Asturian-American Migration Forum

Newsweek March 13, 2006 had a Food section article, "Spain: The next Italy".

Newsweek's Jerry Adler wrote:... Spanish food - especially the Mediterranean-influenced cuisine of Catalonia, redolent of garlic and dripping with olive oil - is poised to leap over Indian and Thai in the long-running competition to be crowned the new Italian.

If it hasn't happened yet, it can only be due to the lack of a critical mass of recent Spanish immigrants (and therefore chefs). One of the leading proselytizers of Spanish food, author of the definitive cookbook "Catalan Cuisine", is the California-bred Colman Andrews.... Ironically, Spanish food has derived much of its current cachet from the world-famous chef Ferrán Adrià of El Bulli, near Barcelona, and his disciples. These include Jose Andres (with a small empire of restaurants in and around Washington, D.C., including the legendary six-stool Minibar) and Francis Paniego, a Catalan chef.... But Adrià is famous mostly for his wildly inventive cutting-edge international dishes, not classic Catalan dishes.

You can read the entire article here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11676438/site/newsweek/

José Andres is Asturian. Maybe this cuisine is neither Catalan nor Spanish, but it did strike me that Asturias is invisible.

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El Newsweek del 13 de marzo 2006 tuvo un artículo en la sección de "Food" [alimentos], "Spain: The next Italy" [España: la siguiente Italia].

Jerry Adler de Newsweek escribió - wrote: [trans. Art] ... El cocina española - sobre todo la cocina de Cataluña influida por el mediterráneo, fragante de ajo y goteando con el aceite de oliva - está lista para saltar sobre la india y la tailandesa en la competición que ya dura mucho tiempo para ser coronado la nueva italiana.

Si no ha pasado aún, sólo puede ser debido a la carencia de una masa crítico de inmigrantes españoles recientes (y por lo tanto jefes de cocina). Una de las proselitistas destacadas del alimento español, autor del libro de cocina definitivo "la Cocina catalana", es Colman Andrés, nativo de California. Irónicamente, el alimento español ha sacado la mayor parte de su cachet corriente del jefe famoso por todo el mundo Ferrán Adrià de El Bulli, cerca de Barcelona, y sus discípulos. Estos incluyen a Jose Andrés (con un pequeño imperio de restaurantes en y alrededor de Washington, D.C., incluyendo la Minibar legendaria de seis taburetes) y Francis Paniego, un jefe catalán.... Pero Adrià es famoso sobre todo por sus platos internacionales desordenadamente inventivos y de la vanguardia, no platos catalanes clásicos.

Puedes leer el artículo entero aquí:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11676438/site/newsweek/

José Andrés es asturiano. Tal vez esta cocina es ni catalán ni español, pero me ocurrió que Asturias es invisible.

José Ramón Andrés was an apprentice to Ferrán Adriá but, unlike his teacher, José cooks. Adriá plays with food.
As a woman I was brought up with a healthy respect for food - it's supposed to be cooked and used optimally in such a way as to feed as many people as possible, not wasted or played with for the whimsical.

Catalan cuisine is a new invention. Until now their cuisine was unsophisticated and rough like everyone elses (maybe even more so), they made things like butafarra sausages, ate bread and tomato (pan-amb-tumaca) and baked leeks (calçots). In recent years, especially after the 1992 Olympics, they have developed the infrastructures for high-level tourism (congresses, etc.) which obviously will not be contended with butifarra. ...in come the hokus-pokus artists that serve shrimp shavings with destructured apple juice pearls...
Lord, give us patience!
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José Ramón Andrés fue aprendiz de Ferrán Adriá pero, al contrario que su maestro, José cocina. Adriá juega con la comida.
Como mujer me educaron con un sano respeto por la comida - es para cocinarla y alimentar a tanta gente como sea posible, no para desperdiciarla o jugar con ella en beneficio de unos cuantos caprichosos.

La cocina catalana es un invento nuevo. Hasta ahora era tan poco sofisticada y refinada como la de los demás (incluso más), hacían cosas como la butifarra, pan con tomate y puerros asados (calçots). En los últimos años, especialmente despues de los Juegos Olímpicos del 1992, han conseguido unas infrastructuras que permiten un tipo de turismo de alto nivel (congresos, etc.) que evidentemente no se contenta con butifarra ...aquí es donde entran los artistas del camelo que sirven virutas de gamba con con perlas de zumo de manzana desestructurado
Que Dios nos dé paciencia!

Oh, you're bad! Ha!

Terechu wrote:... unlike his teacher, José cooks. Adriá plays with food.

One of the things I really like about many of the Spanish cuisines is that they are earthy (or sea-y) foods.

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¡Qué mala eres! Ja ja.

Terechu wrote:... al contrario que su maestro, José cocina. Adriá juega con la comida.

Un aspecto de la cocina española que me encanta es que son comidas a tierra (o a mar).

To me, if it tastes good, it is good. If it doesn't taste good, I'm not very
interested in it. Any cuisine that has survived for centuries is likely to be tasty as well as nourishing. Variations on a theme, I'll deal with as I encounter them.

