Pantry

Gastrovalocal, in search of the lost vegetable

Gastrovalocal is a project that digs down to the deepest roots of our vegetable gardens to reveal those lost vegetables, cereals or tubers, with the aim of recovering their cultivation and using them in the kitchen. There was a time when certain varieties of tomato, maize, peppers and potatoes were grown in the Basque Country, but for a number of reasons they were no longer planted. Low productivity or sensitivity to pests meant they were almost entirely forgotten. Now, the Gastrovalocal project, which Basque Culinary Center is a part of through BCC Innovation, is trying to recover and reappraise these varieties. They are varieties with gastronomic uses that are representative of the Basque Country’s wealth of vegetables that were highly relevant in past times and which ceased to be cultivated due to different reasons. The yellow pear tomato from Antzuola; the Delika, Txakinarto and Maruri maize varieties, the Miren, Gorbea and Leire potatoes or the Gorostiola and Barrika peppers are some of those varieties that the Gastrovalocal project is trying to recover and bring back to the dishes of Basque gastronomy. Imagine an archaeological excavation where, instead of lost cities, archaeologists were trying to find vegetable varieties from the past, which have all but disappeared from our memory. Broadly speaking, that is the exciting work Gastrovalocal is carrying out. A number of entities are participating in the project, such as Azurmendi, Basque Know How Fundazioa, Makro, farmer Guillermo González (from the Gaztañatxu farmhouse), BCC Innovation (Basque Culinary Center’s Technological Centre specialised in Gastronomy) and NEIKER. The goal is to recover disused tomato, potato, maize and pepper crops, to reintroduce them to the market and promote the creation of new dynamics between local farmers, the HoReCa channel and society. This process helps to prevent genetic erosion, contributes towards crop diversification and fosters employment. The selection of the first varieties to be recovered was carried out based on the gastronomic potential of each one of them and the availability of seeds and tubers in Neiker's germplasm bank, the “Jurassic Park” of Basque agriculture where samples of all these varieties are stored. These are relics of crops that ceased to be cultivated due to lower productivity, high sensitivity to pests or as a result of changes in habits and market demands. A process of gastronomic reappraisal will be carried out within the framework of this project by the Azurmendi restaurant and BCC Innovation, using culinary, traditional and cutting-edge techniques that increase the value of the products derived from their use. To this end, the potential of the different stages of growth of each product will be researched, determining their potential and highlighting the most prominent features. In addition, with the aim of keeping Basque Culinary Center’s principles of sustainability active, the full use of all the different parts of the plants will be sought. The Gastrovalocal initiative seeks to create new value chains between farmers and the HoReCa channel by supporting local and traditional horticultural crops. This project will benefit the market by contributing more varieties, the HoReCa channel by diversifying the gastronomic offer, and consumers thanks to the new culinary experiences these products will offer them. BCC Innovation is a Sectoral Technological Centre specialised in Gastronomy whose mission is to research and to generate knowledge applied to gastronomy and the culinary experience. This knowledge is transferred to haute cuisine professionals, to all those involved in the food value chain and to society as a whole. The creation of new businesses is also among its objectives. The Gastrovalocal initiative is supported by the Basque Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, EAFRD.

Products with guaranteed origin and quality: Know about what you munch

They say “you are what you eat”. And we add that you don’t know who you are until you know about what you munch. In the Basque Country we have many seasonal, local products, with their designations of origin, protected indications and other origin and quality markings. But do we really know what they are? At Mantala we’ll describe our most appreciated foodstuffs in more detail. For now, here goes an introduction. The Basque Country is known worldwide thanks to its gastronomy, which is inevitably linked to local and seasonal products. For this reason, HAZI has been making a significant effort to identify and certify local agrifood products. HAZI is a tool of the Basque Government’s Department of Economic Development and Infrastructures to promote the competitiveness and sustainability of the primary and food sector, and the sustainable development of rural and coastal environments. Among its many activities, worth highlighting is the certification of local products, by means of different markings, designations of origin and protected geographical indications. The aim of the monitoring and certification is to generate trust in the consumer, in producers and the rest of the operators, guaranteeing compliance with the features defined in the regulations of agrifood products labelled with quality markings. HAZI is in charge of monitoring and certifying many products linked to autochthonous varieties and their cultivation, ageing and preparation. But do you know how many certified Basque agrifood products there are and which ones they are? In this post you’ll learn which products with guaranteed quality and origin certified by HAZI you can find in the market. DESIGNATIONS OF ORIGIN: In general terms the Designation of Origin can be defined as the name of a geographical location that it used to designate an agrifood product originating from that location and whose characteristics or qualities are mainly or exclusively due to the geographical environment with its natural and human factors, and whose production, processing and preparation takes place in the geographical area. In the Basque Autonomous Community there are 6 Designations of Origin: Cantabrian Anchovy from the Basque CountryRioja Alavesa WineIdiazabal cheeseGetariako TxakolinaArabako TxakolinaBizkaiko TxakolinaEuskal Sagardoa PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION: In the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), the link to the geographical environment is still present in at least one of the stages of production, processing or preparation. In the Basque Autonomous Community there are two PGIs. Beef from the Basque CountryGernika peppers EUSKO LABEL: Eusko Label is a marking the graphical sign of which is the K for Kalitatea (quality) and is used to distinguish agrifood products produced, processed and/or prepared in the Basque Autonomous Community, whose quality, specificity or singularity surpass the general average. Natural spring saltMilk of the Basque CountryCereals of ÁlavaFresh anchovies Basque Farmhouse EggsBasque Farmhouse ChickensBasque Suckling LambAlabacore and Red TunaEusko Label HoneyPotatoes of ÁlavaIbarra chilli peppersBeans of the Basque CountryLettuce of the Basque CountryExtra Virgin Olive OilFarmhouse Pig EUSKAL BASERRI: Euskal Baserri is a guarantee of origin branding that enables the identification of fruit, vegetables and legumes of the Basque Country. These products are mostly sold fresh on the market, but they may also be found preserved, always conveniently identified with the Euskal Baserri logo. These are the main designations, indications and agrifood quality markings that we have at home. At Mantala we will promote their consumption and use in gastronomy, and will talk about each one of the products in this very section, with the help of HAZI.