Government promotes the value of Spanish gastronomy of autonomous regions at State meals with international leaders

A trip through the "Tastes of Spain" will take the cuisine of the autonomous regions to Moncloa Palace through its most important chefs, so that leaders and international dignitaries can get to know regional Spanish food.

The first of these menus will be prepared for the official lunch offered to the President of the Republic of Peru during his State visit to Spain on Thursday, 28 February. On this occasion, the chosen cuisine is from south-east Spain, as interpreted by the chef from Alicante, María José San Román, who has prepared a menu based on products from the area and typical of Mediterranean cuisine, such as virgin olive oil, saffron, rice, fish and shellfish, combined with wines from the protected geographical indication (DOP) "Vinos de Alicante" (Wines of Alicante).

This experience will allow foreign visitors to experience the different cuisines and chefs that make up Spanish gastronomy. It is an initiative that has arisen from an idea by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, with respect to the importance and relevance of Spanish gastronomy in the world, as an important part of Spanish cultural heritage.

The chef and restaurant owner María José San Román is collaborating with this project without charge. She has a Michelin star and two Repsol soles, and is well known for her study of classic Spanish ingredients and her interesting interpretations of Spanish cuisine at her restaurants and artisanal bakery in Alicante.

Virgin olive oil as a guiding spirit

This international ambassador for Spanish cuisine is recognised as the highest authority on the subject of the country's unique culinary ingredients, such as saffron, extra virgin olive oil, different types of rice and the different flours used in Spanish bread specialties.

Based on in-depth research into Spanish food, she has promoted exports of agricultural products of great importance for Spain around the world, such as olive oil, saffron and rice. She works on matching food and different varieties of olive oil to create dishes ranging from starters to desserts in which olive oil is an essential element of each.

For this occasion, María José San Román has created a balanced menu that plays with different flavours and allows diners to perceive the nuances of the Mediterranean. The starter begins with three varietal olive oils: arbequina, picual and hojiblanca, which will be matched with different artisanal breads. Next, there will be some starters from Alicante, with the intense flavour of grey mullet roe and marcona almonds, followed by Iberian ham in the form of a tartar of salchichón (salami) and smoked aubergine.

The heart of the meal is a lobster from Santa Pola with potato cannelloni, with a clear reference to Peruvian potatoes; followed by rice, the core dish of the gastronomic universe of Spanish Mediterranean cuisine. In this case, it is creamy rice, almost deliberately dry. The bombita variety has been chosen for this, polished to 65%, the ideal degree milled at her express request. This allows it to conduct the taste best and highlight the intensity of the tuna refined by saffron. To conclude, the dessert follows the guiding spirit of olive oil in the lunch, with a delicate creamy ice-cream of hojiblanca olives, accompanied by honey with pollen and suspiros alicantinos (light biscuits) and Alicante and Jijona styles of turrón (Spanish nougat).

Non official translation