Barbecue in the bay

Temperatures will rise in Spiez this weekend, regardless the weather. André Dähler / BOT Interlaken / Switzerland Tourism

The heat will be on for more than 30 European teams in the town of Spiez on Lake Thun this weekend at the European Barbecue Championships. Although only one team will walk away with the top prize, no one will go away hungry.

The event is expected to attract about 10,000 people to the four-day event beginning on June 14 in the bay of Spiez, where the teams will set up their barbecues.

As part of the competition, the teams will be asked to prepare five course menus, and as well as trying to impress the jury, will prove to the public that the art of barbecuing goes beyond placing a piece of meat over an open fire.

The meat, whether beef, chicken or fish, is cooked with indirect and very low heat from the fire, made with wood carefully selected by the chef. The competing teams and sponsors of the event in Spiez say it is one of the best ways to cook food, since few nutrients are burned in the process.

The event begins with a barbecuing seminar in the bay of Spiez on June 14 and a “barbecue night” in many hotels around Lake Thun. Over the following three days, there will be cooking courses, a barbecue buffet and market, and even a symposium on BSE and foot and mouth disease.

The actual competition begins at sunrise on June 17 and the winners will be crowned in the late afternoon. They will have the chance to test their mettle against the world’s best in South Africa later in the year – if they can stand the heat.

swissinfo