Hola:

Yo pienso que la alta cocina que practican este tipo de cocineros, está muy bien para un día especial, en el que te sientas con el deseo de cambiar la comida que normalmente sueles probar en casa o cuando te sientas inspirado para la mezcla de sabores (en fin en mi caso casi nunca). Reconozco que no soy habitual de estos restaurantes. Una de mis aficiones es dedicar los días libres a conocer Asturias, más bien "patearla", diría yo. Y siempre busco el pequeño restaurante de pueblo con comida casera, incluso los pequeños bares-tienda (aun quedan algunos) en los que te ofrecen el pote, y los huevos con chorizo de casa más sabrosos y con más mimo que puedan hacerse (además de buena conversación).

Por otro lado Asturias tiene fama de servir las raciones más grandes de todo el país. Diríamos que tenemos el sanbenito de "fartones", así que no sé si se llegará a evolucionar hasta que sea común ir a restaurantes tipo El Bulli. Este tipo de cocina la veo orientada a un público muy concreto, como dice Terechu asistente a congresos, reuniones de empresa etc. pero no a los que nos parece que ofrecen menus-degustación, vamos que te tienes que llevar el bocadillo en el bolso porque te quedas con hambre. Y donde además de quedarte con hambre te dejan, normalmente, el bolsillo temblando .

Saludos

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Trans. Art

Hello,

I think that the high cuisine which this kind of chefs do is very nice for a special day, in which you feel some desire a change from the foods that you're normally in the habit of having in the home or when you feel inspired for a [unusual] mixture of flavors (well, in my case almost never). I admit that I don't frequent these restaurants. One of my interests is to dedicate my days off to knowing Asturias, or rather "to stomp around it" [patearla], as I would say. And always I look for the small restaurant in a village with home-cooked food, even the small bars - shops (there are still a few) where they'll offer you pote [Asturian soup], and eggs with the tastiest homemade sausage, all made with more caring attention than I could give it (add in, too, the good conversation).

On the other hand, Asturias has a reputation of serving the biggest portions of the whole country. We would say that we have the San Benito of "fartones" [gourmand or glutton; someone who loves to eat well in quality but especially in quantity], so I do not know if things will evolve until it is common to go to restaurants like El Bulli. This type of kitchen I see as oriented toward very specific audience, as Terechus has said, to those attending conferences, company meetings, etc., but not oriented to those of us whom think that they [only] offer menus for "tasting" [sampling, like at a wine tasting]. Well, when you go, you have to take a sandwich with you in your purse because you'll still be hungry [when the meal is over]. And besides leaving you hungry, they normally leave your pockets [wallet] trembling, too.

Regards

hi folks: Here's an extensive interview with Mieres-born chef José Andrés (of Jaleo restaurant in downtown DC, as well as Cafe Atlantico/MiniBar and Zaytinya). I'll also post an Asturian-language version.

Q&A with Paul de Zardain
for Les Noticies (weekly Asturian-language newspaper) and the International Herald Tribune/The Daily Star, published in Beirut, Lebanon.

Q. Galician and Asturian immigrants landing in the New York metro area after WWII often opened Spanish-themed restaurants. But because Americans knew little about their hearty Celtic stews, their seafood and the more than 100 cheeses, they ended up making paella or gazpacho. How do you sell northern Spain, and specifically Asturias, to an American audience?
A. I think it is a matter of not being familiar. People in America simply didn’t really know Spain. Look at Italy. Italian was not always a day-to-day thing for Americans. But what happened? There are thousands of Italian-American immigrats here. They have told Italy’s story to America. Americans now travel regularly to Italy for one reason or another.
It’s simply a matter of telling our story to America, showing who we are, that we are very diverse, that we are very regional, that we are more than paella and gazpacho, that paella and gazpacho can be so much more than the versions they know. The average American knows tapas. People buy the wine, the olive oil, the jamón Serrano and now they are looking for the cheeses, the Ibérico, the anchoas. We just need to show them fabada and sidra and Cabrales. Americans are unbelievably open and will adopt anything if it is good. We have good things to share.
All of this is happening TODAY. For example, this year I am chairing an event called the Worlds of Flavor at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. The focus is on Spain and it will be one of the largest gatherings of Spanish chefs and food and wine producers in the world. The CIA is the leading culinary school in America and through this event we will reach a whole generation of chefs in addition to restaurant chefs, food media and more. It will have a huge impact.

Q. At the local Whole Foods here in Washington one can find Cabrales. The going rate seems to be $17-19 per pound, which is very expensive. Have you tried contacting small cheese producers in Asturias to import their products directly?
A. Importing products can be a huge undertaking. I have enough on my plate with my restaurants and everything else I am mixed up in. I do believe it is important to make Asturian products available to American consumers but I am not the guy to do it. My expertise comes in opening doors, marketing the products in a sense, making the connections necessary for these products to succeed in this market. For example, for Ibérico hams, I put together a producer, Fermin from La Alberca, and an importer, Rogers Collection from Portland, Maine. Fermin makes great Ibérico products and Rogers has experience bringing gourmet products to America and getting them into the stores. I am busy myself with telling the story of Ibérico to America.

