Anyone who is not familiar with Snackmasters urgently needs further training. This series, on the Belgian channel VTM, is a must-watch on every foodie’s list. During the series, eight chefs compete against each other to recreate seven iconic snacks. They are expected to deliver the perfect copy in just 48 hours. First up? The Zwanworstje, of course!
The principle of Snackmasters is simple: make a perfect copy of a well-known snack in 48 hours. And while that idea may seem simple, it is anything but. Because such a well-known snack is of course full of secrets that have been kept under lock and key for years. A challenge, but that makes it really nice to watch. After two days, two chefs stand nose to nose during the cook off. A jury full of experts then judges the snack.
Fungus sausages in the spotlight
The wonderful Hasselt, the city of taste and the Hasselste jenever, is the permanent setting of the exciting cook off this year. Whoever wins there will advance to the final. Now it remains to be seen who will make it to the final and who will be crowned the ultimate Snackmaster of the year
During the first episode, TV chef Loïc Van Impe and chef Stijn Rotthier from brasserie Fortuin in Kontich had to compete against each other to make the best zwan sausage. And those famous sausages are made in Os, the Netherlands. TV personality and true foodie Bockie De Repper and the frontman of Bazart, who is also a foodie through and through, Matthieu Terryn present the show and go to the Netherlands to see how things are going in the Zwanfabriek. There they see with their own eyes how the sausages are made from A to Z.
How on earth do you start with that?
When the Zwansausages rolled out of the box in the chefs’ kitchen, they both looked wide-eyed. What was initially labeled as a simple sausage became an enormous challenge. They had to find out which parts of the pig are actually used, what the texture is like, how the juice gets the right taste, what fat you use for such a sausage, and so on. And the candidates were happy with that. The 48 hours allotted suddenly seemed to tick away much faster than usual. They were evenly matched and used completely different methods. When the jury full of swan experts tasted and approved the sausages after the cook-off, they chose their winner. This time it was Loïc Van Impe!
Curious about the continuation of this fun snack race? Then you can visit Vtm every Wednesday at 8:40 PM to discover how well-known snacks are actually made.
