Evolution or Rebolution

[Rogelio]

The most interesting event at the Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía Congress, at least for the aficionado, was the debate between cooks and critics from both times discussing about the boundaries of the cooking, the future and the history.

At the table were Gualterio Marchesi, Jean-Claude Ribaut (Le Monde), Vincent Noce (Liberation), Jürgen Dollase (ZDF Magazine), Michel Guèrard, Heston Blumenthal, Ferrán Adrià, Marco Bolasco (Gambero Rosso) and Giles Coren (The Times). And was moderated by Rafael García Santos, organizer of the congres.

Jürgen Dollase opened saying the the actual cooking wasn't a revolution not even the nouvelle cuisinne. The only revolutions tha has happened have been:

- Killing the animals

- Cutting the food

- Aromatization

- Texture variation

- Culinary constructions

And said that as much as he liked Adrià's cooking and innovations he thoght that he should stop now, and develop the art of eating.

Gualterio Marchesi said that cooks need to know the technic first in order to innovate as a music needs to know how to play before improvising. And explained that he loved the product and needed to giving it an added value.

Vincent Noce was more vehement starting from the historic factas that if we were alwais eating the same we will die and the gastronomie has to choose between repetition, variation and variety. And ended claiming that there has to be a disturbating sensation on every great meal as the art is a message of pleasure and love to the world.

Jean Claude Ribot hold the intelectual role saying that gastronomie need to be asociated to the pleasure and explaining that like the civilizations without memory died of cold the countries without gastronomie didn't know the pleasure.

And claimed that the new discoveries and studies in the cooking process were destruying the cooking.

Marco Bolasco said that cooking was son of a context and now the cook is the principal character after moving the Maitre d'.

Ferrán Adrià took then the lead role saying that this was the first time that everything had been dated with rigurosity and the debate now was when did the nouvelle cuisine started and if still exists.

Adrià thought that we are not under a revolution because there is no rupture between then and now as there is a big respect and flattery for all the previous generation and people are much over the countries.

Jürgen said then that the most important revolution was that there is now an emancipation from the old technics.

Michel Guèrard explained that when he started there wasn't a freedom of interpretation of recipes and the nouvelle cuisine wasn't based in filosofical criteria but the revange of the pastry chefs against the traditional cooks.

But the most important fact was starting setting the dishes at the kitchen to avoid the waiters destruying their works.

The funniest thing is that all his revolution in the dietetic cooking was due to pick up a girl (his actual wife) as she was the owner of a resting resort.

Ferrán Adrià ended saying that the vanguard needs to be excesive because if there isn't polemic there isn't vanguard.

But the main thing was to be honest with you and your collegues being Blumenthal the best example of honestity.

All in all was a very interesting debate that may have needed two or three hours to show all the points and posibilities.

[Pan]

Rogelio, thanks for letting us in on that interesting and stimulating discussion. One statement stands out to me as quite an exaggeration, though:

"if we were always eating the same we will die"

No, it's actual lack of nutrition that causes many people around the world to die. Always eating the same thing is merely very boring. But I suppose he didn't mean to be taken literally.

[docsconz]

Thanks for the interesting report, Rogelio. How was Blumenthal the best example of honesty?

[rjwong]

Thank you for posting these highlights, Rogelio.

Michel Guèrard explained that when he started there wasn't a freedom of interpretation of recipes and the nouvelle cuisine wasn't based in filosofical criteria but the revange of the pastry chefs against the traditional cooks.

←

Nouvelle cuisine ... the revenge of the pastry chefs?

Would someone please explain? And did it work ... for the pastry chefs?

[Rogelio]

Thanks for the interesting report, Rogelio. How was Blumenthal the best example of honesty?

←

This was said in the way that Blumenthal hasn't claim to discover other people discoverings and that he dates and adresses every dish. As well as Adrià does.

I think that Adrià is tired of seeing the same fake dishes all over the world claimed to be discovered by different chefs.

[Rogelio]

Thank you for posting these highlights, Rogelio.

Michel Guèrard explained that when he started there wasn't a freedom of interpretation of recipes and the nouvelle cuisine wasn't based in filosofical criteria but the revange of the pastry chefs against the traditional cooks.

←

Nouvelle cuisine ... the revenge of the pastry chefs?

Would someone please explain? And did it work ... for the pastry chefs?

←

Guèrard started as a pastry chef and then went to the salted dishes with the spirit of a pastry chef with all th measurements and timing concepts. And so did other nouvelle cuisine chefs.

Did they succeed? Well, every single recipe that you read nowadays is measured to the gram and the temperatures and timing are exacts.

[Mikeb19]

Gualterio Marchesi said that cooks need to know the technic first in order to innovate as a music needs to know how to play before improvising. And explained that he loved the product and needed to giving it an added value.

←

Have to agree with this point very strongly. Technique is incredibly important, and you need to master basic techniques before you can start getting creative and using more complicated techniques.

In restaurants I eat at, I almost always see a critical mistake. Flavour combinations that are unusual, but don't work, and techniques that are advanced, but done very poorly. I'd rather have a simple dish executed at a high level than a complicated dish executed poorly...

The best food I've ever had was the most basic. A lamb saddle roasted in a pan with butter and branches of thyme, chef hovering over it contantly basting it, or a simple risotto with mushrooms picked from the forest. Just a few examples.