Spanish Food Festival
Culinary journeys have become the trademark of Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. Recently, the hotel had its 12th year of “Sabores de España,” the most popular of the its food trips.
Spanish cuisine is pleasing to most Filipinos and Spanish dishes are almost always present on our dining tables during fiestas and other festivities celebrations. The cuisine is deeply ingrained into the Filipino palate that many tend to forget that it is foreign in origin.
Marco Polo Cebu GM Brian Connelly formally opened the recent “Sabores de Espaňa” with the ceremonial slicing of the leg of Jamon Serrano, assisted by the Honorary Consul of Spain Anton Perdices, Amigos de España president Myra Gonzalez and Spanish food consultant Gema Pido. Jamon Serrano is the culinary symbol of Spain and is loved by everyone who eats pork including myself. By the way, no heat is used to cook the pork and only salt is used to initiate the chemical changes to cure it and transform it to a lovely ham.
Drinks served were Sangria and Sangria Blanca. These are alcohol beverages; red wine (Sangria) and white wine (Sangria Blanca) are mixed with fruits (apples, pear, peaches etc.) and sweetened with orange juice and sugar.
Tapas or appetizers were served. In Spain, the service of tapas has grown to a more sophisticated cuisine and regulars hop from one restaurant or bar to another in order to taste its different forms until it becomes a complete meal itself.
Millennials – myself included – are quick to adapt to the culture of tapas, but the majority of Filipinos find it rather difficult. They just love their rice too much that a dinner is incomplete without a plateful of it. Most people eat their meals too fast that a slow-paced dinner with tapas is not acceptable. They are also fixated in their habit of eating their meals sitting down.
At the Marco Polo event, the Buffet Table was loaded with tapas: Chorizo in Puff Pastry, Chicken & Ham Croquettes with Smoked Chili Aioli, Crispy Fried Dilis with Lemon, Marinated Olives & Manchego Cheese, Deviled Eggs topped with Anchovies, Almendras Picante, Pimentos Relleno, Boquerones en Vinagre and a huge plate with slices of Jamon Serrano with Cantaloupes.
I have seen puff pastry, which is light and flaky used as a container for bits of food in various types of Western cuisines. Almendras Picante are fried almonds coated with pimentón picante (hot paprika), while croquettes are rolls of mashed potato with different fillings and are coated with bread crumbs before it is deep fried. Boquerones are fresh anchovies and fillets are soaked in salty water and then vinegar, before being seasoned with olive oil, garlic and parsley.
My favorites were the almonds, stuffed sweet pepper, slices of Manchego cheese with Sangria and slices of Jamon with Sangria Blanca. Or was it, excuse me, Manchego with the Sangria Blanca and the Jamon with the Regular Sangria?