The knives are well and truly out here in Spain, with many of the country's top chefs embroiled in a bitter dispute about the future of gastronomy. The Spanish media has been full of reports about the war between the 'traditionalists' and the 'molecular gastronomists', whose respective armies have pitched camp and commenced battle in the press, on TV and across the web. Gunshots have been heard back in Britain, where The Daily Telegraph recently shrieked: "Ferran Adria Accused Of 'Poisoning' His Diners"... and as far away as Australia where the Melbourne Herald Sun last week reported the controversy under the more sensitive and cultured banner headline: "Chefs In A Stew Over 'Too-Posh' Tucker".
Civilians have not been immune to the developing conflict, judging by the number of irate Letters to the Editor. While some have argued in support of the gastro-scientists, the public mood is probably more typified by Jorge Gutiérrez Berlinches who, writing in Spain's most popular journal El País, argued the gastronomic case for "pasta with tomato, a nice plate of potatoes, a fried egg and blood sausage." So, I don't expect I'll be seeing Sr. Berlinches at Comerç 24 for the Grand Festival menu degustación in the near future, then.
So who are the protagonists in this war? The blue hordes are led by the self-taught king of the gastronomic old guard, Santi "You Are What You Eat" Santamaría, owner of El Racó de Can Fabes here in Barcelona and Santceloni in Madrid - the first Catalan chef to gain three coveted Michelin stars back in 1994 and current holder of five Michelin stars.
The red forces are represented by the world's highest ranked chef and leader of the 'molecular gastronomy' movement, Ferran "You Are Who You Entertain" Adrià, owner of the longest restaurant queue in the world at the Michelin 3* El Bulli and President of Alícia (El Fundació ALImentació i CiènCIA), The Food & Science Foundation of Catalonia.
The first serious gunshots were fired at Madrid Fusion in January by Santamaría and reported in TIME magazine under the facetious but wittily rhetorical caption "Could Taste Make a Culinary Comeback?". The blue commander publicly reproached his colleagues for their constant pushing of the envelope to greater experimental extremes. "We're a gang of frauds who work to distract snobs," Santamaría said, before issuing his own manifesto: "The only truth that matters is the product that comes out of the earth, passes through the ovens to the mouth of the eater, and is then defecated." Crudely translated by some attendees as "To Eat Is To Excrete", the catchy epithet subsequently led to the chef being cruelly dubbed "El Descartes de la Digestión".
"Some chefs are offering a media spectacle and are seemingly unconcerned about healthy eating," claimed Santamaría, accusing them of foisting emulsifiers, gelling agents and other chemical substances "that even they wouldn't eat" onto unsuspecting customers. And in an accusation that had the molecular gastronomists phoning their solicitors, he claimed that use of methylcellulose (a vegetable extract that gels when heated and thickens when chilled) can be a health hazard and demanded that the public health authorities should exercise control over what goes onto people's plates, simultaneously calling on his contemporaries to specify all of the ingredients used in dishes on their restaurant menus.
The 3,500-strong European Community of Chefs organisation, Euro-Toques was quick to release a communiqué condemning Santi Santamaría for his "false" statements. The group, established in 1986 by Pierre Romeyer and Paul Bocuse and whose members include Michelin 3* Basque Country chefs Juan Mari Arzak of Arzak and Pedro Subijana Reza of Akelaŕe, said that Santamaría was "creating social alarm of incalculable consequences." According to Euro-Toques, "the new gelling agents, thickeners and other ingredients have all the necessary legal and health guarantees, because they are ingredients that have been used in our daily dishes for many years." Arzak, considered the father of Spanish nouvelle cuisine, launched a searing attack on the traditionalist, saying: "I would recommend to Santi that he try to be humble in order to learn and reflect on the ideas of others, from the humblest tavern to the culinary genius of Adrià. Envy is a type of competition in which you always lose out. You have to observe what others do, not scorn them." Ouch!
