Mercat de Mercats (1)

Mercat de mercats is a quite important meeting in Barcelona.

Two weeks ago we started to heat up engines with Boqueria vé de gust. And this saturday october 15th was the official presentation of the event in an act for gastrobloggers at Mercat de Santa Caterina.

The central axis of this year Mercat de Mercats presentation was olive oil.

First, whe had a masterclass about oil with Martí Terés,  from Oleum Flumen. His class could have lasted for hours, but we did not have so many. 

To start, he spoke oils come from a determinated landscape, because in each ground grows a different kind of olive (the one more suitable) and this marks how it will be the final result. So, his oils are different, depending on where the olives come from: they have fields in Lleida, Tarragona and Montserrat area, and each area makes a different oil. He guided us though a olive oil tasting, allowing to discover, notes of three oils.

Anna Maria Garcia (from Olis Oliva) explained how she decided to open her shop at the market of Santa Caterina after watching, in some travels, the importance of olive oil in foreign countries. So, she opened a business to explain oil world.

A good oil, according to her words, depends on the taste of every person, because the one who likes to somebody, can dislike anyone.

Anna Maria made a tour by the catalan oil insdustry map, where there are five Denominacions d'Origen (protected areas):

- Garrigues. The oldest one of Catalunya and of Spain. The main olive variety is arbequina. Also, they grow verdiell.

- Siurana. The main olive variety is arbequina.

- Empordà.  The main olive variety is argudell and corivell

- Terra Alta. The main olive variety is empeltre.

- Montsià-Baix Ebre. The main olive varieties are palomar, sevillenca and farga. Farga is a variety that comes from millennial olive trees and its oils is very appreciated by USA consumers.

Pere Carrió (from restaurant Gat Blau), was the cook of the event.

The menu of his restaurant has a great presence of extra virgin olive oil... He tries to make it be everywhere. The use of the most quality olive oil, in addition to its organoleptic characteristics, is because of its ease to be digestible. His dishes are not that ones you feel in your stomach for a long time. He is proud to say he has not oil providers, but he has 45 oil producers who give him the best product.

The act ended with a taste where Pere Carrió wondered us with a cauliflower brandada...

a ganache of chocolate and milk with hazelnuts with parsnip foam.

Both recipes had extra virgin oil...

Oh! Congratulations to Òscar Gómez (decuina), who was the winner of the contest proposed to the bloggers: to make a recipe with some products and extra virgin olive oil in a prominent role...

His creation will be tasted at Mercat de mercats.