French chef makes palm oil popular

Chef David Martin runs a food truck in Paris to spread awareness about the health benefits of palm oil.

Chef David Martin is on a quest to introduce palm oil to his fellow Frenchmen. His love for palm oil started when he was living in Cambodia where he managed and owned several restaurants, including The Malraux, a restaurant at the foot of the Angkor Wat.

“I travelled a lot in Southeast Asia, so I have always known about palm oil. But in Cambodia, I learned about the benefits of palm oil and why it is prominently used in Southeast Asian cuisines. That really sparked my interest, and I’ve been using it ever since, even in Western recipes,” said Martin in an email interview.

Martin runs La Traboule in Paris, and when not busy in the kitchen, he is buzzing around the city to promote palm oil.

After his return to France, Martin started the the Palm Oil Food Truck project, going around Paris in a food truck, cooking and serving food made using Malaysian palm oil, his preferred choice.

In February, the food truck made a stop at La Defense – the busiest business district in Paris.

“That worked really well. The Palm Oil Food Truck was a great success there. Some visitors were genuinely curious, as they had never tasted palm oil before,” he said.

Riding on that success, Martin&’s Palm Oil Food Truck made another stop at Foire de Paris in May.

The Foire de Paris is a 10-day retail event held annually since 1904. It is a major event on the Parisian calendar, focusing on food, culture and lifestyle that attracts hundreds of business owners and over 500,000 visitors from across the country.

Martin&’s food truck was placed prominently near the entrance, and got the attention of many people, including the Malaysian ambassador to France Ibrahim Abdullah.

“The food truck attracted a lot of attention. It is obvious David&’s magnetism extends beyond his ability to prepare scrumptious food. Friendly and affable, he also has a gift for connecting with fans on social media as well as making them feel immediately at ease when they meet him,” said Ibrahim in an email interview.

Martin prepared four popular finger foods on the food truck: Potato Churros with Choron sauce, Breaded Chicken Wings with Devil Sauce, Prawn Tempura, and his favourite, Beignets.

All the recipes were cooked using Malaysian palm oil.

Looking for acceptance

France has always been vocal about its disdain for palm oil and the industry, and Martin knows that he has a tough job at hand to gain her approval.

“I see a lot of misconceptions surrounding palm oil in France. People have little knowledge about palm oil, and via my recipes, I am able to let them know that it is healthy and natural, and that they can use it in their everyday dishes,” said Martin.

Since the quickest way to a person&’s heart is through their stomach, Ibrahim believes that Martin is on the right track with his mission.

“Overall, David&’s Palm Oil Food Truck can be marked as a win in our ongoing effort to publicise the benefits of palm oil to the general public,” said Ibrahim.

“Understanding that the palm oil issue in France invites a cacophony of viewpoints, it falls upon us to remain consistent in promoting, publicising, and presenting the truthful health benefits of palm oil and the sustainable practices adopted by the industry,” he said.

Martin shared some of the misconceptions French people have about palm oil:

“I have seen articles and claims that palm oil is unhealthy, not natural, and so on. This is simply not true. I would like to hear more from the scientific community talking about the misconceptions around palm oil, and food in general.”

Martin works closely with scientist and cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Guy-André Pelouze who continuously provides the scientific and health advice for Martin&’s work with palm oil.

“I have learned a lot from Dr Pelouze – I am not a doctor, nor a scientist, and he is definitely not a chef! So we make a great team. He is really an expert on fats and nutrition, and it&’s been fascinating to learn about the health aspects of palm oil from him. Our collaboration continues,” said Martin.

Sharing the knowledge

One of the most common questions visitors to the Palm Oil Food Truck ask is whether palm oil is healthy for them.

“The fact that palm oil is free of trans fats, and free of GMOs, means that French consumers actually should love it!” said Martin.

“To be honest with you, I haven’t received any criticism from the public for using palm oil in my cooking. Of course, many people in France tell me that they have read negative things about palm oil, but they are always open-minded and willing to hear other ideas.”

However, the chef says that palm oil is not available easily and cheaply in France as most of the supermarkets generally sell domestic oils like rapeseed, sunflower and olive oil.

“But people are really intrigued about the colour that palm oil gives to the dishes. Palm oil is renowned for having great properties for cooking food: it does not change the taste, but it adds a beautiful redness to the dish, which makes it more lively and colourful,” he said.

It is also easier for Martin to talk freely about palm oil as he uses it at home to deep-fry and to make tasty sauces.

Although Martin uses Malaysian palm oil to make French dishes, he is yet to make Malaysian dishes using the oil.

“But that&’s a good idea. As a chef I am keen to experiment with new dishes and the French would certainly like to try Malaysian dishes using palm oil too.

“Perhaps my next assignment will take me to Malaysia, as I would like to see the oil palm plantations and how they are managed so that I can explain to the French people how palm oil is processed and used,” he said.