A revolution around quality bread comes out in the small town of Sigüenza, A population of 4,500, a cook and a miller determined to restore the lost glory to this staple food, with sourdough obtained from buckwheat, the grain of this harsh soil, It has been transformed in a 15th-century mill into a Michelin-starred Relais & Chateaux boutique hotel, where bread and baguettes are made with great care. Such success around the first processed food consumed by humans has now won Molino de Alcuneza. Sustainable Sun Award from Repsol Guide #AlimentosdEspaña, given to four restaurants this Monday ‘La Finca’ by Susi Díaz (Elche, Alicante). Molino de Alcuneza accepted by Repsol Guide on: Culler de Pau, Susi Díaz from ‘La finca’ and Xanty Elías from ‘Finca Alfoliz’.
“We want to transmit our culture through bread,” says Samuel Moreno, chef of Molino de Alcuneza. Showing off his sourdough, which is the flour that Carlos Moreno grinds at the Despelta factory, a bowl of water and salt. With these four elements, Samuel makes his loaves, the first processed food consumed by man. but then marginalized in the spectacular culinary revolution It has placed Spain at the top of the world’s gastronomy.
Too bad we eat over-refined bread, tasteless and full of glycemic index-raising sugars and proteins, Samuel complains to Carlos before entering the mill where the grain is stone-ground to produce wholemeal, nutritious and low-stress flour, as determined by new bread quality regulations that mandate bakers to use only wholemeal loaf flours. with whole wheat grain to preserve carbohydrates, proteins, fats, fiber, vitamins minerals, enzymes and flavor of this millennial staple food in the shopping cart.
A study by the University of Valladolid reveals that only 35% of breads are sold as whole wheat. They are made with 100 percent whole wheat flour. From the entry into force of the new standard, the label must indicate the origin of the flours as well as the value along with the name and percentages of the grains and seeds it contains.
In some supermarkets we find bars. the pericarp, the germ-covering part of the wheat and the grain extracted “And that’s why we only eat sugar and protein,” says Samuel at the fragrant bakery in Molino de Alcuneza, where industrial yeasts don’t enter, feeding his sourdough flour and water, which breaks down gluten, a protein that can cause digestive damage. .
Very close to the workshop, Samuel’s sister Blanca Moreno points to the 15th-century mill her father bought about 30 years ago. It belonged to the wealthy church of Sigüenza, which leased it to the millers in charge of crushing the grain of this dry land. “This was a very prosperous diocese because in addition to grain, the salt flats of Imón were also used,” says Blanca at this quiet hotel with a well-kept garden an hour and a half drive from Madrid.
Abandoned since 1999, the Imón salt flats in the Salado river basin were used by the Romans and expanded by Carlos III. To become the largest salt producer in the Iberian Peninsula. “Thanks to this infrastructure, the diocese of Sigüenza has become one of the wealthiest in Spain,” continues Blanca Moreno, before visiting the magnificent Secondine cathedral. There it shines with its own light The serene half-recumbent alabaster tomb statue of El Doncel, Symbol of this medieval city in the upper valley of the Henares river.
Sigüenza’s cool nights reveal these days the secrets of swarming stars in a light-polluted sky First thing in the morning, Samuel carefully rolls the dough to make the bread, and with its authentic taste, seduces the inspectors who secretly visit his restaurant, and finally awards him a Michelin star, which he humbly refuses to collect.
“It takes a lot of responsibility to have the appreciation of the greatest experts in gastronomy, but the truth is that it also benefits Sigüenza,” explains Samuel, stunned by the gratitude he receives from his fellow countrymen. now determined to restore their crops and promote beekeeping in this region Lavender, thyme and rosemary honeys are within the scope of Alcarria origin.
“We enjoy great raw materials”, emphasizes Carlos Moreno, specifically He fights the land he planted with all kinds of wheat, rye and corn lentils. committed to crop rotation, following the tradition of his grandparents. “Legumes provide nitrogen to the soil, which then passes into the grains,” he comments, with a small jar in which he keeps the buckwheat he has recovered after being forgotten since the 1940s.
Samuel implements respect panis, a method of cooking and slow fermentation to all these organic grains without yeast or mixers. “We will regain the value of bread,” concludes the chief of Castile-La Mancha proudly.
From the small village of Reboredo in O Grove (Pontevedra), the sunny team of Culler de Pau, led by Javier Olleros in the kitchen and Amaranta Rodríguez in the dining room, strives every day to “add something to the environment”. This Sustainable Sun #AlimentosdEspaña awards his constant experimentation with minimizing waste on each of his dishes, continuous dialogue with producers and biologists in the region, and a good practice-based history of the region. “It is important to understand the time we are in and take action. As restaurants, we can do a lot,” the Galician chef encourages.
In line with this exploit, the use of by-products, Olleros talks about how they accomplished this year, for example, that absolutely all leeks are present in your menu, some as a pre-dessert bite. “It’s delicious, that’s the point, but we turn our heads to use it all.”
Susi Díaz and her children Irene and Chema García, in 2 Repsol Guide Suns categories, in La Finca (Elche, Alicante), Thanks to their own treatment facilities and the training of their teams, they were able to reduce their water consumption. They also achieve energy autonomy through the installation of photovoltaic panels. Garcia is on: “The kitchens of the future will be sustainable, and there will be those that came before and those that came later.” For him, sustainability is not just a way of working, it is “a way of understanding life. We want more reconciliation, we are trying to set an example,” he said.
Between Featured by Xanty Elías’ Finca Alfoliz (Aljaraque, Huelva) recommended by Repsol Guide, The chef from Huelva explains that in the orchard, permaculture is applied “a cultivation philosophy based on respect for the soil.” They do not till the soil to oxygenate itself, they regulate its pH and bring together complementary crops. Finca Alfoliz shares the same global vision as the rest of the awardees: “If we are environmentalists but not profitable, we are not sustainable. If we produce wealth but our environment does not realize it, we cannot be sustainable either”.