Q. When one speaks of Asturian cheese, people here are familiar only with blue varieties like Cabrales. Do you foresee other lesser-known cheeses like Afuega’l Pitu, Quesu Casín or Beyos coming to the US anytime soon? What can be done to promote those other cheeses? And what would you do at Jaleo with a pimentón-flavored Afuega’l Pitu right now?
A. The market for Spanish cheeses is always growing and every day we see a new cheese for sale. Cowgirl Creamery the famous cheese maker and retailer from San Francisco opened a store in Washington and they carry a ton of Spanish cheeses for example. There is a lot of curiosity about Spanish cheeses. You even see them turning up on cheese plates at non-Spanish restaurants. It is just a matter of bringing them here. For the record Afuega l’Pitu is here [Note: at Cowgirl Creamery in Washington they only carry Cabrales, which retails at $23.15 per pound, according to Michelle Sasscer, a store manager]. Now, I would serve Afuega l’Pitu as it is. It is a fantastic cheese and needs no dressing up.

Q. Monkfish (“pixín”) tastes different on this side of the Atlantic. Although the fish can be of the same species, their habitats and the temperature of the water seems to account for differences in taste. Most saltwater fish, including squid, is sold frozen here. What seems to be the trouble with fish on the east coast? After all, we are less than an hour away from the ocean…
A. You can’t substitute eating something from where it comes from, that proximity. There are good things here and good things there. I think Spaniards in general demand more, they are more used to eating seafood and are more discerning when it comes to quality. Americans don’t seem to eat as much fish or seafood as Spaniards. This is a regional thing to some degree and in certain communities there is more consumption. People in this region are fanatical about blue crab and soft shell crab for example. And in the gulf region everyone knows good shrimp. It is true though that there are whole generations of Americans for whom fish was just fish and it was something that you ate on Fridays and that came frozen in stick form. That is changing.

Q. Asturians and Galicians are avid eaters of mollusks and crustaceans. There are entire gastronomical societies dedicated to the cult of the limpet (“llampara”) in places like Quintueles, in Villaviciosa county. Would you introduce limpets and percebes into your menus here in Washington? Please describe what you would do if I had showed up with 5kg of limpets to this interview and asked you to prepare them.
A. Llampares and percebes or gooseneck barnacles are a delicacy and if you can find them commercially available they are still really expensive. Gooseneck barnacles are available now. They are a really special product and worth every penny. The best way to cook llampares is in a stew of tomato and onion. I had them that way in Tazones last spring and they were amazing. My friend Nacho Manzano, the owner of Casa Marcial, had them fresh from the pedreru this summer [On a recent trip to the small fishing port of Tazones, I was told at a restaurant that outsiders rarely ask for limpets. Considered exotic, they rarely make onto the menu. Things might be different if the menus gave tourists the lowdown on limpets.]

Q. Cider is a key ingredient in Asturian fare. People drink it at all times to accompany seafood, stews or even their “pinchos”. But it is hard to find in the US. You need to go to organic co-ops to find similar cider. And the only one available is a Basque brand retailing for $13.99 per bottle. Now that traditional Asturian cider has an official appellation, is it easier to find in the US? What cider do you use at Jaleo to make “merluza a la sidra” (hake with cider), for example?
A. Almost impossible to find. We don’t serve it cider at Jaleo. Part of the problem is that good cider is an artisanal product. Modern mass produced cider is easier to find but not the same. We’ve served merluza but never a la sidra

Q. According to my mother, you are big on herbs, but less keen on desserts. In other words, you are not much of a “llambión” (sweet tooth). Does that mean there are no “frixuelos” (Asturian crepes) for dessert at Jaleo? Where do you source the milk for the “arroz con llechi” (milk pudding)?
A. No. We use local milk.

Q. My father, who is Asturian, once turned up at my brother’s house in Seattle after weeks of traveling through Wyoming and Colorado. He said he had not eaten anything “real” for weeks and raided the rest of the “fabes” my brother had stored in a Tupperware. Was he right? What American dishes would you re-export back to northern Spain? When you are in Europe, do you have special cravings for American food?
A. You can’t fight the power of nostalgia. What evokes home and comfort more powerfully than food? Eating is a very animal thing. Taste and smell: are these senses that require much processing mentally? No it is a reaction from the gut. To everyone, whether you are from Wyoming or Asturias, the food you grew up with is real food. That is not to say that Wyoming and other parts of the US or other parts of the world don’t have good food. Me I love maple syrup and pancakes, blue crab, soft shell crab, proper North Carolina pork barbecue with cole slaw on a bun, Maine lobster, New England clam chowder, New Mexico style green chili, etc.

Q. Traveling in the Black Sea coast of Turkey last January, I was surprised to find Asturian-type “horros” (granaries on stilts), apple orchards and patches of “berces” (kale) next to the farmsteads. The people eat “hamsi” (small fish fry) just like Asturians eat “bocartes”. There is even a local version of the bagpipe. The region of Sinop is like a displaced Asturias in Asia. What strange cross-cultural encounters have you made in your kitchen lately?
A. That makes sense that there is a shared heritage there, maybe even a shared Celtic heritage. After all the Gauls or Celts established Galatia near present day Ankara and many translate Gallipoli to mean city of the Celts. These things are interesting. I find it interesting that in Mexico and in India people toast spices before using them. And that in both places people make mole and curry which are essentially complex mixes of many many spices. And that each has regional variations, it differs depending on the place they come from. Many times the things I need to cook Spanish food are found in a Korean supermarket. Makes you think.

