Slate -- my favorite web site on the internet after Slashfood -- published an article today about the possible decline of Spanish avant-garde cuisine. The article lists numerous factors contributing to the "death" of the movement, including the overuse of foam, popular demand and democracy (meaning the fact that people can recreate the culinary experiences in their own kitchens). It contends that the mainstream has caught up with the movement, rendering it no longer new or exciting.

Fortunately for those of us who enjoy this type of food, the article ultimately concludes that Spanish avant-garde cuisine will likely meet the fate as trends like Asian fusion and California cuisines: some elements will fade away, but others (like foam) will simple become part of the "culinary vernacular." Phew! Anyone think otherwise?

If you are one of those foodies who entertains fantasies of going on a vacation of no holds barred eating, then you must check out this article, detailing the trip that Adam Goldman took with two buddies through Spain. They ate for two weeks straight, spending more than $17,000 (for someone whose current car cost but $2,000 that amount seems heart-stopping) on food, wine and booze and gaining nearly 25 between them.

They centered the trip around three Spanish Michelin-starred restaurants, Arzak, Mugaritz and Can Fabes, that are known for their outstanding eats and unique approaches to food. The descriptions of what they ate are fairly quick, but at the end of the article I still felt a little dizzy with all they managed to squeeze in. Sounds like a food-trip of a lifetime.

Via Serious Eats

Lately I've found myself in the mood for raw oysters. This extreme closeup that I found today over on Chez Pim has made me crave them even more. I can almost taste the briny juices from this beautiful, ultrafresh specimen. I don't know about you, but I take my oysters neat, so as to better savor the taste of the sea. Tabasco and lemon only mask the flavor. Chez Pim took this shot at Paco Meralgo, a tapas bar in the mecca of tapas bars, Barcelona. Pim heaps much praise on the tapas at Paco Meralgo, but points out that the real star is the incredibly fresh seafood, including razor clams and langoustines. I've always known that there's a lot more to tapas than jamon, cheese and olives, but this whole fresh seafood thing takes it to another level. Enough tapas talk, I'm off to the nearest raw bar.

[via Tastespotting]

Health magazine has picked the five healthiest foods that you can get from five different countries. The list isn't complete, of course (I'm not even sure if these are the healthiest foods in the world), but it's a quick guide to the healthy foods that a few different countries have given us.

Spain has given us olive oil, Japan soy, Greece has given us yogurt, and lentils come from India. I've never had kimchi, from Korea, but that's on the list too. You can get recipes for each food at the link above as well.

So readers, what about the United States? What healthy foods have we contributed to the world? And no, Ring Dings don't count.

What happens when a blogger/ce-web-rity goes to Barcelona for vacation?

He turns into a food photographer!

Jason Calacanis is in Barcelona enjoying the Spanish fun and sun, and went back to a tapas bar called Ciutat Comtal, which he went to when he was in Barcelona eight years ago. He says the tapas there are even better than he remembered. I am falling over myself just gazing at what looks like a pinxo with sliced tomatoes, anchovies and olives.

Is there a tapas bar like this in LA?

The trend for tapas and small plates meals was on a rapid rise for the last two years. While most trendspotters are predicting that cuisines other than Spanish will now step into the restaurant spotlight for 2007, that just means that Spanish food is likely to move from restaurants into home kitchens. This is a change that should be welcomed, as the food is a welcome mix of traditional and cutting edge, both in flavors and in the dishes themselves.

The New Spanish Table perfectly captures the dichotomy of both old and new styles, with dishes that are inspired by home chefs as well as the pinnacles of Spanish (and global) gastronomy, like Ferran Adria. Familiar dishes will include a variety of tapas dishes, gazpacho (Strawberry, Tomato, and Fennel Gazpacho, for one) and wonderful baked goods, such as Banana and Hazelnut Tart. Newer ones might include rice pudding ice cream (similar, perhaps, to this recipe) and Adria's Rack of Lamb with Pistachio Pesto and Scallions. For those interested in more than just recipes, the book offers a wealth of information about the history of the food and wine of Spain, and a look at cheeses and other staple ingredients - figuratively and literally, with many illustrations to accompany the text.

Licor 43 also known as "Cuarenta Y Tres" is 31%abv / 62 proof and is a light bodied, sweet liqueur. In color it is yellow tinged with a touch of gold. The aroma is sharp, warm, and complex, with vanilla up front; and then tangy sweet fruit, spices, and an aged rum like presence. The flavor is similar to the aroma; vanilla, complex intermingled spices, tangy fruits, and hints of citrus, carried by a flavor similar to fine aged rum.

Licor 43 is the leading premium liqueur of Spain, where Diego Zamora has been making it in Cartagna since 1924. The name Cuarenta Y Tres (43) comes from the supposedly 43 ingredients used to create it. There is a long history connected to this liqueur, maybe more so than any other, going back 2000 years to the time of the Carthaginians. Here is the supposed history, as well as five cocktail recipes to make with Licor 43.

I tried this for the first time today and I'm a convert. I had it straight in a snifter and on the rocks, enjoying it both ways greatly. I look forward to trying it in a few of those cocktail recipes I linked to earlier. This engaging spirit made me think of warm, golden days full of sunshine and balmy breezes; with pretty, black haired senoritas sashaying by, glancing coquettishly out of the corners of their dark, sensual, and mysterious eyes.

Spain has long been famous for the running of the bulls. While the annual hurling of the tomatoes is waaaay less dangerous, it's certainly as frenzied as that Hemingway-sanctioned ritual.

What!? You don't mean to tell me that you've never heard of La Tomatina, a festival in Valencia where folks wail on each other with more than 100 tons of tomatoes. Me neither, until today.