And Andoni Aduriz, whose restaurant Mugaritz in Errenteria is the Mecca of Basque creative perfection according to my friend and inspirational chef Nuno Mendes, said Santamaría was simply trying to scare people. "Santi is the Hugo Chávez of gastronomy", he told The International Herald Tribune. "He loves to spark controversy with his populist talk." Aduriz, now one of the world's highest ranked chefs and an ardent forager in the local countryside for nettles and unusual herbs, said he saw no conflict between respect for natural produce and high-tech methods. "It's a false debate," he said. "Santi is seeking the recognition that has eluded him professionally by creating a polemic," he added, suggesting that Santamaría resented the fame enjoyed by the likes of Adrià.
There's certainly no love lost between the two encamped forces. Admitting that he and Ferran Adrià were once close, Santi Santamaría told journalists that the two were currently "conceptually and ethically divorced." Catalans have been aware of the simmering discord between the two for quite some time now. The local TV channel TV3 broadcasts a satirical show Polonia, on which combatants Santamaría and Adrià have been lampooned several times. Although this 2007 video clip is in Catalan, you should have no difficulty understanding the humour of the sketch.
And nor should you now have any difficulty understanding the real truth behind the war of the chefs. Just 17 seconds into the spoof clip, Santi Santamaría is seen presenting the 2005 additional to his culinary library 'Entre Llibres i Fogons' (Between the Books and the Stoves) - seizing this golden opportunity for free publicity. And what exactly was he doing when he launched into his tirade at Madrid Fusion? Yes, you've guessed it. Receiving an award for his latest tome 'La Cocina al Desnudo' (The Kitchen Laid Bare).
Whatever else we might conclude about Chef Santamaría, he certainly deserves praise for learning his craft in PR. And for stepping outside of his native Spain to learn it from the world's leading professionals. Book titles from Jamie Oliver. And publicity stunts from Gordon Ramsay.
So who are the protagonists in this war? The blue hordes are led by the self-taught king of the gastronomic old guard, Santi "You Are What You Eat" Santamaría, owner of El Racó de Can Fabes here in Barcelona and Santceloni in Madrid - the first Catalan chef to gain three coveted Michelin stars back in 1994 and current holder of five Michelin stars.The red forces are represented by the world's highest ranked chef and leader of the 'molecular gastronomy' movement, Ferran "You Are Who You Entertain" Adrià, owner of the longest restaurant queue in the world at the Michelin 3* El Bulli and President of Alícia (El Fundació ALImentació i CiènCIA), The Food & Science Foundation of Catalonia.
The first serious gunshots were fired at Madrid Fusion in January by Santamaría and reported in TIME magazine under the facetious but wittily rhetorical caption "Could Taste Make a Culinary Comeback?". The blue commander publicly reproached his colleagues for their constant pushing of the envelope to greater experimental extremes. "We're a gang of frauds who work to distract snobs," Santamaría said, before issuing his own manifesto: "The only truth that matters is the product that comes out of the earth, passes through the ovens to the mouth of the eater, and is then defecated." Crudely translated by some attendees as "To Eat Is To Excrete", the catchy epithet subsequently led to the chef being cruelly dubbed "El Descartes de la Digestión".
"Some chefs are offering a media spectacle and are seemingly unconcerned about healthy eating," claimed Santamaría, accusing them of foisting emulsifiers, gelling agents and other chemical substances "that even they wouldn't eat" onto unsuspecting customers. And in an accusation that had the molecular gastronomists phoning their solicitors, he claimed that use of methylcellulose (a vegetable extract that gels when heated and thickens when chilled) can be a health hazard and demanded that the public health authorities should exercise control over what goes onto people's plates, simultaneously calling on his contemporaries to specify all of the ingredients used in dishes on their restaurant menus.
