Local produce tasted at the Girona Gastronomic Forum

From 18 to 21 March, Prodeca took part, through Gastroteca, in the Girona Gastronomic Forum, which this year took a new format, split into two large blocks aimed at different audiences who share the same love of food.

Over the weekend the fair offered activities, exhibitors, talks and music for food lovers. Then, on 20 and 21 March, the Girona Gastronomic Forum moved to the Auditorium and the Palau Firal with a format for professionals, featuring talks, exhibitors and new trends in the food world. As part of the trade event, Prodeca organised two tastings with local produce as the star.

"Transforming what nature gives you"

On Monday 20 March, the Tasting Room session featured two producers, Oriol Rizo, of the La Xiquella cheese dairy, and Guillem Frigola, of the Mooma cider house, who framed their two projects from different angles. Oriol Rizo told of his change of direction, from agricultural engineer in Barcelona to cheesemaker in the Vall d'en Bas, and how the landscape captivated him. Guillem Frigola explained how his generation has transformed apple growing: they not only continue the tradition but have made the first Catalan cider and single-variety juices from their apples. 

Their talk was accompanied by a pairing, moving away from the usual cheese-and-wine tasting. The pairing was Manyac raw cow's milk cheese (soft paste, bloomy rind) with golden apple jam, Xiroi raw cow's milk cheese (pressed paste, washed rind, semi-cured) with single-variety granny smith apple juice and Saüll raw cow's milk cheese (pressed paste, fat-matured) with aged apple cider.

"Pibernat, traditional cooking passed down the generations"

On the 21st, in the Product Room session, we were joined by the soul behind Pibernat's preserves, Miquel Fluvià. The presentation began with the origin of these preserves, created after COVID when his mother's restaurant closed and he wanted to preserve its spirit of traditional Catalan cooking. The product is a solution to one of the most common kitchen problems: leftovers.

Miquel Fluvià spoke about the importance of keeping traditional dishes alive, about time in the kitchen and how society has changed in this respect. The session closed with a tasting of three preserves: 

• Sardine tartare
• Squid with botifarra and onion
• Duroc pork rib

It was a way of showing the professionals present how easy these preserves are to use and where the three dishes come from. In Miquel Fluvià's words, we need to value the cooking of the past.