Q. In the October 2, 2006, issue of the New Yorker there was an article by Bill Buford about the rise of food television. I’ve seen your shows on Televisión Española, as well as Karlos Arguiñano’s on Channel 5. How will you adapt your upcoming television project to the US market? What words would you choose to describe Asturias if you were cooking fabes one day on cable TV?
A. Well, we’re still preparing for production and it is very much in the project phase. Like with any good book, you can’t anticipate the plot or any of the details. However, whatever you do on TV, you always need images that can help you tell the story. Selling Asturies in that sense would be easy. I like to say that the different parts of the world are actually closer than you think. Americans love apples and thus they will like Asturian cider. Americans love blue cheese and will fall in love with Cabrales. It’s simple to see why Asturian dishes would be popular here in the US. It’s about the spirit of the food and that spirit can travel anywhere.

Q. I spoke with Cowgirl Creamery in California and with Rogers Collection in Maine, two gourmet importers. At Cowgirl Creamery, the main buyer (Lenny Rice) told me that cheese varieties like Afuega’l Pitu are too sharp for the palate of West Coast Americans. “It has too much kick,” she said. Do you find yourself softening out the edges of your dishes here in Washington to suit American palates?
A. I believe anything done well is going to be successful. The way we ate 50 years ago is no longer the way we eat today. The sushi you find in Japan these days has little to do with the stinky fish you might have found at a food stall in the early 20th century. In Asturies, sausages were smoked almost to excess because otherwise they would not keep. Things evolve over generations, and become more refined, as people develop their senses.

Q. There are Basque restaurants in New York City like Marichu or Oliva, but no real cutting-edge Asturian restaurants. With such culinary wealth, why is Asturian cookery a virtual unknown? Is it a problem of lack of ambition or poor self-marketing?
A. Well, there used to be a place in Queens, New York, called Don Pelayo. But you see, it’s difficult for a restaurant to rely on a single idea. It has more to do with immigration patterns and whether the people that came to the US were trained professionally as cooks. In most cases, they were not. When you look at the restaurant explosion in Spain, it is an entirely new phenomenon. We didn’t have a restaurant at every street corner in the 1960s. Here in the US, a few Catalan-themed restaurants opened in the 1990s. But ultimately, relying on a regional cooking formula may not work unless the food is very well-established. Basque cooking is strong on its own. And yet, when you travel to the Basque Country the eateries are often very basic. They serve fried fish—and it can often be the best in the world--but it’s not like they have a hundred other things on the menu. I think the best formula is to feature the best of all regional cuisines.

Q. In Asturies the mines have shut down, fishing stocks have dwindled and dairy farms are out of business. The re-industrialization plans have mostly failed and about 30,000 youths leave each year to find jobs elsewhere, something the regional president has scoffed at as an “urban myth”. Otherwise, the regional government has zero vision and relies on pamphleteering for votes. Where do you see the bright spots for Asturies?
A. Asturies needs to create wealth at all levels and that includes investing in the deepest countryside. Maintaining its strong identity, its traditions, its great cider and its own strain of fabes are all important ingredients. That is just the beginning of a virtuous circle in which each part is critical. People don’t realize how important it is to invest in something as innocuous as traditional cheese. It brings new life to the countryside by supporting a workforce and opening the door to export markets. It’s like a presentation card for the world. I think Asturies should keep betting on tourism. There’s a lot to discover and it’s a way to maintain the beauty of the settings, as well as its strong sense of community. Look at Seattle. Three decades ago it was a backwater town with declining industries like lumber and fisheries. Today, it is at the center of software and IT, its alternative music is a beacon for youth and its natural surroundings attract well-educated and creative individuals.

END

Here is the Asturian-language version published by Les Noticies on October 13, 2006.

Entrevista con Jose Andres en Washington (22 de setiembre 2006; Les Noticies)
Num. Pallabres: 2,260
Paul de Zardain

E. Los gallegos ya asturianos acabantes chegar a Nueva York nos años 50 punxeron dellos restaurantes, como enantes fixera la comunidá griega conos famosos “diners”. Pero naide nun sabia n’America de los potes de raigañu celta, del mariscu del Cantabricu ou de la bayura de queixos. Asina que nel menu poníen paella ya gazpacho. Como faes p’afalar la cocina asturiana a una vecería estaounidense?

R. Ye cuestión de tratu. La xente n’Estaos Xunios la verdá ye que nun conocía España. Pero echa-y una güeyada a Italia. Tampouco nun taban avezaos los americanos a coses italianes nun entamu. Pero pasou qu’aportaron a America miles d’inmigrantes italianos que desplicaren la sua hestoria. Agora, muito norteamericanu vei pa Italia de vacaciones. Namai ye cuestion d’enfotase en cuntar la nuesa hestoria, amosa-yos quienes somos, deci-yos que hai abonda diversidá, que hai delles fasteres. Enfin, que España ye muito mas que paella ya gazpacho. L’americanu mediu coñoz los pinchos. La xente merca vino, aceite d’oliva, xamon serranu. Agora entamen a entrugar polos queixos, pol xamon iberico, poles anchoes. Tratase namai d’amosa-yos lo que ye una fabada, un culín de sidra ou un cabrales curiosu. El norteamericanu ye xente abondo abiertu: adopten lo que sia si ye bono. Nos tenemos muito que-yos ufiertar. Esti añu toi na directiva de unes xornaes sofitaes pol Culinary Institute of America en California. Chamase “Worlds of Flavor” (mundos de tastu) ya esti añu tará dedicau a España. Esti institutu ye un de los que tien mas agarraderes en America ya atravies d’elli algama a toa una riestra de xefs ya medios de comunicacion. Vei tener muita influencia.

