The D * na Fòrum bets on food sovereignty
The D * na Gastronomic Forum is talking and giving what to talk about. The presentations that have been given since yesterday at the CdT of Dénia coincide in the statement made by Victor García, of the Wheat Traditional Seed Bank: “Good food is a matter of priorities”.
During this morning the Forum has put on the table the important role of the markets as a fundamental channel of distribution of the products of proximity and its reunion with the cooks and the consumer. For Pep Romany, commissioner of the Forum, this is one of the most important and also the most difficult sessions. To address the paths to design a reunion strategy, Enric Navarro, from the Mercatar de Comptar Strip, has claimed the need to integrate the product into the usual distribution channels, thus allowing the producer to live off what their fields produce .
Continuing with the products of the Marina Alta, the forum has discussed the concept of food sovereignty, which is defined as the right of peoples, communities and countries to decide their own agricultural, livestock, labor, food, economic, economic policies, socially and culturally appropriate to their circumstances. The session, moderated by the journalist Paco Alonso, has had the participation of the almond farmers Faustino Mestre and Leonardo Gómez who have started an interesting colloquium in which the attendees of the session have participated very actively.
As relevant spokesmen of our gastronomy, late in the morning, four renowned chefs from the Marina Alta have taken the floor: Miquel Ruiz (El Baret de Miquel), Bruno Ruiz (Aticcook), Borja Susilla (Tula Restaurant, recently awarded with a Michelin star) and Ferrán Giró (Restaurant Arrels).
Miquel Ruiz, whose gastronomic roots are found in traditional cuisine, has claimed to cook more at home, recovering the dishes of the local culture. In this sense, Bruno Ruiz has explained that his kitchen focuses on the reinterpretation of the most classic dishes, while Borja Susilla has recognized that his source of inspiration is the elderly people in the area, who have helped him develop his kitchen. Looking to the future, Ferrán Giró, from the Arrels restaurant, is committed to bringing people their experiences and feelings through their creations.
The second day of the D * na Gastronomic Forum continues this afternoon with the presentations on the raisin and wine of the Marina Alta and two important sessions on agriculture and fisheries as renewable and necessary resources for the territory.
The local product, protagonist of the event
The first presentations, held on Monday afternoon, dealt with products specially rooted in the Marina Alta: rice, wheat and oil.
In the conversation about rice, the Alicante chef Mª José San Román acknowledged that “How much simpler the food is, the more compliments you harvest”, conditions that perfectly meets rice in all its varieties. In this sense, chef Rafa Soler said that his work as a hotelier is focused on evolving traditional recipes, so in his 24 menu you never miss rice.
The voice of the producers was put by José Ruiz Egea, manager of the Cooperativa Virgen de la Esperanza-Arroz de Calasparra, and Vicente Dominguis, rice producer of Pego Natura, who agreed that the denomination of origin is what guarantees the purity of the rice.
In the section dedicated to wheat from the Navy, attendees learned about the experience of the Associació Riurau de Jesús Pobre. The evolution of this product is especially striking, since the region has gone from being the barn in the province of Alicante to see how this crop has disappeared, and with it, also traditional recipes such as blat picat.
The baker and dianense baker Raquel Vanbeek claimed the quality of native wheat for the preparation of a good bread, while from the Blat de la Marina collective the need for a flour mill in the Marina Alta was claimed.
The oil, such an essential ingredient in the Mediterranean diet, focused the attention of the last presentation of the afternoon, with special attention on the one made in the area under the name of Oli de Diània. For his part, chef Evarist Miralles defended the use of good oil in gastronomy and the claim of this fundamental ingredient in our kitchen.