No butter, no cream: Vegan rules at French pastry match
ADVERTISEMENTContestants at the World Pastry Cup had a new criteria to manage this year: a vegan dessert.
21 countries took part in the bi-annual event held in Lyon, France.
Competitors had 10 hours to prepare a dessert based on chocolate and honey, a frozen desert made of fruit, and one without any butter, cream, eggs or any other animal product.
In addition the teams had to produce three sculptures, of chocolate, sugar and ice cream.
The pastry champions in the contest's first ever vegan-only final were Malaysia.
Not everyone was embracing the vegan concept, however.
"Butter and cream, that's 100 percent the pleasure of eating. I don't know how to explain it -- fat is good for your morale," said Philippe Rigollot, a pastry chef who won the contest in 2005.
Critics also say vegan desserts often end up too sugary, since there's no animal fats to soften the sweetness.