The 3,500-strong European Community of Chefs organisation, Euro-Toques was quick to release a communiqué condemning Santi Santamaría for his "false" statements. The group, established in 1986 by Pierre Romeyer and Paul Bocuse and whose members include Michelin 3* Basque Country chefs Juan Mari Arzak of Arzak and Pedro Subijana Reza of Akelaŕe, said that Santamaría was "creating social alarm of incalculable consequences." According to Euro-Toques, "the new gelling agents, thickeners and other ingredients have all the necessary legal and health guarantees, because they are ingredients that have been used in our daily dishes for many years." Arzak, considered the father of Spanish nouvelle cuisine, launched a searing attack on the traditionalist, saying: "I would recommend to Santi that he try to be humble in order to learn and reflect on the ideas of others, from the humblest tavern to the culinary genius of Adrià. Envy is a type of competition in which you always lose out. You have to observe what others do, not scorn them." Ouch!And Andoni Aduriz, whose restaurant Mugaritz in Errenteria is the Mecca of Basque creative perfection according to my friend and inspirational chef Nuno Mendes, said Santamaría was simply trying to scare people. "Santi is the Hugo Chávez of gastronomy", he told The International Herald Tribune. "He loves to spark controversy with his populist talk." Aduriz, now one of the world's highest ranked chefs and an ardent forager in the local countryside for nettles and unusual herbs, said he saw no conflict between respect for natural produce and high-tech methods. "It's a false debate," he said. "Santi is seeking the recognition that has eluded him professionally by creating a polemic," he added, suggesting that Santamaría resented the fame enjoyed by the likes of Adrià.
There's certainly no love lost between the two encamped forces. Admitting that he and Ferran Adrià were once close, Santi Santamaría told journalists that the two were currently "conceptually and ethically divorced." Catalans have been aware of the simmering discord between the two for quite some time now. The local TV channel TV3 broadcasts a satirical show Polonia, on which combatants Santamaría and Adrià have been lampooned several times. Although this 2007 video clip is in Catalan, you should have no difficulty understanding the humour of the sketch.
And nor should you now have any difficulty understanding the real truth behind the war of the chefs. Just 17 seconds into the spoof clip, Santi Santamaría is seen presenting the 2005 additional to his culinary library 'Entre Llibres i Fogons' (Between the Books and the Stoves) - seizing this golden opportunity for free publicity. And what exactly was he doing when he launched into his tirade at Madrid Fusion? Yes, you've guessed it. Receiving an award for his latest tome 'La Cocina al Desnudo' (The Kitchen Laid Bare).
Whatever else we might conclude about Chef Santamaría, he certainly deserves praise for learning his craft in PR. And for stepping outside of his native Spain to learn it from the world's leading professionals. Book titles from Jamie Oliver. And publicity stunts from Gordon Ramsay.
Postscript:
Good news for Santi Santamaría, who has promised to donate the profits from his latest book to charities for multiple schlerosis and consumer protection (I claim no credit for this).
Bad news for Santi Santamaría who, in an interview with the newspaper El Periódico, has admitted to using chemical additives in his own restaurant dishes.
9 comments - post yours here:
Good grief! What a palaver. Makes for interesting reading (and, as you say, great publicity!), but really - to call it a public health issue is probably a step too far. I mean, the point is even raised that kids under 6 should not be eating some of these emulsifiers. And how many kids under 6 do you think walked through the doors of El Bulli in the past year?! Or Commerc 24, for that matter? It's just ridiculous. There's a place for BOTH schools of cooking, in my opinion. Sometimes I want great ingredients, simply prepared - and other times I want to me amazed and amused. Simple as that.
:D I recognise that show! I watched an episode of it when I was last in Barcelona for Christmas. Only they were poking fun of Adria and Carme Ruscalleda! I'm so planning on stopping into Comerc24 the next time I'm there - I just hope that I have the time and money (way too much travelling this year).
Sigh... the health thing is just pot calling the kettle black, no? It's well known that eating out in general isn't exactly healthy - and I'm sure Santamaria's restaurants aren't offering up the healthiest food.
And didn't he say something else too? About how chefs shouldn't be artists? How the plate is not an art gallery? That's a load of bollocks - everyone wants their plates to look good.
