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Emirates launches Australian-inspired menu

Direct News Source

23-Oct-2017 New menu embodies Emirates' vast global route network

Emirates is pleased to have launched a new menu on its Australian routes inspired by the breadth of Australia's multicultural flavours and cuisine, highlighting Emirates' ongoing commitment to investing in a superior passenger experience and its vast global route network.

To develop the new menu, Emirates worked with Alpha Catering in Australia to invite chefs from each of the five Australian cities that Emirates flies to, to submit regionally influenced recipes.

After receiving over 300 submissions, the team then spent the following 14 months reviewing and testing the ideas until they were able to create a high quality menu that could be easily served onboard.

"We're excited for our passengers to try our menu which is the product of months of careful planning and highlights Emirates' continued commitment to investing in our passengers' experience. Emirates is the only airline in the world to source foods from every region that we fly to so that we can offer our passengers authentic dishes as well as complimentary drinks from wherever they're travelling," said Joost Heymeijer, Senior Vice President Inflight Catering, Emirates.

The menu leverages several partnerships with notable local suppliers from the food industry, including South Australian Angus Beef, Brasserie Bread and Yarra Valley Cheese among others.

"We're incredibly proud of the fact that we source the majority of our produce and ingredients from Australian suppliers who we've built strong relationships with over the years. The produce is at the heart of our dishes which is why it's so important to have the right partnerships in place and is why we continue to invest in and support local suppliers and artisans," said Heymeijer.

With a catering investment of US$1 billion per year, Emirates runs a round-the-clock kitchen with 1,200 chefs based in Dubai whipping up 12,450 recipes. To keep in line with regional and seasonal food trends, Emirates continually reviews its menus, with onboard menus changed monthly while incorporating passenger feedback.

Emirates also invests heavily in its world-class wine programme, having built relationships with some of the world's most prestigious vineyards in Australia and around the world to handpick and secure the most exclusive and rare wines for its passengers.

"We've worked with iconic Australian wines such as Penfolds for over a decade and source exclusive wines from Mount Mary and Levantine Hill in order to provide our passengers with a wide range of options. This means purchasing exceptional wines years before they're ready to be released to the market, allowing the wines to mature and reach their potential for serving onboard," said Heymeijer.

The menu leaves no family member behind, Emirates has also designed children friendly menus in order to cater to their youngest and sometimes most enthusiastic travellers.

"We understand how difficult it can be for parents to get their children to eat different foods which is why we've worked hard to make their meals as fun as possible with the snack boxes and other kid friendly choices. Sometimes we even see Mums and Dads sneaking a bite while their children enjoy our inflight entertainment system ice," said Heymeijer.

Emirates currently uses 984 recipes which support the menu designs for each of its cabins. Emirates has dedicated menus for medical or religious meal requirements and are designed with a team of nutritionists and chefs to meet any dietary needs.

Emirates serves more than 100 million meals a year, catering for more than 55 million dine-in guests a year travelling to and from 144 cities across six continents. Coffee and tea are the two most widely consumed beverages on board and over 9.6 million tea bags are used each year with more than 10 tea varieties on offer, including an exclusive blend created for the airline served in First Class called the Emirates Signature Tea.

The new dishes are already on offer to all passengers travelling from Australia, with each class enjoying its own selection of foods.

Examples of the dishes from the new Australian menu
Economy Class
• Appetiser
o Mustard Infused Potato Salad and Hot Smoked Tasmanian Salmon Flakes
• Main Course
o Minted Lamb Sausages, Paris Mashed Potatoes, Glazed Seasonal Vegetables
• Dessert
o Triple Chocolate Delice, Wild Berry Sauce
First Class and Business Class
• Appetiser
o Cold Smoked Huon Ocean Trout, Pickled Kipfler Potato Salad, Herb Crème Fraiche, Salad of Chives, Chervil, Dill and Capers
• Soup
o Creamed Pumpkin Soup, Sweet Potato Crisps
• Main Course
o Grain Fed Beef Fillet, Grilled, Béarnaise Sauce, Potato Celeriac Gratin, Buttered French Beans, Roasted Baby Carrots
• Dessert
o Coconut Cake, Baked with Buttermilk and Shredded Coconut, Lemon Curd Crème Fraiche, Wild Berry Compote
• Cheese Selection
o Hand Selected Australian and International Cheese Selection, Fig & Walnut Paste, Australian Sundried Dried Fruits
Fun facts about appetites in the sky
In 2016, Emirates' customers consumed:
o 3 million eggs
o 70 tonnes of strawberries
o 58 million baked bread rolls
o 110,000kg of hummus
o 165 tonnes of salmon fillet
o 27 tonnes of fresh broccoli
o 43,000kg of cream cheese