E. Nu supermercau Whole Foods eiqui en Washington un veceiru pue atoupar cabrales. El preciu davezu ye de $17-19 por llibra. Quixisti dalguna vegada contactar con queixerias pequenas n’Asturies pa importar productos directamente?

R. Importar queixos ye una xeira abondo enguedeyao. Xa tengo asgaya nu platu conos restaurantes ya tou nu que toi metiu pa meteme n’importacion. Sicasi, ye’l mio paecer que habria qu’ufiertar mas productos asturianos al consumidor norteamericanu, magar que you nun sea la persona afayaiza. La mia estaya ye mas bien la d’abrir puertes, faer daque de marketing ya faer contacto cona xente pa que algamen prestixu estos productos. Per exemplu, pa conos xamones iberiocs punxe en contacto a un productor, Fermin de La Alberca, con un importaor estaounidense, la Rogers Collection de Portland (Maine). Fermin fai unos productos d’iberico bien curiosos ya Rogers tien aceñu n’importacion de productos gourmet ya distribucion en tiendes.

E. Cuandu un fala de queixo asturianu eiqui, la xente namai coñoz el queixo azul de cabrales. Cree que outras variedaes como l’Afuega’l Pitu, el Qesu Casin ou el Beyos van chegar a Estaos Unios ceu? Que se pue faer pa sofitar outros queixos? Que fairías tu per exemplu nel tou restaurante con un Afuega’l Pitu roxu?

R. La vecería pa queixos españoles ta medrando sele ya paez que tan entrando nuevos tamien. Cowgirl Creamery, el celebre productor de queixos con base en San Francisco, hai pouco qu’abriera una tienda en Washington ya tienen queixo español asgaya. Hai muita curaxa pol queixo español, noteslo mesmamente nos platos de restaruantes que nun son españoles. Ye namai cuestion de traelos eiqui. No que cinca’l Afuega’l Pitu, xa se pue mercar en Washington [Nota: Michelle Sasscer, la direitora de Cowgirl Creamery en Washington, dixo a esti periodicu que namai teníen queixo dabrales al preciu de $23.15 la llibra]. Agora, que fairía you con un Afueg’l Pitu? Dexuro que lo deixaria tal cual. Ye un queixo ablucante ya nun fail falta vestilu.

E. El pixín nesti llau del Oceanu Atlanticu tien outru tastu. Magar que sia de la mesma especie, l’habitat ya la temperatura del augua seique camudan el pixin. La mayor parte del peixe eiqui vendese conxelau. Que ye lo que pasa col pescau na costa este d’Estaos Xuníos?

R. Nun se pue camudar daque d’un sitiu a outru. Ye cuestión de lo que tea a la veira de un. Hai coses bones eiqui ya coses bones aculló. Seique, n’España la xente ye mas desixente, tan mas avezaos a consumir marisco ya mas reparones a la hora de falar de calidá. Los norteamericanos nun tan avezaos a xintar tantu marisco. Esto, too hai que decilo, ye cousa de fasteiras tamien. La xente nesta rexón ye fanatico en tou lo que ye’l cambaru azul ya’l buron de casquiellu blandiu. Na fasteira del Golfo de Mexico presta-yos abondo la quisquilla. Pero ye verda que hai toa una xeneracion de norteamericanos que namai xintan peixe los vienres ya solo ven el pescau conxelau en forma de xamascu. Eso ta camudando sele.

E. Tanto asturianos como gallegos consumen asgaya de moluscos ya crustaceos. Hai sociedaes gastronomiques na mariña asturiana como Quintes ou Quintueles dedicaes namai a la llampara. Meterias llampares ou percebes nel menu de los tous restaurantes de Washington? Que fairias si trouxera a la entrevista 5kg de llampares de pedreru?

R. Les llampares ya los percebes son una delicia. Pero a la hora mercalos, son abondo caros. Sicasi, los percebes puen mercase agora eiqui tamien ya valen fasta la ultima perrona de lo que cuesten. Pa mi, la mayor forma de faer llampares ye nun pote de tomates ya cebolla. Probeles asina en Tazones esti branu ya taben pa morrer de bones. El miou collaciu Nacho Manzano, dueñu de Casa Marcial, teniales fresques del pedreru [Nota: Hai una selmana en Tazones dixeron a esti periodicu que los foriatos enxamas nun entruguen por llampares. Consideraes exotiques, malpenes entren nel menu.]

E. La sidra ye un ingrediente que nun pue faltar n’Asturies. La xente toma sidra pa combayar con marisco, potes o pinchinos. Pero nun ye facil mercar sidra asturiano n’EEXX. Dacuandu atoupas sidra vasco nes tiendes de comida organico a $13.99 la botella. L’importador ye una casa vasca en Boise, Idaho. Agora que la sidra asturiano tien un sellu de denominacion d’orixen, vei ser mas facil mercalo n’America? Como faes la merluza a la sidra nos tous restaurantes de Washington?

R. Ye imposible d’alcontrar eiqui. Nun servimos sidra en Jaleo. Parte del problema ye que la sidra bono ye un producto artesanal. Ye cenciellu dar con sidra moderno feita en llagares industriales. Pero nun ye lo mesmo. En Jaleo si que servimos meluza, pero enxamas la fiximos a la sidra.

