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Chiara Pavan and Francesco Brutto during their presentation at Madrid Fusion Alimentos de España. Rodrigo Díaz
Gastronomy is not immune to climate change

Gastronomy is not immune to climate change

In the Venetian lagoon, there is a restaurant that has adapted its menu to the natural changes of the environment over the years.

Fernando Morales

Martes, 28 de enero 2025, 19:36

Gastronomy is not immune to climate change. Just ask siblings Chiara Pavan and Francesco Brutto, chefs at Venissa* (Mazzorbo, Venice, Italy), a restaurant on a small island of just over a kilometre in the Venetian lagoon. As they explained at Madrid Fusion Alimentos de España, they have witnessed the slow but steady impact of climate change on the lagoon's biodiversity. Rising temperatures and prolonged droughts have reduced the fauna and flora they once used in their kitchen.

Conscious of the ecosystem's drastic issues, they decided to use only local products, mostly harvested from their own gardens. This approach led them to think carefully before cooking, giving birth to their environmental cuisine. A foundational rule is the prohibition of using species that do not exist or are disappearing and are predators of other species.

To create their menu, where 70% is always plant-based, they began using invasive species to demonstrate that these can be consumed at home and should not be wasted. The second foundational concept is the revitalisation of products. "We try to use every product from start to finish."

Following environmental changes, when the lagoon's soil became salty, killing many plants, new species emerged, now used in their menu. They are currently dealing with the invasion of the blue crab, a sweet species that arrived due to the lack of predators and rising temperatures.

Cooking the Journey

A concept of cuisine that embraces sustainability and responsibility is also practised by chef Agustín Ferrando Balbí at Ando*, a restaurant in Hong Kong. Located in the city centre, it is surrounded by over 20 Michelin-starred restaurants.

This Argentine chef, with Spanish roots, chose to specialise in fish and seafood. Unlike most Argentine chefs who come to Spain to learn, he went to the other side of the world. His goal was clear: to create his own cuisine with Argentine and Spanish roots, inspired by his grandmother, from whom he learned and ate during his childhood. Her philosophy: prepare abundant food boxes because where two eat, three can eat.

Agustín Ferrando Balbí during his presentation. Rodrigo Díaz

In the heart of Hong Kong, he cooks his signature dish, which will never leave his menu despite updates. It's a soupy rice dish that blends Spanish and Argentine cultures with a Japanese touch. The rice is sourced directly from people living on an abandoned island in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, he ensures that the products used in his restaurant, named after a word associated with relaxation in Japanese and rhythm and conversation in Spanish, vary according to the season. They are always seasonal products.

The extreme maturation of fish

When diners order meat at a restaurant, they are often asked how they want it cooked. However, this is not the case with fish; there is no terminology for specifying the doneness of a sea bass, for example. Chef Diego Schattenhofer at Taste 1973* (Arona, Tenerife, Spain) presented a scientific and culinary study on the extreme maturation of fish at Madrid Fusion Alimentos de España.

Diego Schattenhofer. Rodrigo Díaz

This work, developed from Tenerife's gastronomy, allows chefs to use fish at different temperatures, understanding the maturation process to enhance the value of the product, even more than fresh fish. A fish can be preserved at zero degrees, provided, as the chef noted, it is stored upside down. Clear eyes? The key to good preservation.

The earth raises us, the earth eats us

Showing people that simple cooking can be done with ingredients found in any pantry, with an Andalusian touch, is the mission of Pedro Aguilera, chef at Mesón Sabor Andaluz* (Alcalá del Valle, Cádiz, Spain). As he explained in his presentation 'The earth raises us, the earth eats us', this inn was founded 30 years ago in a small village in the Sierra de Cádiz with a single goal: to prevent locals from emigrating and to share Andalusian culinary culture with visitors from hundreds of kilometres away. But not just any culture.

At this inn, they promote radical seasonality. No product is out of season. And always with an Andalusian touch, from the dish to the inn's chefs. "The team feels Andalusia," the chef emphasised before explaining that their menu begins with a simple yet distinctive dish.

Pedro Aguilera during his presentation. Rodrigo Díaz

Three olives, sweetened only with water until they reach the desired bitterness, are then split and bathed in a quince and vermouth infusion, finished with three fresh oregano leaves and a few drops of olive oil. "Starting with this dish is a statement of intent. It embodies all the nuances of Andalusian cuisine," says a 100% Andalusian chef from a 100% Andalusian kitchen.

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