Chef Fred Ming believes Bermuda's chefs need to give visitors more of a taste of the Island recipes that call for Bermudian produce.

While attending the World Association of Cooks annual meeting held recently in Melbourne, Australia Mr. Ming saw first hand how the country used what they had locally to create mouth watering dishes which visitors, who may be bit sceptical, dare to try.

"Some of the topics discussed were how chefs can prepare themselves for the next millennium with Australian red meats, the kangaroo, emu, ostrich and water buffalo along with various wild herbs and spices,'' he said.

"There were various food stands with unusual items like kangaroo sausages and roasted emu with wild lemon myrtle and bunya nuts.'' Mr. Ming who is a lecturer at Bermuda College and president of the Chefs Association said Bermuda contains a `melting pot' of local ingredients which are not used very often.

"When one asks what is Bermuda cooking, the answer is food that is found locally such as fish, fowl, pork and many wild herbs like fennel, rosemary, lemon grass, father John and elder bush to name a few,'' he said.

"We have plenty of fresh vegetables such as pumpkin, sweet potatoes, green leaf vegetables and tomatoes. Fruit wise we have limes, pink grapefruit, pineapple, oranges, loquats, cherries, bay grapes and plums.

"Some of our vegetables used to be exported like the potatoes, tomatoes, and onions. The term Bermuda onion can still be found on some menus in the US,'' Mr. Ming said.

He added in early days fish was considered our staple food.

"I think it is a shame that with all the many ways fish is farmed today and the amount of shellfish that are located around our shores we are not encouraging fisherman.

"Government needs to encourage fisherman in their endeavours so that we can have a good supply of fish rather than relying on the outside world to supply us with these things.'' Mr. Ming also said Government's help is needed to ensure that farm lands are protected and to encourage farmers to use new techniques in farming so that products could be provided all year around.

"We could have Bermuda grown vegetables and Bermuda caught fish and shell fish on the menu,'' he said. "The early settlers such as the English, West Indians and the Portuguese brought their cuisine with them to Bermuda. The English brought their plain cooking like roast and potatoes, the West Indian cassava and hot peppers, and the Portuguese salt fish and hot sausage.

"With all of these cuisines combined with blended seasonings Bermudians put together some of the locally made dishes like cassava pie, hashed shark, peas and rice with hot sausage, fish chowder, mussel pie, salt fish breakfast, Johnny cakes with Bermuda honey. You will not find dishes like these any where else.'' He added the Island has a mix of people -- such as the Italians and Asians -- who introduced various ingredients they would normally use in their own countries and combined them with those in Bermuda.

"It is my intention to get as many chefs in Bermuda to work together in implementing various dishes utilising products found locally so that restaurants and hotels can have more of them of their menus,'' Mr. Ming said.

He added: "There is so much here and we as culinarians must take advantage of it. It is also my intention to have more food exhibitions with dishes made from Bermudian products. We need to work together if we are going to attract new customers and tourists.'' Mr. Ming also remembered when he was a young boy how common it was to go to the local farmers market to purchase fresh produce "I hope that Bermuda reinstates something of this nature because it doesn't only serve the locals but the tourists too.'' Also during the conference Mr. Ming said the idea of `fusion cooking' was also discussed at length teaching chefs that it does not mean placing food on a plate and making it look nice "but the incorporating of various taste such as herbs and spices.

"Most countries around the world are using seasonings from other parts of the world. In Australia, which has an abundance of seafood, lamb and beef are utilising herbs and spice from he Orient and because there are a large number of orientals and Asians employed in the Australian hospitality industry they are using their fusions and talent to enhance their cooking.

"In the United States, New Orleans got its start of cajun food from the Arcadians who came from Nova Scotia and the Africans who provided the hot spices -- the two combined is called cajun cooking.''