Mudgee will play host to a dinner with a difference on May 4 when it welcomes the Central West’s first Alpaca Degustation.
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With the introduction of alpacas into Australia from their native South America in the 1980s, breeders focused on producing stud stock, herd protectors and warm, light and durable luxury fibre.
But with alpaca numbers now reaching an estimated 200,000, a group of enthusiastic breeders from 17 studs in the Mudgee region called Alpacas Over the Ranges are bringing the taste of alpaca to the district to promote the next step in industry development – farming for meat.
“The focus may have been on fleece and breeding stud stock in the past, but in order for the alpaca industry to be sustainable in the long term there needs to be that additional use of them as meat and for their hides,” said group spokeswoman, Melanie Brown.
“It’s all about taking the industry in a new direction by trying to appeal to broad acre farming as opposed to just small rural holdings that alpacas are on now.
“It’s something different, and with Mudgee being a food and wine destination it seemed like the perfect place to hold an alpaca dinner.”
The idea formed after Mrs Brown and her husband Dale discovered Illawarra Prime Alpaca and its aim to develop a commercial future for large-scale alpaca farming.
Using alpaca meat is the next step in the sustainability of this already eco friendly animal.
The company supplied cuts of alpaca meat to Crave Sydney International Food Festival 2011 to rave reviews and currently supplies to a number of restaurants, notably Berry’s The Hungry Duck where chef David Campbell is championing alpaca meat by serving up dishes like alpaca carpaccio and alpaca tempura (pictured).
Mr Campbell described alpaca meat as very lean with little or no intra-muscular fat, high in protein and iron and low in cholesterol, as well as delivering a “beautiful, delicate flavour between milk lamb and veal”.
“I am a big fan of sustainability, organics and doing things ‘green’,” he said.
“Using alpaca meat is the next step in the sustainability of this already eco friendly animal.”
Mr Campbell will join Illawarra Prime Alpaca and Alpaca Over the Ranges to present the six-course degustation dinner at Blue Wren winery.
Each dish will be served with matching wines, there will be lucky door prizes and displays of alpaca products and Campbell will discuss the preparation of the meat and techniques used to prepare the various dishes.
Tickets are strictly limited and are available directly from Blue Wren.