Environmental awareness is growing in all areas. The increase in temperatures, deforestation or the loss of biodiversity, among other consequences of climate change, make it necessary not only to respect and protect the environment, but also to change our habits to reverse its effects. In this sense, the gastronomy sector is promoting several initiatives that advance in favor of this change of mentality. The latest is the book El Bosc a la Taula (Laertes), in which renowned faces of Catalan cuisine propose their recipes with ingredients extracted from the forest, with the aim of promoting its sustainable management.
The recipe book, which was presented yesterday at the Mercado de la Concepció in Barcelona, is an initiative of the Catalan Association Promoting Forest Certification (PEFC Catalunya). It has brought together some of the best-known faces of Catalan gastronomy who collaborate with the promotion of the culinary value of products from sustainable forests, such as the Roca brothers, Fina Puigdevall, Paco Pérez or Carme Ruscalleda.
The climate emergency situation in Catalonia is evidenced, in part, by the high risk of forest fires. The drought in recent months, which still poses a complicated scenario for the coming months despite the recent rains, further aggravates this situation. And this is when forest management takes center stage. Because pastures and forest clearing reduce the risk of fires, while supporting the rural community.
The main awareness tool of this project is something we do every day: eat. Every time you go to a restaurant or market and consume products of forest origin, landscape management is done and local farmers and ranchers are helped. For this purpose, the chefs have prepared various dishes with forest products: game meat, Iberian pork, pine nuts, chestnuts, mushrooms, truffles, aromatic herbs, honey...
This is a book aimed at all people who have an interest in the gastronomic world, from consumers to producers, collectors or marketers of products of forest origin. Its purpose is to raise awareness about the need to manage forests sustainably in the face of current challenges and threats.
"The forest is an essential pantry that gives the kitchen its own identity," explained the chef of the three-starred El Celler de Can Roca, Joan Roca. And he added: "It allows us to put the landscape on the plate and, in order to continue to do so, it is important to pay attention to the forest management of our forests." The gastronomic value of the products from these natural spaces, according to the promoters of the book, does not reside only in its flavor, but also in its connection with the culture and territory.
The twenty chefs who have participated in this environmental awareness project are the aforementioned Joan Roca and his two brothers, Josep and Jordi, Carme Ruscalleda, Fina Puigdevall, Eduard Xatruch, Mateu Casañas, Oriol Castro, Paco Pérez, Carles Gaig, Ada Parellada , the Torres brothers, Paolo Casagrande, Rafa Martínez, Xavier Pellicer, Toni Sala or Lluc Crusellas, among others.
The use of wild edible products is an example of how gastronomy can be a tool for the preservation and promotion of environmental sustainability. Yesterday's presentation ceremony ended with a tasting of some of the recipes from El Bosc a la Taula, which is priced at 18 euros.