This year's food fight took place Wednesday. Legend has it that the ritual started 60 years ago when a scuffle between two groups of youths toppled a tomato stand. Regardless of how it all started some facts are certain: this year more than 110 tons of tomatoes were dumped in the town square and 500 showers were set up to cleanse the revelers. With any luck the town will get the streets clean too.

Earlier this month, a Spain-based blogger named Diana took on the project of blogging 30 days on a raw food diet. "From tomorrow I will begin a 30 day Raw Food experiment. I have researched the subject till the cows come home- tried and failed numerous times, but this time will be different!!" she says in her first post. By day five she'd already had a few beers, which apparently falls outside of the raw food program. Diana's stated goal for the project is weight loss, and she notes her starting and current weight at the beginning of each post. So far it looks to be mostly veggies, smoothies and sprouted grains. I'm curious to see how creative she gets with her meals and how conscious she'll be about nutrition. Hopefully the tone will keep to the upbeat and informative side and not drift too much into obsessing about weight loss.

Tapas are small plate dishes that are usually served in bars in Spain to accompany cocktails or other drink. A bit more upscale than what might be dubbed "pub grub" and a bit more satisfying than average bar foods, tapas has become very popular lately. Unfortunately, when you go out and share several plates, the price to make a meal can add up surprisingly fast. If you're a tapas fan, adding a book like Tapas: A Taste of Spain in America to your home library might not be a bad idea, so you'll be able to enjoy some favorites, learn a few new ones and keep the bar tab low.

Author Jose Andres is described as a protégé of the highly acclaimed Spanish chef Ferran Adria and peppers his book with anecdotes of his travels in Spain, in addition to providing colorful recipes, captured in vivid photographs. The chapters are organized by ingredients/themes, so it is easy to choose several dishes to make a meal, and each recipe is paired with a Spanish wine. Some of the dishes are slow cooked and old fashioned, while others have been updated with shortcuts, making this a well-rounded collection for any cook.

 

We know fleur de sel. That's a fancy salt from France. This is Flor de Sal, a fancy salt from Mallorca, Spain.

Flor de Sal is a 100% natural sea salt that is extracted by a traditional method from the French Atlantic coast - the owners of the company skim the naturally crystallized salt from the surface of the ocean water. When it is first harvested, the salt is pink, but becomes an off-white through the process of sun-drying.

The salts come in four "flavors" - Natural (plain), Con Olivas (mixed with dried Kalamata olives), Mediterranea (mixed with Mediterranean herbs), and Con Hibiscus(with hibiscus). I have not seen it in US stores, but their website has a distribution location listed for Bethesda, MD.

Getting a reservation at El Bulli, rated as the best restaurant in the world, can be very difficult. The restaurant not only has limited seating, but is open for only 6 months out of the year. Most diners have to plan at least 6-12 months in advance just to try to get a reservation - and once you have it, you're going at whatever time it's for.

Oh, you didn't know that Aunt Bessie was going to be ill when you made your resevation last July? You can't make it to dinner?

Just sell the reservation on eBay.

Evidently, one member of a party of four diners could not make the trip, so the remaining three are auctioning off the final seat at their table on eBay. The winner of the auction must find their own travel to Barcelona and accomodation while there, but they get to have dinner at El Bulli  - which normally costs €170/$215, without wine - on June 17th at 8pm. Bids start at $1,000 and the auction ends on June 14th.

You can view a photo set of a recent meal at the restaurant here to get an idea of what you're in for.

[via eGullet]

After years of being stuck with a reputation for being a country  that loves bland, overcooked foods (and fish and chips), a new study shows that the British are the most adventurous eaters in Europe. More than 70% of Brits believe it's important to be open-minded about trying new foods and, in fact, that seeking out these foods is important as well. A full 50% of the British, according to the survey, regularly went out of their way to try new foods. Only 44% of French, 34% of Germans and a low 25% of Spanish eaters were likely to look to non-traditional foods.

Critics might say that there was no where to go but up as the British started moving away from "traditional" fare. The issue, however, isn't the food itself, but the acceptance of the idea that food from other countries and parts of the world might have as much, or more, to offer.

Too bad the study didn't include the US. I would have been interested to see where we fell along the continuum, though I'm fairly sure we wouldn't have topped the charts.

If you know Spanish food, or know your way around a plate of charcuterie, then you probably know about jamon serrano, the dry cured ham from Spain, similar to Italian prosciutto. Jamon serrano also has a couple of sisters, jamon jabugo, and the one that has gotten a lit bit of press lately, jamon iberico.

Jamon Iberico is made from black Iberian pigs, which are allowed to range freely in Spain's dehesa, a woodland of evergreens, and other trees and plants. The pigs graze on chestnuts and acorns. Until recently, jamon iberico has not been allowed into the US because slaughterhouses in Spain did not pass USDA sanctions. However, Fermin, a small family owned operation in Spain received approval by the USDA about two years ago. The jamones that they started curing back then are now becoming available and are scheduled to arrive in the US by early summer.

I have taken a peek at tienda.com, an online resource for Spanish foods and food products, but any orders placed for Iberian ham are set to be shipped in Winter 2007 at the earliest. And that's if you have $668 to spare!

I just got a little gift from friends who went to Spain a few weeks ago. I call it "little" because the jar has a net weight of only 1 gram, but saffron certainly isn't anything trivial, as it sometimes known as the world's most expensive spice. Since it was a gift, I have no idea how much it cost, but at Dean and Deluca, a similar 1 gram jar is $12!

Now the most obvious thing I could make with saffron is paella, which I have made before, but with some "faker" saffron that I bought at the grocery store - I say "faker" because it was under $5 for a fairly decent sized bag. But since this is good stuff, I'd love to hear some suggestions for how to put it to sensational use!