Gastrofestival Madrid 2021 will pay tribute to writer Emilia Pardo Bazán and Ibero-American cuisine

The city of Madrid will showcase the art of gastronomy with a new edition of its Gastrofestival. This annual event co-organised by Madrid City Council and Madrid Fusión will be held from 17 April to 2 May and will feature the very best culinary and cultural offerings, courtesy of over 450 of Madrid’s establishments and institutions, from bars and restaurants to markets, museums, cultural centres, leisure venues, shops, bookstores, cinemas and theatres.

 

The festival, which continues to pursue the aim of stimulating the hospitality industry and fostering gastronomic culture in Madrid, was presented this morning by José Luis Martínez-Almeida, Madrid's mayor, Almudena Maíllo, the Councillor for Tourism, Benjamín Lana, president of the Gastronomic Division of Vocento, Luis Suárez de Lezo, president of the Madrid Academy of Gastronomy (AMG), and Peio Arbeloa, Managing Director of the Spanish Business Unit of Mahou San Miguel. 

 

Almeida remarked that “although Madrid hasn’t emerged from the pandemic yet and we must remain very vigilant”, this edition of Gastrofestival, held in strict compliance with all necessary safety protocols, “is a wonderful fusion of everything that the city is about right now. It’s a city with the hope of a brighter future, where, little by little, we’re heading back to normality, towards living that life that we Madrileños have all enjoyed so much, which is inextricably linked to gastronomy”.

The mayor explained that Madrid “is one of the world’s major culinary capitals thanks to a sector that constantly reinvents itself, which is tackling all of the demands of the pandemic and hasn’t stopped striving for excellence”. For all of these reasons, he asserted that “few cities in the world have the quality, variety and value for money that we enjoy here in the city of Madrid”.

 

Almeida reminded the audience that “new businesses are still opening all the time” in the city, “because there are still people who want to come to Madrid”. In this regard, he stressed the commitment the City Council has made to the food service industry with a set of measures approved last week by the Outdoor Dining Committee (Comisión de Terrazas) and the meetings held with managers of centuries-old establishments with the aim of preserving the cultural and gastronomic legacy they represent. 

 

This year Gastrofestival Madrid, now in its 12th edition, will offer a broad programme adapted to the current situation which will include online offerings for the first time. It will feature 571 activities in total, organised into the usual sections: Gastronomic Madrid, Gastroculture, Sensory Experiences, Wine Culture and Gastrohealth, as well as Gastrofestival for Families, new this year, which will encompass all of the activities aimed at the little ones.

 

A tribute to Emilia Pardo Bazán is one of the most exciting new features in 2021, which marks the centenary of her death. Renowned as a leading exponent of naturalism, the Galician writer also wrote one of the first cookbooks in Spanish: La cocina española antigua (Spanish Cuisine of Old). The flavours and aromas evoked by its pages will be the focus of Casa Emilia: Guisos e historias alrededor del fuego (23 and 24 April), an immersive online experience that “serves up” a set menu of dishes, each of which will be accompanied by a text written by the Galician author, dramatised by writers María Folguera and Silvia Nanclares. 

 

Further surprises at this edition include a special section devoted to the flavours of Ibero-America, in celebration of Madrid’s status as the Ibero-American Capital of Gastronomic Culture. The aim is to highlight not only the wide variety of Latin American restaurants in the Spanish capital, but also the availability of Latin American ingredients in its municipal markets, which sell everything from avocados to coriander to soursops, mangos and guavas.

 

The festival’s cultural events, which will explore the connection between gastronomy and disciplines like art, cinema, theatre, decorating, photography, literature, fashion and music, are sure to be among its biggest draws, and the activities held at museums will be one of the highlights. 

 

The Thyssen-Bornemisza invites us to explore the talent of the great master painters with Descubre el Madrid centenario a través del arte… ¡y tu paladar!, a tour of the museum's gastronomy-themed works which will end with lunch at one of Madrid's foodie meccas: La Bola. The Prado Museum will offer the tour cum workshop and tasting session Delicias del Prado and the talk De admirable hechura. Esculturas de azúcar y lino en los banquetes reales. The National Archaeological Museum has organised some themed tours: Una historia diferente de la alimentación en Egipto y Grecia and La bebida, más allá de la alimentación: un aspecto fundamental para las sociedades del pasado. For its part, the Museum of Romanticism will host the tour and discussion Some Very Romantic Sweets, which will examine the desserts that became fashionable in the 19th century.

 

The Cerralbo Museum will take part in Gastrofestival with the virtual roundtable discussion Sentados a la mesa. Costumbres gastronómicas entre los siglos XIX y XX, the talk De comedor a comedor. Costumbres gastronómicas en el palacio Cerralbo (both in person and via streaming) and the drawing and illustration contest Recetas ilustradas. Further events include the guided tour Saboreando América. GastroRuta por la América Prehispánica, at the Museum of the Americas; the talk Arte con té: "Bodegón con frutas y ostras" de Jacob van Walscapelle, at Lázaro Galdiano Museum; the guided tour Banquetes curiosos del mundo animal, at the National Museum of Natural Science; the children’s activity A bordo de la Nao ‘San Diego’ at the Naval Museum; and the tour Gastronomía en las colecciones de la Academia: Alegoría, mito, religiosidad, cotidianeidad y festejo, at San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts. 

 

Asian cinema and gastronomy at Casa Asia, gastronomy-themed “microplays”, a retrospective photo exhibition on the Tetuán district in San Enrique Market, the activity La gastronomía en las obras del Cervantes in Ateneo de Madrid, cooking shows featuring tapas inspired by 1980s, 1990s and 21st century fashion in Antón Martín Market, courtesy of Madrid Capital de la Moda, the Bach and Vermouth series in the National Music Auditorium and Los Top de Casa Decor (recommended restaurants with unique decor by interior designers who took part in an edition of the Casa Decor fair, as well as restaurants on the cutting edge of gastronomy) are some of the other ways that festivalgoers can explore the close relationship between cuisine and culture.

 

Once again, Gastrofestival will showcase the quality and diversity of Madrid’s culinary offerings with the classic festival fixture Degustatapas (a tapa and a small bottle of Mahou for 4 euros), as well as 5-Star Menus, culinary initiatives by Madrid’s markets, Gastrofestival Recommends (including traditional Madrid restaurants), Fusion Cuisine, Gastrobocatas, the Route for the Sweet-Toothed, the Coffee Route, Breakfast at..., Vermouth Bars and Pickles, and activities at gourmet and homeware shops and cooking schools. 

 

There will also be new Sensorial Experiences, such as those at La Zarzuela Racecourse, which is taking part in the Gastrofestival programme for the first time, as well as heart-healthy dishes, gluten-free dishes and wine tastings and pairings. The festival will also include activities especially designed for kids, like the workshops Con la comida sí se juega (Royal Botanical Gardens), Gastro-Kids sin fuego (Antón Martín Market) and Cocinando cuentos con todas las letras (Espacio Abierto Quinta de los Molinos Cultural Centre).

 

The full Gastrofestival Madrid programme of events and activities is available on the official website: https://www.gastrofestivalmadrid.com/ which has a new tool that lets you view things to do by location in the capital's 21 districts and other towns in the Community of Madrid. Please note that all events will be held in Spanish. You can also follow all the latest news about the festival on its social media profiles. 

 

The 12th edition of Gastrofestival Madrid is sponsored by Mahou and organised in partnership with Iberia Express, Madrid's markets and Madrid Capital de la Moda. /