A weekend of culture and gastronomy served up at Gastrofestival Madrid

Over the next few days, Gastrofestival Madrid continues with more interesting culinary and cultural activities. This Saturday, 7 February, Central de Diseño at Matadero Madrid is holding an edible hat workshop which explores the relationship between gastronomy and other fields such as fashion and design.

Milliners Fátima de Burnay and Mabel Sanz will teach participants to make this accessory out of edible materials that can later be used to create delicious dishes. There will be a talk about the use of seaweed and edible flowers in cooking and a wine pairing with these ingredients, plus a fashion show and photo session featuring the finished works.

Activities at museums

The city’s museums have also prepared special initiatives. The Prado is hosting a lecture about Gastronomy and Art in the museum’s auditorium (7 February at 6.30pm), and the Thyssen is offering a guided tour of some of its key pieces, with the chance to try a tapas dish inspired by these works (7 February at 12 noon).

The Cerralbo Museum will explore the world of extra virgin olive oil with a tasting organised in collaboration with the Madrid Union of Agricultural Cooperatives – U.C.A.M (7 February), while the Sorolla Museum is holding a workshop on seaweed entitled “Sorolla, el sabor del mar” (Sorolla: the taste of the sea). It’s an excellent opportunity to discover the uses of this highly regarded ingredient in Asian cuisine (7 February at 11am).

Gastrofestival at the Market

Some of the main markets in the city of Madrid have also signed up to this year’s Gastrofestival. San Antón Market is paying tribute to history’s greatest chefs with an essential exhibition about the life and work of the most famous cooks of all time, such as Guillaume Tirel, Pierre de la Varenne and Alexis Soyer, which shows the evolution of cuisine over the last 2,000 years.

Antón Martín Market is offering a cooking demonstration by the chef and participant in the TV programme Top Chef, Rebeca, from the restaurant La Berenjena (7 February at 12 noon). What’s more, during the entire Gastrofestival this market is serving up special menus for 8 and 10 euros.

Literature, music and theatre

Until 8 February, the public can enjoy the Archigula Festival. Organised by A Punto bookstore, it includes four sessions featuring guest writers Maruja Torres, Juan José Millás and Eduardo Mendoza, who will discuss the relationship between literature and gastronomy. They will be joined by chefs Abraham García (Viridiana), Sacha Hormaechea (Sacha) and Miguel López Castanier (El Chiscón), who will prepare recipes from famous novels.

At Conde Duque, gastronomy and music will go hand in hand thanks to a concert by the Orfeón Malasaña choir, accompanied by a tasting of wines from Bodegas Alcardet (7 February).

Foodies and theatre-goers should stop by Microteatro por Dinero. This microtheatre is putting on various plays with a culinary theme, with titles as appealing as “Accidente Cruasán”, “Achicharrados” and “Dulce café Montreal”, for just four euros (until 8 February).

More options

To enjoy the best local fare while learning something about the city, Make My Day in Madrid proposes the tour “Madrid gourmet, artístico y literario” (Gourmet, artistic, literary Madrid) on 7 February at 7pm. And to sample the finest Italian cuisine, Accademia del Gusto is offering a special menu of delicious Tuscan recipes (7 February at 2pm).

But that’s not all. The ever-popular “Degustatapas” (tapa and a Mahou beer for three euros); menus for 25 and 40 euros; “Ruta Golosa” (Route for the sweet-toothed); “Ruta del Café de Colombia” (Colombian coffee route); and “Menus by Elle” are all back this year. And next week the fun continues with the sixth Gastrofestival Madrid, which ends on 15 February.

Some of the highlights include the concert Jazz, Cheese & Sherry at Conde Duque (12 and 13 February at 8pm), and the activity “Lujos entre copas: el papel del vino en las cenas de gala del siglo XIX” (Luxury among the glasses: the role of wine in formal dinners of the 19th century) at the Museum of Romanticism (Tuesday 10th and Thursday 12th at 6pm). For more information, visit www.gastrofestivalmadrid.com./