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Fernando Morales
Martes, 28 de enero 2025, 16:55
Is caviar an ingredient or a garnish? This debate has emerged with the democratization of caviar, which is now consumed in most high-end restaurants, whereas not long ago, it was considered a luxury item. However, a common point was reached by Rafa Zafra, Chef at Estimar; Arnau Subías, Scientific Head at GastroBio; Juanjo López, Chef at La Tasquita; Ignacio Medina, Gastronomic Journalist; and David Montalbán, Brand Ambassador for Caviar de Riofrío during the round table at Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España.
This surge in caviar consumption has not reached the domestic realm, despite the fact that over the last decade, it has become much more affordable, greatly democratizing access to an element that some use to accompany other products, while others consider it a sin to mix it with any other flavour.
"There is a lack of respect towards caviar when mixing it with other products. I eat caviar on its own," stated gastronomic journalist Ignacio Medina during a conversation where Chef Juanjo, who had a dish of kidneys accompanied by caviar on his menu, said he is gradually removing caviar from his menu because it adds a "salty element" similar to an anchovy, relegating this product to a secondary role and using it as a "luxury salt". This was something Zafra, Chef at Estimar, did not quite agree with, as he uses caviar as just another ingredient in the dish to add fun nuances. "I am one of the few chefs who cooks as he likes to eat, so I add caviar to enhance the dish," he defended, referring to a product that has seen many price variations throughout its history, partly due to the disappearance of sturgeons.
This very fact led to sturgeons being farmed through aquaculture, resulting in more sturgeons and caviar being produced in 15 years than in the entire 20th century. An industry that was created when sturgeon fishing was banned in 2004, leading to the unpredictable creation of animals by humans. Nevertheless, what makes caviar a product with a highly fluctuating price is, according to Arnau Subías, Scientific Head at GastroBio, the maturation of the sturgeon. "The price depends on the years it takes for the sturgeon to mature sexually, that is, to produce caviar." The longer it takes, the higher the price of that caviar.
Be that as it may, a common point was also reached regarding the increasing use and access to caviar on restaurant menus. Very few people, the minimum, know the exact characteristics of the caviar they are eating. Unlike wine, for example, the origin, years of maturation, and provenance of caviar are unknown. "One must be informed about caviar," the speakers asserted about a product that became popular in Parisian hotels but was scarce for years due to the lack of sturgeons as a result of extractive fishing and dam construction in rivers. They also emphasized the importance of knowing the origin of the caviar consumed, as most wild sturgeons are "on the brink of extinction," highlighting the importance of having a closed production cycle.
In a further step in the debate on the state of Spanish gastronomy, it is clear that traditional flavours from each region must not be lost. This is something well understood in Almansa, Albacete. There, Chef Fran Martínez of Maralba restaurant and his head of service, Cristina Díaz, work hand in hand with typical Manchego products, combining them with new ingredients to offer a tasting menu from the land.
A Manchego cuisine that also has an eye on the Mediterranean and the fish from the Valencian coasts. They work with popular and traditional products like hare to create haute cuisine dishes such as Manchego gazpachos, one of the most important stews not only in Manchego gastronomy but also in Spanish cuisine.
But they do not only work with meat. They also create a dish based on spinach and almonds, thanks to the diverse gardens surrounding them. A vegetable dish that, according to Martínez, is on the same level as hare or pigeon, which he removed from the tasting menu as a main course but decided to keep as an appetizer to avoid eradicating it entirely.
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