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An Informal Creed by Ferran Adrià

An Informal Creed by Ferran Adrià

Subjected to the third degree by the great chef, four cooks and a gastronomic critic address the elements

Doménico Chiappe

Madrid

Lunes, 27 de enero 2025, 19:30

In the 1990s, Ferran Adrià pioneered culinary minimalism, a form of haute cuisine that influenced subsequent generations. "What is minimalism?" asks the great chef at the 'Dreams' space of Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España, during an intense afternoon session packed with attendees, including other top chefs who even sat on the carpet. Borrowed from the art world, it navigates the waters of style and movements, on which Adrià, the deity of elBulli, has reflected and written. "We must speak generally about types of cuisine, as they are impersonal characteristics grouping techniques and preparations. But movements are about people," while style "would describe their entire gastronomic offering," from interior design to "tasting tools."

So, what is minimalism, then? The answer comes from gastronomic critic Alba Torres, who researched this cuisine to develop a thesis that impressed Adrià himself. "It is based on the limitation of few intermediate preparations (those that are visual on the plate), main products, and techniques used," explains Torres, citing 'Bone Marrow and Caviar' as an example. "It was conceptualized at elBulli in 1996, but the first dish was made in 1992."

To summarize, a phrase: "Less is more." An exclusive 'less' of "creative haute cuisine" that "appears in menu format," specifies Torres.

Provocative, cheerful, dynamic, Adrià, over three hours, in conversation with four chefs, gradually reveals some premises of an informal creed.

Adrià's first premise: "Having four intermediate preparations, better two than three. Making minimalist cuisine is neither good nor bad."

-If there is little transformation, it shifts from minimalism to simplism -asserts chef Pedrito Sánchez from Bagá restaurant in Jaén, explaining his oxidized pear with eel during the talk.

-And is Japanese cuisine simplistic? -Adrià asks him.

-You're trying to trick me!, exclaims Sánchez.

Laughter. The mental games continue:

-Nori seaweed is a prepared product when I buy it, there are some wizards who cook it for you -says Adrià.

-Just like olive oil or butter -responds Sánchez.

-Simplicity is the grilled steak. But saying it like that is not pejorative.

Adrià's second premise concerns the quality of life of those working in his house: at elBulli, we were the first to close at midday, and in the end, we were home by twelve. Chef Josean Alija from Nerua restaurant in Bilbao, one of the last to do 17-hour shifts in that gastronomic temple, reminded him: "Cook what makes you happy, differentiates you, and identifies you, which is what will help you. You used to tell us that frequently."

Another fact, more than a dogma, from Adrià: the restaurants I like most for dining only have one Michelin star. That is a characteristic. (The four chefs invited to this Valle-Inclánian gathering at Madrid Fusión) are the restaurants where I like to eat. And they are among the least recognized. When I go to eat, I don't talk about cooking. Don't bother me. (The other two houses this evening are Enigma, by chef Rubén Zubiri, and Aürt, by Artur Martínez, both in Barcelona).

And more keys

-You can't be dogmatic. There are 50 truths. You can change style.

-A good sardine is better than a bad lobster.

-The soul doesn't think. The mind does. Neither does the heart. The heart doesn't exist, nor does tickling in love. They are emotions, produced in the mind.

-Good products are a must. If you pay 400 euros for a menu, it better be! If it's nearby, great, but if there's something amazing outside, I'll buy it too. When they tell me a place uses the product well, I say: are you kidding? For 400 euros? It has to be! It's a must! Haute cuisine starts from this: good product and good execution.

-What's the opposite of raw? There's no word. It's not cooked, nor worked, or passed through fire.

In essence, minimalism is like a speech. To make a five-hour one, you need ten minutes, and to make a ten-minute one, you need five hours. But the dish doesn't lie.

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