English author and mystery novelist G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) once said that music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and to the violinist and visitors to the four-day Bi-annual Cookery and Culinary Arts Championship, which opened yesterday, must surely understand what he meant.

Organised by the Malta Cookery and Food Association, the event was opened by Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech at the Dolmen Resort Hotel, in Qawra.

Local and foreign chefs are participating in the culinary event, during which traditional Maltese dishes, fish, pork, duck, lamb, vegetarian, pasta dishes, deserts and starters are on display. The competition is divided into two sections, one for static entries and another for live cooking.

This year's championships feature over 50 events involving over 200 participants, including two international teams from Scotland and Romania. The entries are judged by a panel of eight international judges from the UK, Holland, Germany, Italy and Cyprus assisted by Maltese judges.

"This year was a fantastic one for our tourism industry not only because of the increase in the number of tourists who visited our country but also because we had an above-average growth when compared to Europe as a whole and also to southern Mediterranean Europe. This growth should be attributed to the hard work put in by all stakeholders, not least our restaurants," Dr Zammit Dimech said.

He said cookery is a major ingredient of Malta's product and the Malta Cookery and Food Association, through its bi-annual Malta Kulinarja, is contributing towards a better standard of local cuisine and towards offering Maltese and foreign clients the best Maltese and Mediterranean dishes and value for money.

He said that as culture distinguished us from other nations, so too our cuisine. Maltese cuisine promotes us as a country with a difference and as such should be encouraged, Dr Zammit Dimech said.