Spain: International Students Gastronomy ICEX soak up the culture of Olive Oils

A dozen students (Mexico, United States) from 10 countries attending a seminar in Valladolid on Olive Oil from Spain. Future chefs attended a tasting and a workshop on techniques used in the kitchen of extra virgin Arbequina, Cornicabra, Hojiblanca and Picual varieties.

A cook cannot aspire to enter the secrets of Spanish cuisine without knowing Olive Oils and techniques used in the kitchen. Under this premise, Olive Oil from Spain collaborates with the Training Program in Spanish Gastronomy than 8 years organizes the ICEX. An initiative that allows foreign students to learn from within the cuisine that today sets the trend worldwide.
Olive oils from Spain, with the help of expert taster, Alfonso Fernández, held a seminar for 12 students participating this year (for students from Canada, China, South Korea, Denmark, United States, Ireland Program Mexico, United Kingdom, Singapore and Taiwan).

The seminar, taken place at the International Cooking School Fernando Pérez of Valladolid, was divided into two parts. In the first, Alfonso Fernandez made an introduction on what are the olive and its culinary and health properties. An explanation that was followed by a tasting of extra virgin olive oils of the Arbequina, Cornicabra, Hojiblanca and Picual, as an example of the immense variety of aromas and flavors that holds our olive grove.

The second part relates to cooking workshop, where students could experiment with the basic techniques of using olive oil, with special emphasis on fried foods. So they could cook potato chips fried in olive oil extra virgin Arbequina or fried potatoes with picual. They prepared mayonnaise and aioli playing with the different extra virgin. Also they could verify the extent to which extra virgin are irreplaceable in desserts, with various fruit salads, ice cream or toast and dressed with extra virgin cocoa. There was even time for more complex, including the challenge similar to that of a butter with extra virgin olive oil texture techniques.
Students were particularly participatory and praised the versatility of a product who now know much better, which in the future may bring your entire party.

Source: Spanish Interprofessional Olive Oil