Cooking is a language through which all the following properties can be expressed: harmony, creativity, happiness, beauty, poetry, complexity, magic, humour, provocation, culture.
02
.
Two things are taken as given: the use of the highest quality products and the skill and expertise to prepare them properly.
03
.
All the products have thesame culinary value, regardless of their price.
04
.
Preference is given to vegetables and seafood, with a key role also being played by dairy products, dried fruits and nuts and other products that make up a light form of cooking. In recent years sparing use has been made of red meat and poultry in large pieces.
05
.
Although the characteristics of the products are modified (temperature, texture, form, etc.), the aim is always to preserve the purity of their original taste, except for processes that call for long cooking or seek the nuances of processes like the Maillard reaction.
06
.
Cooking techniques, both classic and modern, are a heritage that the cook must know how to utilise with expertise.
07
.
As has occurred in most fields of human evolution down the ages, new technologiesare a support for the ongoing progress of cooking.
08
.
The family of stocks/fonds is being extended. Together with the classic ones, lighter fonds performing an identical function are now being used (water products, broths, consommés, clarified vegetable juice, nut milks, etc.).
09
.
The information given by a dish is enjoyed through the senses; it can also be enjoyed and rationalised through reflection.
10
.
Taste is not the only sense that can be stimulated: touch can also be played with (contrasts of temperatures and textures), as well as smell, sight (colours, shapes, trompe d’oeil, etc.), whereby the five senses become one of the main points of reference in the creative cooking process.
11
.
The technical-conceptual search is the apex of the creative pyramid.
12
.
Creation involves teamwork. Furthermore, research and investigation has become established as a new characteristic in the culinary creative process.
13
.
The barriers between the sweet and savoury world are being broken down. A new cold cuisine has gained importance in which the highlight is the creation of the frozen savoury world.
14
.
The classical structure of dishes is being broken down: a veritable revolution is underway in first courses and desserts, closely bound up with the concept of symbiosis between sweet and savoury worlds. In main dishes the “product-garnish-sauce” hierarchy is being broken down.
15
.
A new way of serving foodis being fostered. The finishing of dishes in the dining room by serving staff has been worked upon. In other cases, the diners themselves participate in the finishing of the dish.
16
.
Local cooking tradition as a style is a sense of bonding with the local geographical and cultural context, as well as with its culinary tradition. The link with nature complements and enriches this relationship with the environment.
17
.
Products and elaborations from other countries are subject to the individual criteria of cooking.
18
.
There are two main paths to achieve harmony between products and flavours: through memory (connection with local cooking traditions, adaptation, deconstruction, previous modern recipes), or through new combinations.
19
.
An individual language more and more systematised is created that on occasions establishes a relationship with the world and the language of art.
20
.
Recipes are conceptualised that give harmony to small servings.
21
.
Decontextualization, irony, spectacle, performance, are completely legitimate, providing they are not superficial but are closely bound up with a process of gastronomic reflection.
22
.
The tasting menu is the greater expression of avant-garde cuisine. The structure is living and subject to changes. Concepts such as snacks, tapas, avant-desserts, morphings, etc are coming into their own.
23
.
Knowledge and/or collaboration with experts in different fields (gastronomic culture, history, industrial design, etc.) is paramount for our ongoing evolution. In particular, cooperation with the food industry and science has resulted in a fundamental shift. Sharing this knowledge between the different culinary professions contributes to this evolution.
