This seems to have been understood by the authorities, spurred on by all those who are playing a leading role in ensuring that, contrary to what master chef Ferran Adriá claims, Spanish cuisine is no longer unknown or underappreciated around the world.
This is the focus of the International Plan presented at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, which brought together the big names in Spanish catering, both in their role as culinary masters and as managers of the most renowned establishments, producers and brands.
International plan presented at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
Spanish cuisine is the result of a rich cultural fusion forged over the centuries. Influenced by the diverse peoples who have called this land their home, by trade flows in the Mediterranean and by exchanges with the Americas, our food, our cuisine and our traditions have been enriched by the wealth of knowledge that has arrived over the centuries from all over the world.
This is explained in the carefully edited document, which recalls that, at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, a veritable culinary revolution began in our country, led by chefs such as Juan Mari Arzak, Martín Berasategui, Pedro Subijana, Luis Irízar and Karlos Arguiñano, the latter part of the New Basque Cuisine movement which, in the mid-1970s, had exerted a decisive influence on the modernisation of the culinary vision throughout the country. The process exploded to global reach and had its definitive epicentre with Ferran Adrià in Cala Monjoi, in Rosas (Costa Brava). From a small restaurant, El Bulli, the certainties that had hitherto governed gastronomy in the world were questioned and shaken up.
International plan presented at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The great global contribution of all the pioneers mentioned above is to have imbued Spain’s cultural heritage with the idea that gastronomy is not a single, compact economic sector, but rather an ecosystem that encompasses a broad value chain, connecting the land and the sea with the plate of a restaurant or a home at a national or international level.
With the contribution of more than 120 professionals, who have made their knowledge available, the International Plan for Spanish Gastronomy has now been drawn up, setting out ten measures in training, internationalisation, tourism and country branding, aimed at chefs, producers and companies in the sector. This initiative is led by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, but also involves coordination with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business, through ICEX, and the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, through Turespaña.
Minister Luis Planas emphasised that the plan is divided into four main sections. The first is aimed at strengthening talent through training and knowledge, based on the premise that ‘gastronomy is an academic discipline’. Among other initiatives, this section promotes the creation of an international network of professionals who act as advocates for Spanish gastronomy abroad.
International plan presented at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
The second section focuses on transforming the prestige already achieved by Spanish gastronomy into greater presence, consumption and commercial opportunities, ‘supporting business models with real potential for internationalisation’.
The third section addresses the key role of gastronomy in tourism. Planas recalled that ‘the 97 million visitors that Spain receives are also ambassadors for our gastronomy and our agri-food sector’. This is reason enough, in the minister’s opinion, to submit the Spanish tapa as a living cultural heritage to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO.
Finally, the fourth section aims to provide gastronomy with a common frame of reference by creating a gastronomic country brand capable of projecting a unique, diverse and cohesive identity to the world. ‘Spain is a diverse country in terms of its territory, culture and gastronomy, and we must be able to speak with one voice without losing that diversity,’ said the minister, who concluded by expressing his conviction that ‘we are facing a magnificent opportunity to promote and consolidate Spain’s leadership in world gastronomy and, by extension, in our agri-food production.’
Dining and Cooking