Madrid Is For Meat Lovers

Summer time is the season of summits, but not all summits are created equal. I may possibly come off as politically disinclined when I say (or in this case, create) that there is one particular meeting that interests me the most: the Madrid Fusion International Gastronomic Summit.

Someone’s talking my language. My tummy grumbles in response.

Envision the world’s major chefs meeting to show off their creations in the Spanish capital. Sadly, all I can do is picture. And, as I create this, my mouth is creating water (as my Spanish pal would say).

The Australian proposes that the cause Madrid is such a hotbed for the culinary arts is due to the fact that it is “a city of lots of flavors,” influenced to this day by a multitude of cultures and traditions. It doesn’t hurt that this is a country that likes to eat, and really appreciates the function going on in the kitchen.

For instance, Manolo Nombela, a Madrileno who owns Mano a Mano, lived in Australia for 23 years. From this encounter he was inspired to add an Asian flavor to the Spanish dishes he was so accustomed to generating.

Yet another example of this is Cocido Madrileno, “a stew such as chickpeas, pork belly, chicken, jamon, chorizo and potatoes” served at Taberna La Bola in central Madrid. Thought of a traditional dish, this concoction dates back to the influence of the Sephardi Jews back in the Middle Ages.

Having said that, what caught my focus was the wide use of jamon, ham, a further topic The Australian lately tackled. Did you know that Madrid is such a hammy place that it has its quite own museum dedicated to the business? Legs of pork and all the numerous cured hams you could consider of hang at this deli/gallery. As rumor has it, the jamon market is quite important as the nation produces 40 million hams per year.

By Brit Weaver

About the Author

Toronto born and based, Brit is an avid leisure cyclist, coffee drinker and under-a-tree park-ist. She often finds herself meandering foreign cities searching for street eats to nibble, trees to climb, a patch of grass to sit on, or a tiny bookstore to sift through. You can come across her musing life on her personal blog, TheBubblesAreDead.wordpress.com.