What remains of Madrid Fusión

Back from the twelfth edition of Madrid Fusión, the international congress organised by José Carlos Capel and Julia Perez, we learn that food is ever more popular, even in a country such as Spain, for whom hasty Cassandras foresee a decline after the epilogue of El bulli and the end of foams and alginates. While under the Pyrenees financial scandals proliferate, and so do the monarchic ones, the same goes for the ideas regarding what is good, which continue to circulate and be fruitful, thanks to the team spirit of cooks who have crossed muddy waters together, questioning the same models that catapulted them under the world’s spotlight at the beginning of the millennium.

During the three day event at Palacio de Congresos lots has been said about alternative formulas for high cuisine, banqueting, smart finger food, informal signature cuisine, and about the ways in which a restaurant can enrich its appeal even beyond the dish. Those who turned up their noses because high cuisine “is less and less high”, were made happy outside of Palacio Municipal del Congresos, behind the (many) establishments characterised by a new concept and an uncontrollable and intelligent tradition. During the 3 days, we collected a series of notes and thoughts that we illustrate here.

Ferran Adrià, the most quoted chef during the event, together with Joan Roca (awarded by all his former pupils, a great moment) was in contact from New York and presented his (itinerating) Notes on creativity exhibition, which underlines the value of a chef’s drawings in the creative process. Meanwhile, more and more details on the Bullipedia project, a "Genomic map of the culinary process”, became known. This will make of Ferran the most worthy successor of geneticist Gregorio Mendel and of biologist del Charles Darwin", Miguel Angel Rincon records in the congress’ documents.

Vegetables forever. Redzepi’s warning ("In the future, the menu will once again give value to vegetables") received a suitable echo in the ponencia (lecture) of French Pascal Barbot. Barbot himself used the vegetables of Japanese Asafumi Yamashita, who cultivates some splendid ones in the suburbs of Paris. We will hear about them.

Andoni of restaurant Mugaritz presented a very debated app that can translate aromas into logarithms. This means that for a restaurant it will be possible to share not only the visual characteristics of a dish, but also its tastes and scents. Aromatic tweets are around the corner.

An interview with Michel Bras, a gigantic French chef committed to contrasting today’s media excesses, created lots of discussion: "a cook needs to be a cook, not a puppet". "Our politicians need to pay attention to the destine of what we’re eating, not to their ego".

Pino Cuttaia was the only Italian chef invited – we wrote about it yesterday.

Paco Morales, already a speaker at Identità, after the experience at hotel Ferrero in Bocairent (owned by ex-tennis player Juan Carlos Ferrero) and waiting to open his ambitious new restaurant in Cordoba, is now at work as a consultant in a serious of important projects, including one at Al Trapo, in the heart of Madrid’s historic centre. High level informal cuisine.

The Spanish 100Best Guide was presented, with contributions from the most influential national signatures. These are the names to note down, in each category. Best contemporary classic: El Bohio in Illescas. Bistro/casa de comida: Sacha, Madrid. Tapas bar: Taberna del Gourmet in Alicante. Restaurants by the sea: Gueyumar in the Asturias. Rice-place: Casa Elias, Alicante. Asadores: Coque, Madrid. Grilled fish and meat: Baserri Maieta, Vizcaya (the real news is that the super-celebrated Etxebarri came second). World food: StreetXo, Madrid. The complete picture is available here.

Lots has been said about restaurants opening outside of Spain: after the highly acclaimed lecture by José Andrés, the man who brought taps to the United States (he owns dozens of Minibar), the theme was also covered by Sergi Arola (with restaurants in Portugal, France, Chile, Sao Paulo, Switzerland), Martín Berasategui (Shanghai and Mexico), Dani García (New York and the United Arab Emirates) and Marcos Moran (London). "As centuries ago", said Arola, "in moments of difficulty, the Spanish and Portuguese know that the moment has come to board on a ship and travel".

The revelation-chef of Madrid Fusión 2014 is Luis Moreno, chef of restaurant Montia in San Lorenzo Escoral, near Madrid.

Eneko Atxa, the fastest 3 star at Azurmendi, near Bilbao, presented a book that covers his swift success. It is published by Montagud and costs 42 euros. The number of famous colleagues who came to support him was impressive: from the Roca brothers to Arzak (father and daughter) up to Martin Berasategui.

Turkish Mehmet Gürs, chef at restaurant Mikla in Istanbul and an old acquaintance of Identità, is more and more of an entrepreneur: before the end of 2014 he will run a total of 16 gourmet but also smart fast food restaurants, feeding 1,500,000 people.

South American food is more and more popular. Next to Peru, with Virgilio Martinez and Gaston Acurio appears Chile, with an increasing vehemence, thanks to Rodolfo Guzman and even Bolivia, the poorest country in the continent, with the splendid lecture on "endemic vegetation" given by Kamilla Seidler and Michelangelo Cestari of restaurant Gustu in Bolivia (she’s Swedish, he’s Italian). This is the nth demonstration of how high cuisine is democratic, and involves both rich and poor countries, as well as those with a long tradition or none at all.

A brilliant thought by colleague Pina Sozio: "Madrid Fusión highlighted the great difference between the Latin-American chefs, who cook after having explored seas, mountains and tropical forests, and the Spanish ones, who close themselves in a laboratory and work on technique and the manipulation/combination of ingredients not directly supplied".

Everyone was tweeting in Madrid: chefs, journalists, exhibitors. To see for yourself, look at the success of the #MFM14 hashtag.