E. Paez que te gusten abondo les especies, pero nun yes nada llambion. Eso quier decir que nun hai frixuelos nel menu de Jaleo? U merques la lleite pa faer la tu version de mousse d’arroz con lleite?

R. Nun faemos frixuelos eiqui. Pa la lleite, mercamosla en caseries de la redolea.

E. Miou pai, que ye asturianu, chegou a la casa de miou harmanu en Seattle hai años depues de tar viaxando per Wyoming ya Colorado. Dixera que nun habia xintao nada “de verdá” dende habia dos selmanes ya abrio un tupper de fabes que tenia atroxao miou harmanu nu frigorifico. Tenía razon? Que platos norteamericanos eches de menos cuando tas n’Europa?

R. Nun se pue bregar escontra la murnia. Que ye lo que mas fai remembrar a un la tierrina si nun ye la comida? Comer ye daque primariu. El tastu ya l’arume: son coses pa les que fai falta procesar muito mentalmente? Pemeque non, que vien de les coraes. Pa toa persona, que venga de Wyoming ou d’Asturies, la comida de casa ye la “de verdá”. Eso nun quier decir que en Wyoming ou n’outras fasteiras nun tengan bona cocina. A mi prestame abondo el sirope d’arce (maple syrup), per exemplu. Gustenme los “pancakes” (frixuelos), el cambaru azul, el buron blandiu, un gochu a la barbacoal xeitu de Carolina del Norte xunto con “cole slaw” (ensalada de coles) nun bocadiellu, el bugre de Maine, una sopa d’amasueles de Nueva Inglaterra, chiles verdes del estau de Nuevo Mexico...

E. Nun viaxe que ficiera en xineiru pela costa norte de Turquia, quedé ablucau al ver horros talamente como los d’Asturies, pumaraes como les d’eiqui, llourias de berzas xunto a caserias de monte. La xente consume “hamsi”, un peixe piquiñin del Mar Prietu paecío al bocarte del Cantabricu. No cincante a la musica tradicional, toquen la gaita. La rexon de Sinop abultame como una Asturies perdía n’Asia. Que coincidencies inter-culturales fixiste na cocina ultimamente?

R. Home, eso que cuentes tien dalgun xaciu, igual tien que ver con un aniciu común celta. Chando cuentes, los galos ou celtes asitiaronse en Galatia, na meseta de la actual Ankara. Dellos hestoriadores tomen el puertu de Gallipoli en Turquía como la ciudá de los celtes. Esti tipu de cousa ye interesante. Tamien alcuentro interesante que en Mexico ya na India la xente tueste les especies enantes de consumiles. Tamien ye curiosu que nos dous sitios faigan mole ya curry, que son namai que un amestau d’especies. Delles vegaes, pa cocinar coses españoles eiqui en Washington tengo que dir a un supermercau coreanu. Esto te fai pensar...

E. El 2 d’ochobre de 2006 hebo un articulo na revista The New Yorker firmau por Bill Buford nel que falaba de los programes de cocina en television. Xa viera el tou programa en TVE, asina como el de Karlos Arguiñano en Tele 5. Como veis faer pa la television n’EEXX? Si un dia poneste a faer fabes enfrente la camara, con que pallabres falaríes d’Asturies a un publicu norteamericanu?

R. Inda tamos iguando la produccion, asina que tamos namai na fas inicial. Como con cualisquier llibru bono, nun pues anticipar muitos detalles. Pero faigas lo que faigas en television, tien que tener imaxenes pa cuntar una hestoria. Vender Asturies nesi sen nun vei ser dificil. A min prestame decir que las fasteiras mas allonxaes del mundu davezu tan mas cerca de lo que un cree. A los norteamericanos gusten-yos abondo les manzanes, asina que la sidra vei presta-yos. El queixo azul eiqui ye mui popular, poro van namorase del cabrales. Ye cenciellu ver como cualisquier platu asturianu prestaria-y a un norteamericanu. Tamos falando del espiritu de una cocina, ya esti pue viaxar bien llonxe.

E. Falei con Lenny Rice, la persona encargao de mercar queixos pa Cowgirl Creamery en California. Tamién falara con Taylor Griffin, l’encargau de la importadora de productos gourmet de Maine, Rogers Collection. Rice dixome que l’Afuega’l Pitu seique ye un queixo mui fuerte pal paladar de los consumidores de la costa oeste. Alcuentres que ties qu’afinar los tous platos p’asinate al tastu norteamericanu?

R. Creo que tou lo que tea bien feito vei tener exitu. Los vezos culinarios de hai 50 años nun son los mesmos de anguaño. Per exemplu, esi sushi qu’atoupas en Xapon en 2006 tien pouco que ver con aquel peixe fediondu que se mercaba en puestinos de principios del sieglu 20. N’Asturies, los chourizos habia que los fumar abondo pa que conservaren. Pero al cabu de les xeneraciones, les coses afinaronse, ya’l consumidor tien mas xeitu.

E. Hai restaurantes vascos en Nueva York como Marichu ou Oliva. Pero nun hai daque asemeyao pa cocina asturiana. Cona bayura de platos que hai n’Asturies, por que ye tan pouco conocío? Ye pola mor de la falta d’afalamientu ou d’ambicion personal?

