Undersecretary for International Economic Relations (OUIER) of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
Based on having tasted the several dishes which were served featuring the Polish beef and on the steak which Ambassador Paez was taught how to cook during the event, the lady envoy found that the Polish beef is as juicy, tender, and at par with the beef which the Philippines imports from Australia, the US, Japan and South Korea.
The following are key facts from the Polish Meat Union:
- The present total number of cattle in Poland is estimated at about 8 million, which means that there are 39 animals per 100 hectares of utilized agricultural area and the total constitutes 4.4% of the total European cattle headcount.
