La cuina dels prodigis
Fifty Years of Catalan Haute Cuisine That Changed Global Gastronomy
2024
An insight into the foundations and evolution of Catalan culinary success over the past five decades.
For Prodeca
WORLD CULINARY EPICENTRE
A multilingual gastronomic dossier for international press.
Prodeca commissions a multilingual dossier for specialized media to mark the year of Catalonia as World Gastronomy Region 2025. A journey through five decades of Catalan cuisine that have transformed an almost invisible tradition into a creative force capable of shaking up the global gastronomic scene.
HOME TO THE BEST RESTAURANTS AND CHEFS
Innovations that changed everything.
Over the last five decades Catalonia has created culinary concepts such as tasting menus, low-temperature cooking and foams, which are as renowned in international culinary circles as are the names of the restaurants elBulli, El Celler de Can Roca and Disfrutar (all of which have deservingly won the title of world’s best restaurant at different times in recent years).
These are three of the contributions and three of the most relevant names, though hardly the only ones, that have made Catalonia the world’s point of reference in modern cuisine.
This publication tells an exciting collective story that has turned Catalonia’s hearths into kitchens full of prodigious chefs that inspire and dazzle the whole world.
AN AUDIO PORTRAIT OF CATALAN CUISINE
Unravelling The Marvels of Catalan Cuisine.
Aquest pòdcast de cinc capítols, locutats íntegrament en anglès pel periodista gastronòmic Brian Gallagher, té l’objectiu de divulgar, de manera distesa però rigorosa, els valors i les singularitats de la gastronomia catalana per a un públic global. Les temàtiques dels capítols tracten al voltant de la definició de cuina catalana en relació amb la resta de cuines mediterrànies, l’edat d’or medieval de la cuina catalana, la cuina popular i col·lectiva, l’explosió creativa de la cuina catalana contemporània i els plats i productes propis de la gastronomia catalana vistos amb ulls forans.
This five-episode podcast, narrated entirely in English by food journalist Brian Gallagher, aims to share the values and unique traits of Catalan gastronomy with a global audience — in a relaxed yet rigorous tone.
The episodes explore a variety of topics: the definition of Catalan cuisine in relation to other Mediterranean traditions, its medieval golden age, collective and popular cooking, the creative explosion of contemporary Catalan cuisine, and a foreign perspective on the dishes and products that define its identity.
Among the internationally renowned voices featured in the podcast are: American food writer and critic Colman Andrews; Yale University medievalist Paul Freedman; British anthropologist Venetia Johannes (University of Oxford, author of Nourishing the Nation: Food as National Identity in Catalonia); art critic and former Tate Modern director Vicente Todolí; Moroccan chef Najat Kaanache; and American food writer Rosi Song (co-author of A Taste of Barcelona), among others.
TASTES OF HISTORY
From Medieval Cookbooks to the World Gastronomy Region 2025.
An exhibition that invites visitors to explore a thousand years of Catalan cuisine through six immersive spaces showcasing its legacy in both medieval and contemporary gastronomy.
The journey begins with historic cookbooks such as Sent Soví and the Llibre del coc, and reaches culinary icons like Ferran Adrià, the Roca brothers, and Carme Ruscalleda.
A photographic narrative that connects cuisine, landscape, and biodiversity through emblematic dishes like suquet and esqueixada, alongside maps highlighting schools, research centres, and internationally renowned restaurants.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Fundació Alícia: Toni Massanés
Coordination: Josep Sucarrats
Design: Hèctor Asprano
Writing: Equip de la revista Cuina