Today the IV International Contest 'Cooking with Truffle' was presented, which will be held in Soria on Saturday, February 10, with an extensive program of parallel activities open to the general public from February 8 to 11.
The international competition is organized by the Government of Castile and León in collaboration with the City Council and the Provincial Council of Soria. In addition, it has the scientific direction of the European Mycological Institute (EMI) and the collaboration of public-private entities such as the Soriana Group of Hospitality and Tourism-ASOHTUR, the Forestry Group of Soria-ASFOSO and the Association of Truffle Growers of Soria-ATRUSORIA.
Framed in the 'International Gastronomy Festival of Castile and León', which alternates on a biennial basis the International Contest 'Cooking with Truffle' and the International Congress of Mycological Cuisine ' Soria Gastronómica', which was held last October, this contest Its objective is the dissemination of a mycological product such as the truffle, one of the most emblematic of haute cuisine, appreciated by chefs around the world and especially in the province of Soria, with one of the largest truffle cultivation farms in the world. world.
IV International Competition
The IV International Contest 'Cooking with Truffle' will take place in Soria from February 8 to 11 with different promotional activities open to the public, with the international contest being held on Saturday, February 10 at the Palacio de la Audiencia, with the participation of eight teams from chefs from Thailand, Italy, South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, Bulgaria, Mexico and Spain; chefs from the five continents who are of the highest level in each of their countries. The representative of the Spanish team will be the chef Rubén Arnanz, who at only 29 years old obtained his first Michelin star in Segovia, recently recognized by OAD Europe top 50 New Restaurants.
To evaluate the creations of the participating chefs, the competition will have a jury made up of highly prestigious gastronomy, tourism and cooking professionals, with highly relevant personalities in world gastronomy such as Pilar Salas, director of the gastronomic magazine ' 7 Cannibals'; Alberto Molinero, Michelin star at the restaurant 'La Roca' (Miranda de Ebro); Reyes López, responsible for external relations of the Gourmets Group and director of the Club de Gourmets magazine; Ángel Parada, vice president of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy; and Javier Pérez Andrés, journalist specialized in wine, agri-food and tourism, National Prize for Gastronomy, Hospitality and Sommelier. The jury will be chaired by television chef Alberto Chicote, who since 2012 has hosted 'Pesadilla en la Cocina', the most watched entertainment program on La Sexta.
As a novelty, this edition will have a popular jury made up of cooking and gastronomy fans from the province of Soria, chosen by draw from the proposals of the sponsor restaurants and cooking amateur courses, with the aim of promoting knowledge of the black truffle among consumers.
The international competition will take place at the Palacio de la Audiencia on Saturday the 10th from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and can be followed in person and online, via streaming, through the website
https://cocinandocontrufa.com/2024/es/
The winning team will receive the title of 'World Truffle Cooking Champion' and a financial prize of 4,000 euros. In addition, the second place will receive a prize of 2,000 euros and the third place, 1,000 euros. The Public Jury has also been established, which will receive a prize of 1,000 euros.
Gastronomic days and sponsorship
The activity started in the last edition is consolidated, which involves the involvement of the restaurants and chefs of Soria in the dynamics of the Contest through the 'Gastronomic Days' that will be held from Thursday, February 8 to Sunday, February 11 and in which the Eight international chefs will be sponsored by some of the best restaurants in Soria. In this way, each of the sponsor restaurants will host a contestant and will become both their assistant and helper during the celebration of the competition day on the morning of Saturday the 10th.
This activity, which is carried out with the collaboration and advice of the Association of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of Soria (ASOHTUR), aims to energize the restaurant industry, creating possibilities for future exchanges and enriching the relationships between chefs and the ways of cooking, and promoting an entire project of international collaboration and promotion of the Soria and Castile and León brand, through the truffle. The participating restaurants are: La Galiana, Trashumante, La Chistera, Baluarte, Parador de Soria, Santo Domingo, Casa Arévalo and La Cepa.
Jornadas Gastronómicas Cocinando con trufa 2024 (982.8 KB ) (1 página)
Technical day, market and promotional activities
On Saturday the 10th, before the start of the contest, a 'Technical Conference' will be held aimed at cooking, communication and general public professionals, with the aim of promoting the responsible use of the black truffle in restaurants and homes to avoid consumer confusion and fraud. This day will be coordinated by the European Mycological Institute-EMI.
Together with the truffle grower associations: ATRUSORIA and ASFOSO, a 'Truffle Market' will be organized in the Audiencia Palace, with the aim of being able to promote and market the product, aimed at both the final public and professionals. from the sector who attend the contest and the contestants themselves.
With the aim of positioning the Soria black truffle through the international competition, among the organized activities, for the first time, an exclusive cooking show for the press of the winning dish is planned on Saturday the 10th in the afternoon. In addition, from February 8 to 11, a 'Press Trip' will be held to publicize the territory, its tourist and heritage resources, including gastronomy, with national and international journalists specialized in gastronomy.
Programa Cocinando con Trufa 2024 (1.1 MB ) (2 páginas)
Entry to the contest is free and can be obtained at the Tourist Office of the Junta de Castile and León in Soria or on the website https://cocinandocontrufa.com/2024/es/
