The Círculo Ecuestre organized a colloquium this Tuesday to debate the journey and evolution of Catalan gastronomic culture over nearly a century. The event featured the president of the Catalan Academy of Gastronomy and Nutrition (ACGN), Joan Font, and was presented by the member of the Board of Governors of the Círculo Ecuestre, Ramon Agenjo, moderated by the journalist and former director of La Vanguardia, Màrius Carol.
During the conversation, Font explained and detailed how Catalonia has moved, in less than a century, from a situation marked by hunger, misery, and rationing to becoming one of the world's great gastronomic powers. “This evolution is summarized in the idea of ‘impossible gastronomy.’ An expression that first meant the impossibility of enjoying food beyond survival and today refers to a cuisine so extraordinary that just a few decades ago it would have seemed unimaginable.”
In this sense, the president of the Academy highlighted that one of the key moments of this gastronomic transformation was the opening of Motel Empordà in 1961. In fact, Font asserted that this establishment located in Figueres can be considered the “big bang” of modern Catalan gastronomy, as it knew how to reinterpret the traditional and humble cuisine characteristic of Catalonia with a new perspective, turning recipes born of necessity into sophisticated and modern dishes.
Another of the great moments of Catalan cuisine in this last century highlighted by the academic was “the great explosion” that occurred during the eighties and nineties of the last century, led by Ferran Adrià and the El Bulli team. “Their innovation and creativity placed Catalonia at the center of world cuisine and paved the way for an exceptional generation of chefs and restaurants,” Font stated during the conversation. From that moment on, he insisted, Catalan gastronomy has consolidated as a unique combination of tradition, modernity, talent, and quality produce.
The colloquium ended with a clear idea: despite recent difficulties such as the pandemic, Catalan cuisine has maintained its strength and capacity for renewal. “Today Catalonia has an extraordinary gastronomic ecosystem, built thanks to the joint work of farmers, fishermen, livestock breeders, markets, and chefs. A reality that just a few decades ago would have seemed, simply, impossible,” Font concluded, adding that Catalan gastronomy is no longer that of lack and necessity, but of a culinary excellence that only a few decades ago would have seemed entirely unimaginable.