08 April 2006
Seeing culinary stars in Barcelona
GERRY SHIKATANI
BARCELONA — Wandering the pavilions of Barcelona's Alimentaria, one of the world's largest food and beverage expos, was like walking into my past. I sampled many dishes I had discovered over decades spent exploring Spain: mojama (dry-cured and salted tuna loin), pimientos de gernika (small tender green peppers from the town of Guernica in Basque country), and lovely sidra (hard cider) from near Oviedo in the northwest. Not to mention the more than 250 cheeses on parade.
I had come to this biannual event last month not only for the tasting stations, but also because some of the planet's most innovative chefs were there. El Bulli, the world-famous restaurant north of Barcelona, was closed at the time (it opened for six months on April 1), and I would have had a tough time securing a table regardless (most diners must reserve at least a year in advance). But at Alimentaria, I could catch up with what its superstar chef, Ferran Adria (pictured above), was up to. And dine wonderfully in and around Barcelona to boot."
Read the full story from Saturday's Globe and Mail ...
BARCELONA — Wandering the pavilions of Barcelona's Alimentaria, one of the world's largest food and beverage expos, was like walking into my past. I sampled many dishes I had discovered over decades spent exploring Spain: mojama (dry-cured and salted tuna loin), pimientos de gernika (small tender green peppers from the town of Guernica in Basque country), and lovely sidra (hard cider) from near Oviedo in the northwest. Not to mention the more than 250 cheeses on parade.
I had come to this biannual event last month not only for the tasting stations, but also because some of the planet's most innovative chefs were there. El Bulli, the world-famous restaurant north of Barcelona, was closed at the time (it opened for six months on April 1), and I would have had a tough time securing a table regardless (most diners must reserve at least a year in advance). But at Alimentaria, I could catch up with what its superstar chef, Ferran Adria (pictured above), was up to. And dine wonderfully in and around Barcelona to boot."
Read the full story from Saturday's Globe and Mail ...
