Industry and gastronomy give the fair more international exposure
Alimentaria 2014 will bring together 50 Michelin stars in an innovative culinary show
Alimentaria 2014 will again be the food and beverage fair with the most culinary activities. The major new feature will be The Alimentaria Experience, which will bring together 50 of today’s best chefs. The fair is also launching Cocktail & Spirits, with demonstrations by the best bartenders, and repeating their appearance are the tasting spaces Vinorum, the Gourmet Olive Oil Bar and “Spain, land of 100 cheeses”.
The export potential of the agri-food industry -represented by over 3,800 participating companies- joins forces at the fair with the international recognition of our haute cuisine. For this reason, unlike other events, it will include an ambitious programme of activities with stellar show cooking sessions, cocktail-making exhibitions and tastings of wines, oils and cheeses.
According to the Director of Alimentaria, J. Antoni Valls, it is a case of “revealing to the thousands of foreign buyers that come to the fair the quality and richness of our products and the great power of our cuisine, recognised worldwide”. The President of Alimentaria and of Fira de Barcelona, Josep Lluís Bonet, says the fair “boosts the alliance between food, tourism and gastronomy, three things that together have great growth potential that has to be a driver for the recovery of our economy”.
In fact, the three sectors account for 25% of the Spanish GDP and employ over 3 million people, according to data from the Federación de Industrias de Alimentación y Bebidas (FIAB).
Culinary activities
The major new feature at this edition is The Alimentaria Experience, an innovative culinary area that will bring together 50 chefs that hold over 50 Michelin stars between them, including Joan Roca, Juan Mari Arzak, Quique Dacosta, Pedro Subijana, Carme Ruscalleda and Paco Pérez.
Visitors will be able to enjoy a unique culinary experience: see some of the world’s best chefs cook in a space for groups of 18 people, taste their creations and take part in an interactive workshop.
One of the main attractions will be the 10-star Show cooking session, where Paco Pérez, Dani García, Nacho Manzano, Paco Roncero and Ramon Freixa (2 Michelin* each) will cook simultaneously.
Vinorum, Thirst for Wine
In this space, visitors will be able to taste 50 of today’s most ground-breaking wines: innovative, fresh, alternative and affordable (retail price less than 10 Euros), conceived to attract new consumers. A committee of wine experts, distributors, online business owners and bloggers selected the 50 groundbreakers, a list of wines from all over Spain. However, the most represented wines with Designation of Origin are Rueda, Penedés and Vinos de la Tierra Castilla León.
Toasting with spirits
This year Alimentaria is launching “Cocktails & Spirits”, with the latest products and trends in spirits and cocktails. It will include demonstrations by prestigious bartenders, guided tasting sessions and workshops on classic combinations, the most groundbreaking creations and the Gin & Tonic fashion. Over 1,000 m2 of Intervin will give more visibility to spirits and favour contact between brands, bartenders, specialist buyers and other hospitality professionals. The list of stars at Cocktail&Spirits includes Christian Delpech (19-time Flairtending World Champion and Pedro García Rascon (2013 flairtending champion of Spain).
The best extra virgin oils
At the Oliva Gourmet Olive Oil Bar in Olivaria, visitors will be able to taste around a hundred of the country’s best extra virgin oils. They will also be able to see the rapid evolution and the degree of maturity that the gourmet EVOO segment is achieving in Spain. Companies such as Masia El Altet, Oleoestepa, Agrolés, La Boella and Casas de Hualdo will showcase three or more different oils. There will also be designer oils, numbered productions with luxury presentations and organic oils, such as “Oro del Desierto” and “Melgarejo Original”, among many others.
Cheese compendium
With the title “Compendium”, the exhibition “Spain, Land of 100 cheeses” this tasting and exhibition space will take a look at Spanish cheese production of the last 20 years. The list of selected gems includes an artisan Manchego Gran Reserva, voted 2012 best cheese in the world and winners of the “Food from Spain Award to the Best Cheese 2013”. This space, located in the Interlact show, is celebrating its tenth edition this year.
Dual Spain-Japan year
Japanese gastronomy will also be one of the highlights at Alimentaria on occasion of the Spain-Japan Year, which commemorates 400 years of relations between the two countries. The list of activities includes the debate about Mediterranean and Nippon cuisine with Carme Ruscalleda (with a restaurant in Tokyo) and Keisuke Matsushima (with a Michelin star in France). There will also be workshops on Japanese products, such as sake, tofu, seaweed and miso.
About Alimentaria 2014
Alimentaria, one of the world’s most important food and beverage fairs, will again bring together over 3,800 companies. From March 31st to April 3rd it will turn Barcelona into the food and gastronomy capital, with 14 sectorised shows, 95,000 m2 and 140,000 visitors from over 140 countries. Export, innovation and new trends in food will again be core themes of the fair.
Barcelona, 21st February 2014