Spanish Culinary Week: A mix of culture

Prodita Sabarini ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sun, 11/16/2008 10:25 AM  |  On the Town

A chef from Gran Melia Jakarta hotel stirs the paella. (JP/Prodita Sabarini)

Flamenco dancers Lola Rodriguez Jaramillo and Jesus Herrera clapped their hands to the sound of percussion, guitar and the angelic voice of singer Juan Luis Trinidad Angel.

Emerging from among the musical ensemble, the two slowly stepped towards the middle of the stage. Jaramillo's calm facial expression changed into a grimace as she lifted her right arm and twirled her fingers. She looked like a proud peacock with the coiled power of a tiger, ready to pounce.

Their heels began clicking on the floor like gunfire. Stomp, stomp, heel. Stomp, stomp, heel stomp, stomp, stomp. They moved about the stage in flowing, rhythmic steps.

Spanish flamenco dance company La Fragua performed Monday at Gran Meli* Jakarta Hotel to open the hotel's Spanish Culinary Week. The five-member-group also performed Gedung Kesenian Jakarta on Wednesday.

Gran Meli* Jakarta, part of the largest resort hotel chain in the world, Spanish Sol Meli* Hotels and Resorts, in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy in Jakarta, held the culinary week between Nov. 10 and 14 at Gran Melia's lobby lounge.

Gran Meli* Bali's chef, Christian Beaulieu, flew to Jakarta just to oversee the preparation of a selection of Spanish dishes for the event.

As with the flamenco dance, which was a result of a mix between Spanish and Gypsy culture, Spanish cuisine is a polygenous delight.

Eating Spanish food, one can taste the history of the region; from the original Phoenician, Greek, and Carthaginian coastal settlements to the later Roman and more significant, Moorish civilizations. Each successive culture brought with it elements of their own cuisine, which blended with and became part of Spain's culinary heritage.

There are many dishes on the Spanish smorgasbord. Being surrounded by the sea -- the Mediterranean sea and the Atlantic Ocean, sea food is, naturally, a big part of the Spanish diet. Cured ham is another common Spanish delight as well as olives and the many varieties of local cheeses.

In the middle of Gran Meli*'s lobby lounge, a huge pan of paella, a traditional Spanish dish made with arborio rice, seafood, beans and vegetables cooked in a shallow, flat pan was presented.

"Paella is typical of Valencia, although you can find it all over Spain,'" Beaulieu said, adding that they key to delicious paella is the stock. He used a fine fish stock to cook the round rice. He then added clams, muscles, squid, prawn, tomatoes, bell peppers, as well as onion, garlic and olive oil.

A selection of tapas, tiny plates of food served to accompany drinks, was also served.

Guests munched on anchovies with olives, Spanish omelette and cheese, while drinking Sangria, a Spanish wine-punch made from a mixture of red wine, brandy and diced fruit, including orange and pears.

There were also potatoes with mojo pico suave, a sauce typical of the Canary Islands; gazpacho, a cold tomato-based soup from Andalusia and jamon serano, cured ham from the Teruel's province.

As the night grew late, the guests, stuffed with the wholesome food and a little tipsy from the flowing sangria, left the venue feeling muy satisfecho.

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