R. Bono, you sei d’un llugar en Queens, Nueva York, chamao Don Pelayo. Pero ties qu’entender que un restaurante nun pue depender namai d’una sola idega. Tien muito mas que ver conos fluxos migratorios ya si la xente tien formacion na cocina profesional. Na mayoria los casos, la xente nun habia estudiao cocina. Si eches una güeyada a la explosion de restaurantes n’España, ye un fenomenu nueu dafeitu. Nun habia un restaurante en toles esquines nos años 60. Eiquí en EEXX, hebo dellos catalanes qu’abrieron a partir de 1990. Pero eso d’afitar namai cocina rexonal al menu furrula si ye una cocina bien asentao. La cocina vasca ye fuerte ella sola, per exemplu. Sicasi, tando nel Pais Vascu igual hai sitios bastante basicos. Sirven peixe, ya pue ser el meyor del mundu, pero nun tienen 100 otres coses nel menu. Pa min, la meyor formula ye combayar tolos platos rexonales.

E. N’Asturies pesllaron les mines, hai pouco que pescar na mar ya les caseries d’aldea nun son competitives. La reindustrilizacion enxamas nun chegou a nada ya unos 18,000 al añu marchen d’Asturies pa trabayar fuera, dalgo que el presidente del Principau trata de “lleenda urbana”. Sicasi, el gobiernu asturianu tien cero visión de futuru ya recurre a editoriales p’algamar votos. Ú ves tu los avances n’Asturies?

R. Asturies tien que crear valor en toles estayes, incluyendo les aldees mas allonxaes. Caltener la sua fuerte identidá, les tradiciones, la sidra, la variedá de fabes autoctones—tou esto son ingredientes perimportantes. Eso ye namai el principiu de un circulo virtuosu na que caúna d’estes coses ye un preseu. La xente nun se da cuenta de lo importante que pue ser invertir perres en daque tan inocuo como el queixo tradicional. Aporta nueva vida a l’aldea sofitando el llabor de la xente ganadero ya abriendo puertes a mercaos externos. Ye como una tarxeta de presentacion. Asturies pemeque tien que seguir sofitando al turismo, hai muito que pescanciar. Tamien ye una manera de conservar la belleza del llugar, asina como el fuerte sentíu de comunidá de los asturianos. Mirai pa Seattle. Hai tres decades yera una ciudá arrequexao nu Pacificu Noroeste con industries en desaniciu como la maera ya la pesca. Anguañu ye un centro de software ya tecnoloxia, un sitiu afalao pola musica alternativa que atrae a xente mozo creativo ya con formacion universitario.

FIN

And an English translation that appears together with the interview of Jose Andres in Les Noticies (also October 13, 2006).

Deconstructing dishes in Washington, courtesy of an Asturian chef

Washington: If you have never had your glass of white wine deconstructed as a meal, or if you would like a reconstruction of Caesar Salad, drop by MiniBar in Washington. Those are some of the entrees created by José Andrés, the 37-year-old chef from Mieres del Camín. Although he left Asturias at the age of 3, José often coos about northern Spain. On his TVE show, “Vamos a cocinar”, he is known for his scientific approach to cuisine. While Karlos Arguiñano breaks into 1950s boleros, José is busy testing his palate.

On a quiet Thursday in September, the 6-seat MiniBar in downtown Washington seems more like a biology lab than a swank eatery. Not a word percolates from the patrons, who are busy inspecting the atoms on their Petri dishes: pork rinds with maple syrup, beet tumbleweed, saffron-yoghurt meringue, smoked oyster with apples and egg 63 degrees with caviar. The ratio of cooks to testers is 1:2. And their names are listed on the menu: “Thanks from Rubén, Melanie and Michael”. For dessert, a server whispers into my ear, there will be a piña colada injection.

José is the perfect antidote for stuffy patrician dining. In this eminently political city, he is known as a rogue culinary innovator—rogue because of his playful take on food. His fusion ideas have helped disambiguate Spanish regional cooking on this side of the Atlantic. While Italian words like “pancetta” form part of American lingo, the word “llacón” most definitely does not. For the Asturian cook, this indicates a lack of cultural exchange. That is his job. At Jaleo, his popular tapas restaurant, he serves octopus Galician style and grilled fish with pixín (monkfish). But then he collapses Asturian arroz con lleite (rice pudding) into a fluffy mousse. Who said it had to sit heavily in your stomach?

Although Jose claims eating has little to do with thinking, he likes to juxtapose dissimilar tastes to create meaning. He seems to imply there is deep structure in your dish. The fabes really are much more than a peasant stew. They might need to go through the particle accelerator before you understand, though.

Last July, José Andrés was interviewed on NPR. The Asturian-born cook spent several years traveling with the navy. In the 1980s he tied up in New York and was captivated by the city’s energy. But he went back to Barcelona, where his parents had moved, to study cooking at the Escuela de Restauració i Hostalatge. From 1985 to 1988 he worked at the kitchens of several Michelin-star restaurants, including Ferrá Adriá’s El Bulli. In 1993, he came to Washington to head Jaleo. Today, his eateries are part of city nightlife. José also co-owns Zaytinya, a place where the foods of Greece, Turkey and Lebanon collide on friendly terms. Overall, he runs 7 restaurants. In addition to television shows, a new book (“Tapas: a taste of Spain in America”, 2006), José has launched THINKfoodTANK. The non-partisan research institute seeks to merge technological inputs with culinary science.

