The Mediterranean Diet: The Catalan Model

 

Everyone admires the Mediterranean Diet concept, but the USDA has reduced it to a food pyramid divorced from the cultures that give rise to it. The Catalan model of the Mediterranean Diet is compact, elegant, and easy to explain, and offers a perfect way to describe and restore the cultural foundations of the diet.

 

The Catalan model of the Mediterranean Diet is an integrated, holistic system that promotes local food production, short supply chains, and splendid open markets at the core of neighborhoods. The BCN model of the Mediterranean Diet starts in nearby fields, oceans, and farms and travels to a market that anchors a neighborhood, brings people together, and reflects the cultures & cuisines of the people it serves.

 

Sant Jordi NYC and the Mediterranean Diet

 

In 2021 we are introducing the cultural background of the Mediterranean Diet,  building on Sant Jordi NYC to introduce food literature from the Catalan tradition. 

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Catalan food literature dates from medieval times to the present. We will travel in time through passages from books on Catalan food and cooking from the Book of Sent Soví (1324), the first Catalan cook book, to Table and Bar by Quim Monzó, or the fascinating recent book about the markets of Barcelona, Hidden Kitchens: A Gastronomic Walk through the 40 Markets of Barcelona, and including, of course, Josep Pla, Néstor Luján, and the writings of the great contemporary chefs, Ferran Adrià, Carme Ruscalleda, the Roca brothers, Sergi Arola, etc.   

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This year, this section is curated by Jaume Biarnes with videos directed by VISUAL13 and produced thanks to the support of DIPLOCAT. We talk about HOW TO GREENS with Chefs Fina Puigdevall and Martina Puigvert (Les Cols restaurant), HOW TO WINE with Josep Roca from el Celler de Can Roca, HOW TO SEAFOOD with Chefs Mateu Casanyes from Disfrutar/Compartir (L’Empordà), HOW TO OLIVE OIL with Chef Ferran Adrià from el Bulli Foundation (Barcelona), HOW TO LEGUME with Chef Marc Puig-Pey from Fundació Alícia (Bages), HOW TO DESSERT with Christian Escribà from Escribà pastry (Barcelona), HOW TO MARKET with Amanda Laporte, chef and food stylist and a CHEFS' Q & A.