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Basque Cuisine
With its turbulent and rich history, the Basque region, in Spain's north east, must be regarded as one of it's most interesting. Once a separate kingdom but now absorbed into Spain, Basques are a still fiercely independent and proud race with their...
Brinkman Smoke N Pit Professional and Grill King Smoker Reviewed
Brinkman grills have always been popular among grillers during the summer. We are going to take a look at two smoker grills, which are popular not only in the summer, but you can smoke meats as well during the winter.
The Brinkman Smoke N Pit...
Buying, Storing and Serving Cheese
Cheese is more than just peeling back the wrapper on a slice of
American cheese. There are proper buying, storage and serving
procedures that will help maintain freshness and ensure enhanced
flavor and texture.
When buying cheese consider...
Cake Pans for crafting great cakes
Famous bakers and serious home cooks have always known to make a perfect cake always use cake pans made exactly for that job. Just as gourmet chefs require certain tools for proper cooking, cake pans are the way to go for successful cake baking....
Dutch Oven Cooking Basics
Pioneer Cooking When you think of a cast iron Dutch oven, what comes to your mind? Pioneer cooking? Stews over the open fire? Of coarse both are true, but they are still very much in use today and as for the Dutch oven, the possibilities are...
Fire Cracker Italian Sausage Pasta
You will find that this recipe is very easy to make. And you can prep all of your ingredients in advance. Perfect for the busy mom on the go. Once you have all your troops ready for dinner, you can toss it all together in a matter of minutes.
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How to shop smart for a healthy lifestyle
A big part of enjoying healthier eating is buying healthier foods, and that means making smart choices where it matters most - at the supermarket. Choosing the freshest, healthiest foods is an important first step toward making healthy and delicious...
PICKLES
The true history of the pickle is somewhat of a mystery. Although some believe it dates back to India 4030 years ago. The pickle has been mentioned in the Bible by Jesus and in the Old Testament books Numbers and Isaiah. Napoleon valued its health...
The Demand for Apron Sinks -
Homeowners like apron sinks for a variety of reasons including the traditional ambiance they give to a home. The demand for apron sinks has grown tremendously over the past decade and that is reflected by the increased variety and designs of apron...
Traditional Meat Entrees Get a Makeover: Going Meatless
If you're trying to watch your carbs, meat typically isn't a problem. In fact, meat is actually one of the low carb dieter's best friends. But, what do you do if you are vegetarian who wants to go low carb? Until now, your low carb vegetarian...
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Spain - Europe's new culinary hotbed
There are exciting times ahead for Spanish cuisine. An extremely
good crop of young, ground breaking chefs are placing Spain
firmly on the culinary map, even eclipsing their old neighbours
to the north in France. According to many Spain is taking over
where France started from in the seventies where they pioneered
the Noveau Cusine movement. That same effervescence that
sparkled in France twenty years ago is starting to bubble over
in Spain causing critics to look to the Iberian Peninsula to
lead the next great shift.
Spain's traditional culinary centre in the Basque country is
looking over its shoulder to see Barcelona hot on its heels and
fast emerging as Spain's other great gourmet capital. The Basque
region is still the place to go for food in Spain but its place
at the head of Spain's gastronomic table is under threat. The
man spear-heading this revolution? Ferran Adria. Adria is at the
head of the new wave; his much vaunted "El Bulli" restaurant in
Rosas on the Costa Brava is one of the hot places in the world
to try and get a table and is fast becoming a must on the
checklist of gourmand worldwide. It's not an easy business to
secure a table, "El Bulli" is only open for six months a year
(the other six Adria spends in his Barcelona based
kitchen/laboratory dreaming up fantastical new recipes) and sits
proudly in second spot in the worldwide restaurant list, 8,000
people dined there last year and over 300,000 tried to get a
table. Adria's now legendary thirty course meal is an assault on
the senses that challenges our perception of food and taste. New
pioneering techniques of cooking are pushing back the
boundaries. Adria's Basque contemporary, Juan Mari Arzak refers
to the Catalan as "the most imaginative chef in all of history".
That's high praise indeed from the man who was partly
responsible for starting this movement back in the seventies.
Arzak and fellow Basque chef Pedro
Lubijana, inspired by a 1976
conference in Madrid hosted by legendary French chef Paul
Bocuse, decided to stir up the kitchens of the Basque country.
They brought together a group of twelve local chefs and took
turns to invite local gourmets and food critics to sample their
menus free of charge. Before they realised it, other chefs were
asking to get involved and a movement was born. Arzak still
plies his trade today at his eponymous restaurant just outside
San Sebastian, also ranked in the top fifty restaurant list and
owner of three Michelin stars.
The future of Spanish cuisine looks in good hands as there are a
fine crop of young chefs emerging hot on the heels of Adria and
Arzak. Chefs such as Jordi Villa at the highly rated "Alkimia"
in Barcelona lead the vanguard; the 29 year old is famed for his
steak tartare with olive oil ice cream. Jordi Butron is making
waves in Barcelona, he runs the "Espai Sucre", a dessert school
and restaurant that is committed to creative cuisine. The Basque
country has a few protégés up its wily sleeve as well, Josean
Martínez Alija, is the precocious 26 year old manning the stoves
at the Guggenheim's restaurant in Bilbao with aplomb, and Andoni
Luis Aduriz, an introverted chef cum mad professor who famously
studied the molecular structure of liver so as to reinvent the
texture of foie gras. His restaurant in the hills outside San
Sebastian is making people take note in a region where culinary
excellence is a way of life.
About the author:
Mike McDougall has five years experience working as a
travel writer and marketeer. He is currently working to provide
additional content for Babylon-idiomas, a Spanish language school with an
excellent presence in Spain. This work is covered by a
creative commons license
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