Artichokes are the star product of the “Menjars de la Terra” gastronomy days held in Vega Baja from Monday, February 20th to Friday, February 24th.
Is the artichoke gastronomically the most outstanding product of the Vega Baja garden?
We are proud that the artichoke from Vega Baja is the home base of the vegetable garden in Europe and is considered a gem. Undoubtedly, the artichoke has become the symbol of our country, the trademark of the region, plays an important role as the economic locomotive of Vega Baja and has a great role in gastronomy.
In this sense, the artichoke is our garden’s culinary biggest standard-bearer, has included it on many restaurant menus, and is a challenge for diners.
Vega Baja’s kitchen is not zero kilometers, but a few meters. One of the greatest pleasures we can experience is to enjoy a product of excellent quality that grows next to the restaurant and is also cooked in hands that know the product very well and makes the most of it.
What are your main culinary values?
The main feature of our artichokes is that they are grown in soils suitable for cultivation and that our irrigation system allows us to obtain a product that stands out with its softness.
Its quality is so valuable that one of the most typical dishes of Vega Baja is raw artichoke salad, and it is prepared in this way only in our region because it is not served this way anywhere else in Spain.
Another of its great values is the culinary versatility of the artichoke. In stews, fried, fried, along with shellfish, meat, fish, candied, marinated, pickled, creamed … etc. we can find it in many ways; And best of all, it’s still delicious.
And the nutritious ones?
Artichoke is a complete source of health due to its antioxidant capacity, diuretic and purifying properties.
Its main ingredient is water, followed by carbohydrates. It is also rich in fiber, vitamins (E, B-6, C and K) and minerals (especially potassium and sodium). One of the most important active compounds in artichokes is cynarin, which helps protect the liver, prevents the formation of stones in the gallbladder and helps to excrete fluids. Thanks to its phenolic compounds, it helps to lower the cholesterol level in the blood and is an ideal vegetable for losing weight and burning fat.
Recently, Artichoke from Vega Baja was awarded the Best Food Product by the Valencian Community Gastronomy Academy.
It was a great satisfaction. The first is the recognition of the efforts of thousands of farmers who have worked tirelessly and have made tremendous efforts to grow artichokes. When most of Spain is on vacation, they endure temperatures exceeding 35 degrees Celsius to plant artichokes, and then, in the middle of winter, they brave the cold and harvest them so we can all enjoy Joya de la Huerta.
Also, times are not easy for the industry, and such awards are always an incentive and energize us to continue fighting to defend what is ours.
How is the campaign presented this year?
It is not an easy campaign. We have to face many negativities such as climate change and how it affects the fields, the lack of water, the need for affordable prices of the fields… There are always too many problems for the most affected sector.
Hardly anyone remembers anymore that we stood up to support markets and everything we shoot with DANA, which destroyed 60% of our crops at the worst of the pandemic. While we have not recovered from all this, we are faced with situations that endanger our industry and facilitate neither generational change nor the survival of something as vital to everyone as the orchard.
What do you think about the INFORMACIÓN newspaper’s attempt to revive “Menjars de la Terra”, the gastronomy day that values the local products of the province, with the support of the Provincial General Assembly?
I find it great. It is necessary and necessary to make visible the products of the land, the people who make them possible, and the chefs who transform these products into authentic flavors. La Vega Baja is a unique region, and part of this uniqueness lies in the garden products and the excellent gastronomy we have in our region. It is extraordinary in these gastronomic days to combine these two aspects and appreciate all the culinary heritage we have.
How would you evaluate the gastronomic offer that exists in Vega Baja today?
Few regions have such a rich and diverse offering as found in Vega Baja del Segura. Our gastronomy breathes history, tradition and captures the beauty of the orchard with the resources the coast offers us.
We should add the names of the great chefs and restaurants that have taken the regional gastronomy to a very high level. Enjoying the gastronomy of Vega Baja and its products is a unique experience.