Spain is known for a lot of things — heart-stopping bullfights, exhilarating fùtbol games (Ole!), ultimate party destination Ibiza, great wine, great food and — let’s not forget this one — great looking men and women.
Last June 16, 2016, the Spanish Embassy and The Metropolitan Museum organized an event that combined all those wonderful things, sans the raging bulls and frenzied fùtbol fans.
The evening may not have felt like a wild summer music festival in Ibiza, but it was truly exciting and tastefully engaging in its own right.
Members of the media and friends of the embassy and museum were delighted to World Tapas Day — a celebration dedicated to everything and anything about Spanish tapas and an event that was a first of its kind in the Manila food and art scene.
(The opening to the World Tapas Day exhibit)
Spanish tapas, although bringing to mind tapa (a Filipino dish or way of cooking or preparing fish or meats by drying), is more closely related to the Filipino concept of pica-pica, or light appetizers. Assortments of cheeses, cold cuts, bread, fruit and generally any food served in small portions served at the table for everyone to share can be considered tapas.Â
Interestingly, the evening wasn’t only an invitation to drink, dine and socialize, but was also an artful showcase of tools essential in the preparation and consumption of Spanish tapas and other popular snacks and dishes.
The art gallery featured popular Spanish kitchen brands’ collections, curious contraptions and cleverly designed dining utensils and equipment, all showing how art, function, food and invention can all come together in the creation of something beautiful.
Crowd favorites were definitely the set of utensils made of edible items, the Chupa-chups lollipop corner, the wine tower, cured meats display, hanging herb garden, the Spanish version of the ice cream truck (which brought to mind the Filipino dirty ice cream cart) and the row of seriously cute kitchen accessories.
(Ambassador of Spain to the Philippines Luis Antonio Calvo Castaño)
The exhibition had already gone around other cities with Manila being its final and only Southeast Asian stop.
To end the evening, guests got to watch a tapas demo that showed them how to artfully prepare food — definitely a fancier take on your regular live cooking show! Guests learned the basics of Spanish cooking, taking home fun facts about the world-class cuisine the Filipino palate has been heavily influenced by. (For instance, the most commonly used ingredients in Spanish cooking are olive oil and garlic; a simple but foolproof combination!)
But the culinary highlight of the evening was something more exciting, something a lot more gustatory and much less visual. Guests joined the blind tasting experience, an fun initiation of sorts before partaking of the full buffet spread of cold cuts, cheeses and grape, tarts, breads, foie gras, artichoke with caviar and much more.
Blindfolded and all, guests were invited to guess the ingredients and possible flavors of what was served to them by just getting a whiff and allowing themselves a small taste.
Fun for every single guests, the evening was a treat for the eyes and palate, a true testament to the lasting ties between Spain and the Philippines!
(Different spoons for different purposes; the spoon with a clipped herb is meant to be used for soup, allowing the diner to enjoy the aroma of fresh herbs that perfectly complement a hearty soup)
(A quirky yet informative tablecloth that teaches diners table setting 101)
(A compact table for a compact space)
(The hanging herb garden that doubles as a deodorizer and door to keep kitchen clutter out of sight)
(A chocolate tower taking inspiration from the tower of Babel)
(Something as simple as a newspaper page proves to be useful)
(A roasting contraption still in its prototype phase)
(Ordinary kitchen items become extraordinary with added detail and design)
(A foosball table converted into a modern dining table)
(The cured meats display)
(The wine tower that shows how food and art can come together seamlessly)
(A wall of the exhibit that almost looks like a series of open lunchboxes)
(An octopus ceviche shot)
(Tarts, cheeses and cold cuts in the tapas buffet)
(A guest joining the blind tasting experience)
(More guests being delighted to the fun blind tasting activity)
