FORMAT and the Traditional Green Vegetable Cook-off

The goals of FORMAT.  Organic resources that were overlooked or taken for granted in the past are now becoming recognized as valuable assets by farmers and entrepreneurs.  In the belief that substantial gains are being made in the use of organic resources but that these accomplishments are insufficiently communicated among farmers, entrepreneurs, agricultural extension specialists, grassroots organizations, policy makers and research scientists, a two-day national forum on Organic Resource Management and Agricultural Technologies (FORMAT) was held in Nairobi, September 2000. 

FORMAT attracted 150 participants, mostly from Kenya but also included invitees from Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda. The event consisted of 32 technical presentations and 76 exhibits and was open to the general public during its second afternoon. The importance and use of traditional green vegetables emerged as an important area for future efforts as several participants expressed the need for information and quality planting materials.  This topic was therefore incorporated into the REFORMAT event planned for November of the following year (2001), resulting in the preparation of this booklet.

The Traditional Green Vegetable Cook-off.  During REFORMAT, a cooking contest will be held.  Entries must primarily consist of indigenous leafy green vegetables that are boiled, fried or steamed and must be prepared start-to-finish in 1 hour and 15 minutes within a single pot.  Each contestant will be provided similar cooking facilities but must supply their own pot, utensils and ingredients.  Each entry must be accompanied by a list of ingredients and recipe and will be judged shortly after preparation.  These entries form the basis of this booklet and many, but not all, of the contributors were invited to compete in the REFORMAT Traditional Green Vegetable Cook-off held at The Village Market, Nairobi on 9 November 2001.

Entries are permitted the use of non-indigenous plants, herbs and spices, but excess dependence upon non-traditional ingredients will be penalized during judging.  The following ingredients are strictly forbidden; meat, fish, cheese, canned products, noodles, arrowroot (corms) and cassava roots (due to the lengthy cooking time necessary to detoxify these materials). Entrants may be called upon by to taste their own entries before judging. No more than 10 recipes were entered for judging with only one entry allowed per participant.  Professional cooks were excluded from this competition.