Publicity:
The Spanish say they do everything over food love, laugh, argue and fight
But what is it theyre eating?
Everything it seems. Would senor care for traditional fare like paellas and garlic prawns, or perhaps a scoop of goats cheese ice cream or foam is more to your liking? Foreign Correspondents Chris Clark reports on the revolutionaries in the kitchens of Madrid.
Plating dish Music 00:00
Sergi working in kitchen CLARK: Meet Sergi Arola one of the new generation of Spanish chefs leading the charge. 00:09 Sergi calls order Sergi: Two more to go. First, second and third. Two medium dishes, two medium pigeons and two rice. 00:18 Kitchen decor CLARK: The décor in his restaurant kitchen gives a hint of the food to come -- dramatic colours contrasts clean lines. 00:25 Plating dish Music 00:33 Goats cheese ice cream CLARK: Heres the goats cheese ice cream tiny portions, intense flavours radical combinations. 00:42
Foams Foams and infusions its almost like eating flavoured air. SERGI: Ready. CLARK: This new cooking has made a handful of Spanish chefs famous around the globe. In the world of food, its as big as the nouvelle cuisine revolution 30 years ago. 00:49 Sergi SERGI: Im very, very proud because for the last 15 years I have been a part of this movement and Im really, really proud really, really proud . For me, its a part its like a dream. 01:13 Sergi working in kitchen CLARK: Its a staggering amount of effort constant invention, innovation under enormous pressure. 01:26 Sergi and wife SERGI: Shes my wife, my boss. 01:37 Chefs preparing in kitchen
Music 01:41
Sergi takes plate and examines dish CLARK: Creating this sort of food is a permanent high-wire act. SERGI: We have to add two more pieces of bread here and here. CLARK: The food of Sergi Arola and other Spanish chefs has gastronomes struggling for new metaphors. 01:52
Julia Perez Lozano
Spanish food writer Julia Perez Lozano. 02:08
JULIA: What has been happening in Spain is really a revolution. A revolution thats linked to tradition because the Spanish cuisine has a very strong regional grounding with great diversity. There are many regional cuisines where things are done differently. 02:11 Casa Lucio kitchen
Music 02:30 CLARK: The food revolutionaries, though, havent yet stormed the kitchens of this famous restaurant - nor many others.02:42 Music 02:48 CLARK: At Casa Lucio its all smoke and fire. 02:54
Lucio plates eggs
Casa Lucio, like its owner Lucio Blazquez is a Madrid institution its the very heart and soul of traditional Spanish restaurant food and very, very good as well. 03:03
Waiter calls order WAITER: Fish special two tongues garlic prawns 03:16
Huevos estrellados CLARK: This is the restaurants signature dish huevos estrellados literally, broken eggs over chips. 03:22 Diners in restaurant Theres a queue for it every lunchtime. 03:30
Lucio to customer LUCIO: The seafood, the meat, the eggs, lamb, the salad - its all delicious here. People come here thinking only about the eggs. Have an aperitif, to get the juices going , to really be able to appreciate the flavour of the eggs. 03:35
CLARK: Lucio Blazquez was signing autographs for customers decades before the term celebrity chef was coined. 03:47
Waiter serves food No goats cheese ice cream or vegetable infusions here. 03:56
Lucio
LUCIO: I think not. I dont think Ill ever change my style. For me, cheese will always be cheese and the aroma of vegetables will be whatever they are. 04:03 Lucio greets customers CLARK: The Spanish say of themselves that they do everything over food laugh, love, argue, fight. 04:18
So, is there any tension between Spains food modernists and the traditionalists? Julia Perez Lozano says, yes. 04:28 Julia
JULIA: Right now, there is a debate in Spain, a very strong debate about the differences between modern and traditional cuisines. I think its a bit of an absurd debate because the two cuisines have their own place. One doesnt exclude the other. 04:37 Sergis kitchen CLARK: If there is a struggle between the modern and traditional then the winners are the Spanish, who get to eat fabulous food across the spectrum. 04:52 Sergi in office
SERGI: In Spain there has always been that thing about the short, stocky fellow bullfighter who eats paella and drinks sangria. Theres nothing wrong with that. 05:07 Sergi
But there is also another side, a more modern Spain - very active - a very hard working Spain. 05:17 Casa Lucio kitchen Music 05:23 CLARK: Its true that Casa Lucio evokes a sense of the past but good food is never out of fashion. 05:31 Lucio farewells customers/ Lucio
LUCIO: I believe that we always have to fight to the death to keep this tradition. Everyone likes it, everyone wants it, everyone wants to eat it and come back. It shows Im working with real food. 05:45 CLARK: A little goats cheese ice cream with your garlic prawns then? 06:03 Credits: Reporter : Chris Clark Camera: Louie Eroglu ACS Editor : Garth Thomas 06:10
The Spanish say they do everything over food love, laugh, argue and fight
But what is it theyre eating?
