Lovers of the gourmet world have a gastronomic appointment the last week of April. Grupo Gourmets celebrates the thirty-first edition of its Gourmet Lounge from April 24 to 27 at the Feria de Madrid (Ifema), in which a total of 1.600 exhibitorss will announce their exclusive news.
The most avant-garde and innovative products in world gastronomy come together in this space, the main European event dedicated to delicatessen, where producers and consumers will have the opportunity to do business and learn about the latest in the sector.
Four days in which to be able enjoy countless gastronomic activities from which we have selected five essential appointments.
A whole gastronomic experience in which more than 40.000 products will be unveiled to transport us to a sybarite universe in which to enjoy with the five senses.
Ham cutters
This contest is the most veteran activity of the Gourmet Lounge. In it, aspects such as the cleanliness of the cut, the performance of the piece, the originality in the presentation and even the good calculation, by eye, of a 100-gram portion are valued. Always with the hams of the DO Dehesa de Extremadura as faithful traveling companions. The Iberian ham becomes the main protagonist, the attendees you can taste it and learn how it is made, what is the Iberian pig and a master cutter will explain how it should be cut and consumed to fully enjoy this exquisite delicacy.
Oyster openers
Efficiency and speed are the qualities necessary to open 30 oysters in the shortest time possible. This is demonstrated each year by the participants of the contest that attracts the most public due to its attractiveness and reward, since you can taste the natural oysters, as recommended by Daniel Sorlut, sponsor of the contest. With just a knife, a cloth and a board, they face this little bivalve with aphrodisiac fame and with a high content of vitamins and minerals, such as iron or zinc.
The best cheeses in Spain
The best cheeses from Spain are exhibited in the area «GourmetQuesos, Author’s Cheeses», where cheese is the absolute protagonist with an exhibition area of more than 600 varieties. The room will also host the 8 GourmetQuesos / Integra2, Championship The Best Cheeses of Spain 2017 In which the best national cheeses will be awarded in 15 different categories based on milk, texture or pasta, among other parameters.
Sommelier Championship
The Gourmets Group in collaboration with the Union of Spanish Sommelier Associations (UAES) organizes this test whose purpose is to disseminate the culture of sommelier and find the best professional in charge of representing our country in the ASI World Sommelier Championship (Association de la Somellerie Internationale). Identifying spirits and spirits or proposing harmonies for the menu presented by the jury are some of the tests that the candidates must pass.
Tapas for Gourmets
This competition is a tribute to those small portions of food that accompany the drink, snacks that are consumed at the bar and that have gone around the world championing our gastronomy and our lifestyle. As a tribute to this great aperitif, this contest is called in which 20 participants will freely make a minimum of 20 identical tapas, in 30 minutes, that harmonize with different varieties of beer.