Cocktails and Tapas: The Cooking of Freedom

The Excelencias Gourmet International Gastronomic Seminar got underway Monday in Havana. The event, in its eighth edition, is dedicated entirely to the tapa, that emblem of Spanish culture, and to Cuban cocktails, just another element destined to become an indisputable heritage value.

José Carlos de Santiago, president of the Excelencias Group and ambassador of the Iberian-American Gastronomy Academy, underscored the importance of this professional meeting and thanked the presence of more than 300 attendees, including outstanding lecturers, restaurateurs and bartenders from Cuba and around the world.

In the keynote remarks, Spanish ambassador to Cuba Juan Jose Buitrago de Benito said this is an event that has taken root, a gathering that has had a past and now has a future. “Cubans and Spaniards can tell us many things, share experiences and knowledge. Last year, Cuba received thousands of Spanish tourists who come not only in search of sun and beach, but also seeking the heritage and gastronomic attractions that have evolved on this island nation in recent years. It is then inevitable that far more sophistication and variety will follow this path. Cuba and Spain have a lot to do together and to exchange. We have the same family roots,” Mr. Buitrago de Benito was quoted as saying.

Rafael Ansón, president of the Iberian-American and Spanish gastronomy academies, also had gripping words that came to the audience be means of a recorded message.

For his part, Alfonso Marin, Secretary General of the Iberian-American Gastronomy Academy, stressed that not only the Hispanic American Capital of Cocktails awarded to Havana this year will be very inspiring. Tapas are by far “the best summary of what a healthy, sustainable, supportive and satisfying gastronomy is actually like,” he said.

“We have displaced the stale French concept of innumerable dishes and restrictive pairings. If we talk about tapas, we refer to the cooking of freedom, one that characterizes us throughout Latin America. We have exceptional products, and that’s the great difference with the concept of Anglo-Saxon cuisine; it is the healthiest, we are the number one and we can only prove it. Let's share that cultural bond,” Mr. Marin concluded.