<\/p>\n

Summer is the season of summits, but not all summits are created equal. I might come off as politically disinclined when I say (or in this case, write) that there is<\/em> one meeting that interests me the most: the Madrid Fusion International Gastronomic Summit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Someone’s talking my language. My tummy grumbles in response.<\/p>\n

Imagine the world’s top chefs meeting to show off their creations in the Spanish capital. Unfortunately, all I can do is imagine. And, as I write this, my mouth is making water (as my Spanish friend would say).<\/p>\n

The Australian<\/a> proposes that the reason Madrid is such a hotbed for the culinary arts is due to the fact that it is “a city of many flavors,” influenced to this day by a multitude of cultures and traditions. It doesn’t hurt that this is a country that likes to eat, and truly appreciates the work going on in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

For example, Manolo Nombela, a Madrileno who owns Mano a Mano, lived in Australia for 23 years. From this experience he was inspired to add an Asian flavor to the Spanish dishes he was so accustomed to making.<\/p>\n

Another example of this is Cocido Madrileno, “a stew including chickpeas, pork belly, chicken, jamon, chorizo and potatoes” served at Taberna La Bola in central Madrid. Considered a traditional dish, this concoction dates back to the influence of the Sephardi Jews back in the Middle Ages.<\/p>\n

However, what caught my attention was the wide use of jamon<\/em>, ham, another topic The Australian recently tackled<\/a>. Did you know that Madrid is such a hammy place that it has its very own museum dedicated to the industry? Legs of pork and all the various cured hams you could think of hang at this deli\/gallery. As rumor has it, the jamon<\/em> industry is pretty important as the country produces 40 million hams per year.<\/p>\n

By Brit Weaver<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/strong>
\n<\/p>\n

Toronto born and based, Brit is an avid leisure cyclist, coffee drinker and under-a-tree park-ist. She often finds herself meandering foreign cities looking for street eats to nibble, trees to climb, a patch of grass to sit on, or a small bookstore to sift through. You can find her musing life on her personal blog,\u00a0TheBubblesAreDead.wordpress.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summer is the season of summits, but not all summits are created equal. I might come off as politically disinclined when I say (or in this case, write) that there is one meeting that interests me the most: the Madrid Fusion International Gastronomic Summit. Someone’s talking my language. My tummy grumbles in response. Imagine the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":7240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,2562,2573,2583],"tags":[2305,82,1630,4,1629],"yoast_head":"\n