Mediterranean gastronomy 2017.

The fifth edition of the Forum of Mediterranean Gastronomy, an annual event in Ibiza dedicated to making the island’s gastronomic riches known to the trade press, is all about the recovery of traditional dishes. With chefs, seminars and showcooking.

A whole month of partying for the palate in one of the most popular summer destinations, especially by the youngest. Trendy venues and breathtaking beaches aside, Ibiza is also part of its charm on the cuisine and the ancient gastronomic tradition. For 5 years now, a dedicated event is committed to making this aspect of the island known, often forgotten in favor of its nightlife. With the aim of shedding light on the island’s delicacies, Ibiza Sabor gathers the best chefs of the area every spring, involving them in a series of guided tastings and special menus designed specifically to enhance the taste of local products. Because the Ibizan cuisine is to be discovered, as well as its lush agricultural and fish tradition.

The beating heart of Ibiza Sabor is the Mediterranean Gastronomy Forum, a congress designed for the specialized press and professionals involved this year which involved 20 chefs from Ibiza and neighboring territories, plus many other professionals in the sector, from fishermen to producers of cheese, from professors to agricultural engineers. All collected yesterday, 15 May 2017, at the Hotel Gran Ibiza in the city center, a luxury hotel that hosted the festival in the outdoor garden. To embellish the congress, a series of tasting tables of various local producers: from organic wine to cheese, from typical sweets to vegetables, from liqueurs to extra virgin olive oil.

 

Food and wine tourism: the new spearhead of the island
It was Julia Pérez and José Carlos Capel Vicent Torres who introduced the Spanish chefs, the same organizers of one of the most important gastronomic congresses on an international level, Madrid Fusion. “Ibiza boasts a series of unique and exceptional raw materials. Unfortunately, the intense tourism linked to the entertainment industry often prevents visitors from appreciating the other soul of the island, the culinary one. But it is time for Ibiza to focus on its gastronomy and start conquering foreigners with its flavors “. Thus begins the Forum of Mediterranean Gastronomy, with the words of José, which invites visitors to be more curious about the local specialties. “Through the story of the chefs, who work every day in the front line to enhance local products, we hope to give you an idea of ​​the concept of Ibizan cuisine”, adds Julia. A table that draws from the most diverse traditions, that of the Iberian Peninsula in primis, but also that of North Africa, combined with a series of different influences for each local: many of the restaurants of the Isla Blanca, in fact, are run by chefs from other cities or countries, which reinterpret tradition in their dishes by adding a personal touch of a different school. “It is time to overcome prejudices” continues Julia “and go beyond the stereotype that associates Ibiza only with unbridled fun and alcohol. Because there is no better and more immediate way of food to understand the identity of a place “. A kitchen, the Ibizan, which is characterized by character and personality, based on a few ingredients, which in the traditional recipes retain all their original taste.

Unique raw materials, those of the island, which thanks to the work of younger and passionate chefs are gradually recovering the deserved pride of place on the tables of Ibiza. “In recent decades, many products have risked disappearing because of the slow but steady loss of interest from consumers.” Like the blat de xeixa, an ancient variety of soft wheat that the bakers Vicente Cardona (bakery Can Blay) and José Luis Riera Coves (bakery Can Coves) committed themselves to recover. “It is an easy to mill wheat that gives rise to light and versatile flours, ideal for making pasta and bread, but which lend themselves well to sweets”, says Vincente And like him, many other local artisans have long been searching for the ancient native grains, to restore value to the historical varieties of the island and rediscover the flavors of the past. “Food is emotion and is an instrument capable of telling stories “adds Julia,” recovering the products of the past helps us to communicate with ourselves “.