Meanwhile, Asturian cheese and cider producers could do with a think tank of their own. The US is a huge potential market for their products and José the ideal marketer. According to Taylor Griffin, who heads Maine-based gourmet importer The Rogers Collection, cheese from Asturias is very expensive because small producers have higher costs than modern-day factories. “All our Asturian cheeses retail between $20 and $25 per pound,” says Griffin. As for cider, Normandy and Brittany are light years ahead. Griffin sees no regulatory hurdles to import Asturian brands, however. At Cowgirl Creamery, Lenny Rice, the international cheese buyer, sees Asturian cheese as perhaps too assertive. Rice sells Cabrales, La Peral, Peñamellera, Beyos and Gamoneu at her gourmet shops. “Afuega’l Pitu sells better on the East Coast because of its bitter tang,” she says. At her new store in Washington, the price per pound for a Cabrales is $23.15.

While José Andrés manages his diversified group, he plans to host an American television series in 2008. That is the perfect window of opportunity for Asturian producers to pry open the US gourmet segment. Asturian cheese, cider, honey, limpets, seaweed—one day they could be household names at US restaurants. And thanks to Jose, we will be one step closer to discovering the deep structure of fabes.


Jaleo, 480 7th Street NW, Washington DC 20004. Tel. (202) 628 7949
Café Atlantico & MiniBar by Jose Andres, 405 8th Street NW, Washington DC 20004. Tel. (202) 393 0812
The Rogers Collection, 10 Dana Street, Suite 301, Portland, ME 04101. Tel. (207) 828 2000, Fax (207) 828 4000, e-mail (Taylor Griffin): Taylor@rogersintl.com
Cowgirl Creamery, 80 Fourth Street, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956. Tel. (415) 663 9335, Fax (415) 663 5418, e-mail (Lenny Rice): Lenny@cowgirlcreamery.com

Thanks, Is. That was interesting. José Andres is sharp. I was particularly struck by the last paragraph:

Asturies needs to create wealth at all levels and that includes investing in the deepest countryside. Maintaining its strong identity, its traditions, its great cider and its own strain of fabes are all important ingredients. That is just the beginning of a virtuous circle in which each part is critical. People don’t realize how important it is to invest in something as innocuous as traditional cheese. It brings new life to the countryside by supporting a workforce and opening the door to export markets. It’s like a presentation card for the world. I think Asturies should keep betting on tourism. There’s a lot to discover and it’s a way to maintain the beauty of the settings, as well as its strong sense of community. Look at Seattle. Three decades ago it was a backwater town with declining industries like lumber and fisheries. Today, it is at the center of software and IT, its alternative music is a beacon for youth and its natural surroundings attract well-educated and creative individuals.

Yes, I agree, Jose Andres' last comment was interesting. I especialy like the comparison he makews with the Seattle/Tacoma area in the 1970s. Asturias needs an injection of something, perhaps not a piña colada exactly, but certainly of critical thinking and inventiveness. The place is truly magnificent landscape-wise and culturally. It is quite unique. But political leadership is surreal. I work with emerging markets often and Asturias has the same type of structural deficits that you find in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Turkey, Egypt: top-down decisions, nepotism, crony capitalism, over-reliance on exernal funds, moral hazard at channeling those funds from Brussels. There's also a stultifying conservatism coming out of the regional PSOE, particularly the FSA (Socialist Federation of Asturias, a kind of Politburo of thinking correctives and directives) that is anchored in late 19th century-early dogmatism. The conservative PP (Partido Popular) is just as bad. Both, by the way, issue temporary "fatwas" on Asturian culture (particularly the language), as if it were a threat instead of an asset. In that context, any creativity is immediately shot down. It is, as I said, absolutely surreal for an American or northern European visitor...

Yes, I agree, Jose Andres' last comment was interesting. I especialy like the comparison he makews with the Seattle/Tacoma area in the 1970s. Asturias needs an injection of something, perhaps not a piña colada exactly, but certainly of critical thinking and inventiveness. The place is truly magnificent landscape-wise and culturally. It is quite unique. But political leadership is surreal.

I have thought for some years that Asturias would be an ideal place for technology-related industry. It is physcially beautiful, culturally accessible, boasts a temperate climate and has a well educated population, most of whom would probably stay where they are if there were work opportunities for them that met their needs.

I have even looked for investment opportunities in Asturias, but so far have found absolutely nothing appropriate. If you know of anything, please share the information with us. Something akin to an American mutual fund that invests in Asturian businesses would be ideal.

hi Bob, I've been really busy at work and just saw your message. Let me get back to you on IT investment in Asturies next week when things are more relaxed. There was talk recently about Microsoft Spain looking for infrastructure, but I have to check with my brother in Seattle to get the lowdown on that.

Bob, I don't know what kind of investigations you are looking for, but I can tell you some things.

There is a powerful cluster of companies working in Communication and Information Technologies in Xixón.

http://www.clustertic.net/

There you can fin investigation's news (only in spanish, sorry) about this theme.

Also in Xixón, theres is a Science and technology park which brings together companies like Indra, ThyssenKrupp, Microsoft, El Corte Inglés, AENOR...is a good place to find how is working that investigations

www.pctg.net/ -

Lastly, there is a project called Deva which seeks to relate Asturians (companies or profesionals) around the world to work for and with Asturies.

http://www2.idepa.es/deva/ (in spanish too)

If you tell me which kind of investigations are you looking for, I can search.