Alicante State is gearing up for its inaugural Potato Omelette Competition, featuring two distinct categories: Classic and Identity. This event was announced by Rafael García Santos, a renowned food critic and director of Lomejordelagastronomia.com, who emphasized that the contest aims to showcase culinary virtuosity among professionals while also boosting their presence in local bars and elevating a unique regional identity within the national landscape.
The competition serves professionals from the province’s vibrant gastronomy scene and will be part of the Alicante Gastronomy Fair. A maximum of ten contestants will be admitted to each category on September 23, drawing attention to both skill and creativity in the capital of the Costa Blanca’s culinary scene.
Alicante Gastronomica offers visitors a broad spectrum of gastronomic experiences across Spain
In the Classic Category, judges will prize mastery of one of the country’s traditional tortilla preparations. In the Identity Category, the focus shifts to crafting an Alicante-inspired version, showcasing how local ingredients can give a national dish a distinctive regional character through careful and harmonious use of staples such as ñora pepper, saffron, and salt cod.
Participants will have a full 70 minutes to plate two portions and up to eight skewers. While each chef supplies the core ingredients for their work, Tescoma, the principal sponsor, will provide pans and other utensils for those who prefer to use their own tools.
The Alicante Provincial Catering Contractors Association (APEHA), the Alicante Restaurants Association (ARA), and the Alicante Provincial Federation of Trade and SMEs (FACPYME) are collaborating to encourage their members to take part in this hospitality showcase.
Alicante Gastronomica also hosts the Spanish National Congress and Championship
The organizing committee for Alicante Gastronomica announced that the fair will align with Eid al-Adha celebrations as a central axis for the event, featuring the National Potato Tortilla Congress and the fifteenth Spanish Potato Tortilla Championship, Tescoma Cup included. The provincial contest serves to elevate the cuisine and chefs of Alicante on a national stage.
“With this initiative, the aim is to fully engage and define Alicante’s culinary scene and its chefs within the movement sparked by Rafa García Santos to place this iconic dish at the pinnacle of Spanish gastronomy and give it the attention it deserves,” stated Gema Amor.
She underscored that Alicante Gastronómica marks a new step forward, building on García Santos’ belief in Alicante and serving as the heir to the Lomejordelagastronomia congress that helped redefine the national culinary landscape with the Spanish Potato Omelette Championship at this fair.
García Santos remarked that there should be no stagnation in gastronomy and that, for the first time, a National Congress would be organized around the Spanish Championship on its fifteenth anniversary, underscoring the significance of the potato omelette in the broader culinary conversation of the country.
He added that this ongoing evolution in promoting Spanish cuisine includes collaboration with a group from the Alicante region, highlighting local products like ñora, saffron, and salted fish. The competition seeks to recognize their work and the unique value brought by these regional ingredients.