Among the culinary trends in 2010, a year marked by a difficult economy and a greater awareness as regards the environment, "eco-friendly cooking", a spirit of the age that borrows from slow food, prepared with local organic products, is currently all the rage.
Although it is not really a new tendency, since many top restaurants all over the world have been cultivating their own produce for some time now, the accent is currently of sustainability. Today’s chefs are increasingly more committed to environmental protection, a commitment mirrored in the use of organic, natural produce and a growing respect for protected species (such as red tuna).
In this way, the so-called “eco-friendly cooking” or “botanical gastronomy” has come about, and the disciples of this new culinary discipline – including Sébastien Bras, Pedro Miguel Schiaffino, Fernando del Cerro, Paco Morales, Rodrigo De La Calle, Skye Gyngell, and Santiago Orts, among others – have already begun to preach the virtues of this new gastronomic modality both for the environment and for humankind.
Another of the trends appearing in the culinary world is the recovery of culinary traditions. While the Americans have rediscovered the hamburger and the Italians have introduced a guarantee of origin for authentic pizza, Spain is currently promoting its tapas all over the world.
These and other trends, such as food tourism from a perspective of offer and demand, will be discussed at the 1st European Congress in Tourism and Gastronomy, organized by Turespaña and the Royal Academy of Spanish Gastronomy, due to be held in Madrid from 24-26 April 2010, in the framework of the new Food and Wine Tourism International Promotion Plan, which has recently been approved by the Government with the aim of positioning Spain as a world-class international destination for food tourism.