Jeanne - I couldn't agree more. I wish I could afford to eat at El Bulli frequently enough to enough to risk my health, even assuming that I did think texturas were dangerous, which I don't. Andoni Aduriz sums it up well - there is no conflict between natural produce and high-tech methods. If there were, we would still be doing all our cooking in charcoal pits (great for damper, but not so good for soufflé). When I said in my last post "modern cooking isn't always about crazy combinations of flavours, with 'foam' this and 'gel' that", the critical word was "always".
Su-Lin - if you look on YouTube there are several clips involving Carme Ruscalleda. She may not cook my style of food, but I can only have the utmost respect for someone who has achieved what she has. Interestingly, the art issue is very much like the chemicals issue. I'm no fan of Pierre Gagnaire either, but I don't want three shades of brown food slopped onto a plate. A lot of my working life is spent making food look attractive as well as taste great.
All,
In the last few days it has been revealed that Santamaria actually HAD USED additives and gelling agents in one of his puddings. He quickly acknowledged this and "apologised" saying his establishment no longer touches the stuff.
Either way, I can't help sympathise with the most michelin starred chef (Santi). Whatever happened to fantastic, wholesome Spanish cooking? This is all that he is defending.
I have alot of respect for the likes of Juan Mari and Ferran but just a few months ago JM was on Karlos Arguiñano's show (appears every Friday with "exotic" ingredients) and he was talking about adding "clean dirt" to dishes!! His laboratory takes earth, "purifies" it and then adds it to dishes to give an earthy and rustic taste! COME ON GUYS WE ARE LOSING THE PLOT HERE. Of course, as there are snobs out there stupid enough to actually pay to eat mud then enough said!
JM and Ferran are the Valentino's and Gauthier of the food world - there inventions inspire other chefs to make more marketable meals. Much as you would not buy a cat-walk design with feathers, a mask over your face and walking half naked in a dress, I don't think we need to be taking seriously what these distinguished chefs/innovators are doing in their labs.
I am all for evolution, testing, innovation but when chefs are more recognised for such things than everyday good, healthy, tasty and AFFORDABLE meals then I think something is wrong.
I agree whole-heartedly with Jeanne on this. There's clearly a market for both types of restaurant. The claim that eating texturas is a health hazard really does sound like clutching at straws. I don't think anyone, even if they could afford it, would eat at El Bulli regularly enough to suffer any chemical build up. Surely the restaurant is meant to be a special occasion place.
I would be mortified if the innovative and ambitious restaurants no longer existed. When I go out for a meal out I often want to be served something I couldn't ever make myself (at least not in a reasonable timescale). If that sometimes involves using high tech techniques and ingredients, then so be it.
Looks like the New York Times likes your blog: Spain’s Top Chefs Clash Over Ingredients and Culinary Innovations.
My man in Murcia - I'll bring you down some tripe and onions when I come to visit.
Ros - thanks for your sensible contribution. You know you always get something special when you come out to eat with me. Like a bus ride to the restaurant.
J Savimbi - According to Wikipedia you died in 2002, which just shows you can never trust your sources of information these days. Yes - the news has travelled as far as New York. And some of it even back to me.
ok guys, for what it's worth here are my thoughts. In our recent 4 day trip to Barca (it's a foodie pilgrimage we make every year) we ate at: Comerc; bar pinocho in the boq (breakfast, garabanzos and lamb ribs); fast good, ferrans take on a macD; euskal etxea, the catalan cultural centre; tapas at xampanyet every night. All of these meals were fantastic, despite the difference in price of between E2-E150. It's not just a choice of what you pay it's about the ingredients and the theatre of the show. Comerc was our top end choice because we wanted to be astounded by new combinations and techniques we'd never acheive at home. Inevitably, some of the dishes i had there didn't float my boat, that didn't mean that I felt short changed in any way. I thought the meal I had Euskal was in many ways better value, but did it challenge? No. And if you want a plate plate of ham and cheese, or cockles, and a cheap glass of cava-xampanyet make sure that the ham IS the best (in the world in my humble-Joselito.
There's a place for everyone in gastronomy, just make sure it's honest -oh and NEVER eat at Petit in the Boq-quite the worst meal I've been served ever!
Fascinating post. I'm happy to have found your blog. I'll be back.
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