Vive las verduras

New techniques and concepts applied to vegetables

Ferran Adrià / El Bulli

Ferran Adrià based a good part of his presentation on the use and evolution of the asparagus in his cuisine: “When people talk about our cuisine, they always talk a lot about the techniques, which is the more spectacular part. Very rarely do they talk about the ingredients, such as vegetables, which are just as important in our dishes. That is because they’re not so spectacular, but they are no less important”, stated Adrià.

And so, those attending were allowed to see how a now-common dish like fried asparagus, which Adrià introduced in 1985 as part of a new trend based on grilled vegetables, went through processes of adaptation and reconstruction until recipes with new textures were created, such as his peculiar cream of asparagus, asparagus pizza or asparagus wrapped in wild mushrooms, not to mention innovations like asparagus beer or asparagus lollies.

With this demonstration, Adrià replied to those critics who claim that “the product is of no importance" at El Bulli. “We have someone who spends six months of the year searching out the best products in the world. And that is one of the great challenges of gastronomy and, primarily, agriculture: to adapt the wide range of species in the world to the environment, to the weather, to other places”.

Finally, and referring to the search for new textures, Adrià stated that the initial reaction should not be one of surprise or astonishment. Such is the case of the new textures obtained in sponges without eggs or flour, which, “although they need no more than a siphon bottle, something which has been around in the kitchen for decades, and a microwave, amaze at first”.

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