- The Market connects 50 producers from across the region with over 50,000 visitors.
- More than 600 people have participated in the twenty or so workshops and cooking sessions.
The first New Oil Market closes its doors this Sunday, becoming a new major autumn gastronomic event in Barcelona. For three days, the event filled Plaza de Catalunya with the aroma, flavour and culture of olive oil, receiving an excellent response from the public.
According to initial estimates, the New Oil Market has welcomed around 50,000 visitors, who have been able to discover, taste and purchase the first oil of the new harvest directly from its producers, extra virgin olive oils of extraordinary quality. In total, more than fifty exhibitors from 21 regions have witnessed growing interest in high-quality, locally produced olive oil among urban consumers. Buyers have also opted especially for premium packaging and more gourmet formats: the highest quality extra virgin olive oils in 500 ml formats have been the star format.
The Market has thus fulfilled one of its main objectives: to bring the culture of extra virgin olive oil and the work of local producers to the centre of Barcelona, in Plaza de Catalunya, something that is highly valued by both visitors and exhibitors: in a survey of all participating producers, the event was rated 9 out of 10.
The Gastronomic Zone and Wine Bar, offering young wines and seasonal, locally sourced cuisine from Villa Retiro, La Cala Navega (Palamós), the Gremio de Bacaladeros de Cataluña, master pastry chef Oriol Balaguer and Caterí Cuinant Formatges, was also very well received, with more than 7,500 tastings and more than 4,600 glasses of young wine served between Friday and Sunday.
The Olive Oil Classroomhas also been one of the busiest places in the Market. The tasting sessions and live cooking demonstrations attracted crowds of all ages to the square, who attended sessions such as those given by Ivan Caelles, an olive grower from Pallars Jussà (Network of Olive Growers and Olive Oil Producers of Catalonia – XOOC); Àngels Calvo, Head of the Official Virgin Olive Oil Tasting Panel of Catalonia; and chefs of the calibre of Ada Parellada, Iolanda Bustos, Carlota Claver, Susana Aragón, Iñaki Aldrey and Oriol Balaguer, who demonstrated the versatility of the first splash of oil, with proposals ranging from traditional cuisine to the most refined pastries.
The organisation —the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Government of Catalonia, through Prodeca, the promoter of Catalan food products— has given this first edition a very positive assessment. “The first edition of the New Oil Market has demonstrated the strength, quality and capacity for innovation of the Catalan olive oil sector. We have created a space that connects producers and citizens, reinforces the value of our oil and projects a unique and recognised gastronomic identity,” said Prodeca director Dèlia Perpiñà.
Following the success of this first edition, the Market has achieved its goal of becoming the great showcase for Catalan extra virgin olive oil and bringing the culture of oil to the urban public to discover, taste and buy first-press oil directly from producers, strengthening the link between producers and citizens and highlighting one of Catalonia’s gastronomic treasures, an essential ingredient of the Mediterranean diet and a symbol of health, culture and identity.
Source: ACEVEDO COM