Spotlighting globalization of the world's culinary styles, the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone played host over the past weekend to more than 600 members of the food, wine and hospitality industries, all on a quest to better understand the worlds of flavor.

The three-day conference -- billed "Ancient Fires, World Flavors and the Future of American Cooking" -- not only celebrated the 10th anniversary of CIA's Greystone educational program but also provided attendees with ideas, ingredients, techniques and strategies for transforming present-day American food service.

More than four dozen chefs, cooks, cookbook authors as well as culinary and beverage experts from Latin America, the Mediterranean, Asia and the United States led seminars, tastings, demonstrations and collaborated on special meals and food bazaars at a World Marketplace held in Greystone's historic 15,000 square foot barrel room.

At this crossroads of world food and culture, conferees were reminded by Dr. Tim Ryan that the culinary "world has been turned upside down" in recent years, and globalization is the reason why.

The president of the Culinary Institute of America noted that American cookery had gone through a lengthy period when French techniques, terminology and ingredients dominated, followed in the 1980s by an American food revolution. It was then that American chefs, as well as consumers, began to explore both ethnic and regional cuisines, with Italian, Chinese and Mexican cookery becoming popular options on menus from coast to coast.

"We're on the cusp of a paradigm shift," Ryan told conferees in a general session Friday afternoon. He said American chefs are coming into a time when the cuisines of all nations are being explored. "We need to learn and respect the traditions of these cuisines" before they are incorporated into the culinary mainstream, he advised.

CIA officials noted it was no longer necessary to rank the world's cuisines, but rather recognize that many cultures contribute worthwhile ideas to the world table.

To that end, a wealth of guest speakers and chefs -- from regions as diverse as Turkey and Thailand, Puerto Rico and India -- brought new ideas, techniques, ingredients as well as recipes to share with all who showed up for the sold-out conference.

Savvy tips and techniques

In a wide variety of seminars that addressed traditions prevalent in culinary styles from Mexico's highlands to the seacoast of Thailand, chefs eagerly shared cooking tips and techniques.

Mai Pham, cookbook author and chef/owner of Sacramento's Lemon Grass Restaurant, talked about "the careful use of spices" in Vietnamese cooking. She suggested the gentle roasting of such spices as star anise, cinnamon, coriander and cloves in a hot pan "taken off the flame," allowing dishes like the traditional pho soup to take on subtle, layered flavors.

Pham places half of her roasted spices in a spice bag in the broth at the start of the cooking, adding the rest in another cheesecloth bag near the end of the cooking process.

"When I use ginger, I roast half of what I need, then use fresh ginger for the rest. That way you will wind up with two distinct layers of ginger flavor in the dish."

Ian Chalermkittichai, owner of Kittichai in New York's Greenwich Village, acknowledged that a significant difference in Thai and Vietnamese cooking comes from the practice by Thais to use hard spices in wok cookery. Vietnamese, on the other hand, only use such spices in long-simmered dishes.

Cookbook author and TV host Sanjeev Kapoor said the regional cuisines of his native India are bold because they incorporate a number of spices and herbs together in a single dish.

"Spices unite the regional cuisines of India," agreed Suvir Saran, New York chef and caterer. "I like to use spice to bring out the back heat of a dish."

Saran offered attendees a tip on the use of cilantro. If one wants only to impart the flavor of cilantro but not the green color, use only the stems in preparing the dish.

The Latin accent

In a dramatic seminar that focused on the flavors of Spain, Jos Andrs, chef/partner of Jaleo and Zaytinya restaurants in Washington, D.C., said the culinary history of his native country "is written on a plate one tapa at a time. Tapas is a way of living in Spain."

Andrs explained the differences between two menu categories one finds in Spain -- pintxos, just a bite-sized offering on a plate, are found in Basque country; tapas, where one might have two to four bites on a plate, are popular throughout most of Spain.

"Spanish cooking is a fusion of (culinary) influences from all over the world," he declared. "I liken it to a (river) delta where the layers (of soil) keep adding on. And today it is definitely regional cooking."

Cuba-born Maricel Presilla, chef/owner of Cucharamama restaurant in Hoboken, N.J., and Wilo Benet, executive chef of Pikayo, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, presented a flavor discovery workshop examining both similarities and differences in the cookery of Peru and the Caribbean islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

They talked about the base of sauces and many braised dishes, the sofrito, which Benet termed "the DNA of many cuisines." They talked about the general use of onions and garlic sauted with chiles, and which cultures incorporate tomato sauce, coconut milk, oregano and cumin. Adobo marinades are dry in Puerto Rico kitchens, wet in Cuba's, they noted.

In examining the use and types of chiles in both Caribbean and Peruvian cookery, Benet noted "there's no really hot food in Puerto Rico. Instead you use a pico (sauce) to add spice to the dish. A pico is made of vinegar and hot peppers."

Workshop attendees were able to taste ingredients such aji dulce, a sweet chile used in Caribbean cooking, as well as the aji amarillo, the slightly picante chile that is a favorite of Peruvians. Also offered for taste were unique herbs, such as culantro, which is similar to cilantro and a predominant flavor in Cuban food, and huacatay, an Andean herb popular in Peru that expresses the aroma of turpentine and the taste of mint.

Benet pointed out that Puerto Ricans enjoy dishes that are both sweet and salty. "And you will always find double starches on the plate. Pigeon peas are the lentils of our culture."

In the Caribbean, "everything is eaten together on a single plate," Presilla pointed out. "Each component of the plate flavors the others."

Berating chefs for not following the traditions of the region, Presilla insisted that "at the Latin meal you must have both rice and beans. That's the way Latins eat."

Today's recipes are from the conference. A master of Yucatan pit cooking, Silvio Campos offers his Grilled Pork Ribs in a Chile Habaero Sauce. New York's Ian Chalermkittichai has provided a curry that is ideal with a rack of marinated lamb. Finally, Jos Andrs provides home cooks with new techniques. His take on the classic mimosa involves whipping up orange juice -- to which soy lecithin has been added -- with a hand blender and then spooning the foamy orange blend as the top layer on a glass of sparkling wine. He combines orange juice with tequila to make a tasty ice that's used to top marinated scallops -- a new taste for tapas.