The Carmencita Chair of the Studies of Flavour of the University of Alicante gathered on its 7th Interdisciplinary Workshops for teachers, students and catering professionals to analyse the challenges and opportunities which the recovery of culinary and gastronomic heritage presents.

The opening counted with the presence of Juan Llopis Taverner, manager of International Projects and Relations, Magdalena García Irles, dean of the Science Faculty, Rocío Juliá Sanchís, dean of the Health Science Faculty and Josep Bernabeu-Mestres manager of the Carmencita chair.

The main attraction arrived from the chef Carme Ruscadella, who in her intervention highlighted the importance to influence in the education on good eating habits: “we are what we eat, and we are short in knowledge and very lazy when cooking”. Ruscadella highlighted that “we have to find a spot in out time to think about what we are going to eat, and being mindful on what you are going to buy since here is where sustainability starts, having a respect towards the products we are buying, because we are encouraging a primary sector which is very affected and we should not lose.”

The chef, honorary doctor of the University of Barcelona, National Award and Creu de Sant Jordi, has emphasized that attitude is very important in her career, and has addressed the students of the University of Alicante to advise them to have passion for their job “I believe in the strong work ethics and patience, to repeat thins over and over again until they are done correctly” she stressed the importance of values such as “honesty and compromise with work”.

For their part Francésc X. Medina, manager of the Unesco Chair in Nutrition, has called for reflection by asking “what is tradition? How are traditions created and how much do they last?” he has highlighted “the necessity of valuing the food culture because it is tied to our identity, the land, the economy, the religion, the leisure, the work, the social relationships and family, amongst other things”.

Then intervened Rafael Moreno, manager of the Mediterranean Gastronomy chair, who explained the experience of the University of Cordoba on the investigation, recovery, systematisation of information and revaluation of the traditional gastronomic heritage of the Andalusian provinces.

The panels were moderated by: Ángeles Ruiz, journalist and coordinator of the Carmencita Chair of the Studies of Flavour, María Tormo Santamaría, Doctor in Health Science, Eva María Trescastro, Doctor in Public Health and Virginia Rubio, doctor in Historic and Social studies of Science and Scientific Communication.

The day ended with the conference of the chef Inés Cardona about traditional gastronomic heritage on the Marina Alta, which put the finishing touch with a tasting of Olleta de blat picat made by herself, which was tasted by 200 assistants.

El balance de la jornada, a juicio de Josep Bernabeu Mestre director de la Cátedra Carmencita, ha sido muy positivo ya que “nos ha aportado conocimiento para poder recuperar el patrimonio tradicional y afrontar los restos del futuro en materia gastronómica. La preservación de la cocina tradicional, el consumo de productos de cercanía y avanzar en el conocimiento, la formación y la divulgación son fundamentales para asegurar la sostenibilidad alimentaria.”

The balance of the workshop, to Josep Bernabeu Mestre’s judgement, manager of the Carmencita Chair, has been very positive since “it has brought us knowledge to be able to recover the traditional heritage and face the rest of the future regarding gastronomy. The preservation of traditional cuisine, the use of proximity products and advancing in the knowledge, the education and disclosure are fundamental to ensure food sustainability”.

The chairman of the spice brand Carmencita, Jesús Navarro Navarro, declared that “after 100 years, Carmencita represents the cuisine’s traditional flavour, but we also want to be the image of the new gastronomy. That is why we continue betting for the culture of flavour and the Carmencita Chair of the Studies of Flavour of the University of Alicante is our flagship”.