Everything it seems. Would senor care for traditional fare like paellas and garlic prawns, or perhaps a scoop of goats cheese ice cream or foam is more to your liking? Foreign Correspondents Chris Clark reports on the revolutionaries in the kitchens of Madrid.
Plating dish Music 00:00
Sergi working in kitchen CLARK: Meet Sergi Arola one of the new generation of Spanish chefs leading the charge. 00:09 Sergi calls order Sergi: Two more to go. First, second and third. Two medium dishes, two medium pigeons and two rice. 00:18 Kitchen decor CLARK: The décor in his restaurant kitchen gives a hint of the food to come -- dramatic colours contrasts clean lines. 00:25 Plating dish Music 00:33 Goats cheese ice cream CLARK: Heres the goats cheese ice cream tiny portions, intense flavours radical combinations. 00:42
Foams Foams and infusions its almost like eating flavoured air. SERGI: Ready. CLARK: This new cooking has made a handful of Spanish chefs famous around the globe. In the world of food, its as big as the nouvelle cuisine revolution 30 years ago. 00:49 Sergi SERGI: Im very, very proud because for the last 15 years I have been a part of this movement and Im really, really proud really, really proud . For me, its a part its like a dream. 01:13 Sergi working in kitchen CLARK: Its a staggering amount of effort constant invention, innovation under enormous pressure. 01:26 Sergi and wife SERGI: Shes my wife, my boss. 01:37 Chefs preparing in kitchen
Music 01:41
Sergi takes plate and examines dish CLARK: Creating this sort of food is a permanent high-wire act. SERGI: We have to add two more pieces of bread here and here. CLARK: The food of Sergi Arola and other Spanish chefs has gastronomes struggling for new metaphors. 01:52
Julia Perez Lozano
Spanish food writer Julia Perez Lozano. 02:08
JULIA: What has been happening in Spain is really a revolution. A revolution thats linked to tradition because the Spanish cuisine has a very strong regional grounding with great diversity. There are many regional cuisines where things are done differently. 02:11 Casa Lucio kitchen
Music 02:30 CLARK: The food revolutionaries, though, havent yet stormed the kitchens of this famous restaurant - nor many others.02:42 Music 02:48 CLARK: At Casa Lucio its all smoke and fire. 02:54
Lucio plates eggs
Casa Lucio, like its owner Lucio Blazquez is a Madrid institution its the very heart and soul of traditional Spanish restaurant food and very, very good as well. 03:03
Waiter calls order WAITER: Fish special two tongues garlic prawns 03:16
Huevos estrellados CLARK: This is the restaurants signature dish huevos estrellados literally, broken eggs over chips. 03:22 Diners in restaurant Theres a queue for it every lunchtime. 03:30
Lucio to customer LUCIO: The seafood, the meat, the eggs, lamb, the salad - its all delicious here. People come here thinking only about the eggs. Have an aperitif, to get the juices going , to really be able to appreciate the flavour of the eggs. 03:35
CLARK: Lucio Blazquez was signing autographs for customers decades before the term celebrity chef was coined. 03:47
Waiter serves food No goats cheese ice cream or vegetable infusions here. 03:56
Lucio
LUCIO: I think not. I dont think Ill ever change my style. For me, cheese will always be cheese and the aroma of vegetables will be whatever they are. 04:03 Lucio greets customers CLARK: The Spanish say of themselves that they do everything over food laugh, love, argue, fight. 04:18
So, is there any tension between Spains food modernists and the traditionalists? Julia Perez Lozano says, yes. 04:28 Julia
JULIA: Right now, there is a debate in Spain, a very strong debate about the differences between modern and traditional cuisines. I think its a bit of an absurd debate because the two cuisines have their own place. One doesnt exclude the other. 04:37 Sergis kitchen CLARK: If there is a struggle between the modern and traditional then the winners are the Spanish, who get to eat fabulous food across the spectrum. 04:52 Sergi in office
SERGI: In Spain there has always been that thing about the short, stocky fellow bullfighter who eats paella and drinks sangria. Theres nothing wrong with that. 05:07 Sergi
But there is also another side, a more modern Spain - very active - a very hard working Spain. 05:17 Casa Lucio kitchen Music 05:23 CLARK: Its true that Casa Lucio evokes a sense of the past but good food is never out of fashion. 05:31 Lucio farewells customers/ Lucio
LUCIO: I believe that we always have to fight to the death to keep this tradition. Everyone likes it, everyone wants it, everyone wants to eat it and come back. It shows Im working with real food. 05:45 CLARK: A little goats cheese ice cream with your garlic prawns then? 06:03 Credits: Reporter : Chris Clark Camera: Louie Eroglu ACS Editor : Garth Thomas 06:10