ALICANTE, 19 (EUROPA PRESS)
Alicante Gastronomica will feature Bolivia as a guest country at the 2025 edition, which will be held at Fira Alacant from October 3 to 6. Chef Camila Lechin and food engineer Gustavo Shock 'Tapeke' will also participate.
The Andean country will play a "leading role" thanks to the Bolivian Academy of Gastronomy and Wine, a delegation led by its president, Maricruz Cochamanidis, who will offer a part of its culinary creativity, which "perfectly combines its gastronomic tradition with the innovation of today's culinary professionals."
In addition, it will showcase its "superfoods" to the public, which reached 78,000 people in the 2024 edition, such as quinoa, Beni cacao, pre-Amazonian rice, and oregano grown at over 3,000 meters above sea level.
The initiative is being promoted by the Santa Cruz Chamber of Industry, Commerce, Services, and Trade (Cainco) and the Hugo Landívar Cuéllar Foundation, according to a statement from the Alicante Gastronomica organization.
Lechin is the chef of the HAPO restaurant in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and the first Bolivian chef to be included among the 50 "best chefs" in Latin America by Fine Dining Lovers magazine, "one of the most influential publications on the continent."
The chef has trained and worked in different countries throughout her life, for example, in restaurants like El Bulli, with Ferràn Adrià. Currently, as the owner of HAPO, she has created a cuisine that "fuses avant-garde and Bolivian tradition, always with respect for her country's local produce and a focus on sustainability."
The president of Alicante Gastronómica, Gema Amor, highlighted "the influence this young chef has on the way we understand gastronomy in Latin America." "Alicante Gastronómica feels fortunate, because having her presence is a luxury within reach of lovers of good food and for those who want to discover products and recipes from other parts of the world without leaving Alicante Gastronómica," she stated.
CULINARY PROPOSALS
Lechin will offer a version of its Andean Valley royal quinoa pasta in the "Best of Gastronomy" space, immediately following the fair's opening on the morning of Friday, October 3. One of the most anticipated events will be the presentation of majadito, a traditional dish from the eastern regions of Bolivia, which is featured at the gastronomic fair as "Is Paella Badly Made?"
"It's actually a typical dish from the department of Santa Cruz, made with rice, meat, egg, and fried plantain and yuca. It's originally part of the Spanish tradition of preparing rice in the eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, which has now arrived in Alicante thanks to the chef Lechin," they noted.
Throughout the fair, a master class on typical Bolivian cuts of meat and its traditional churrasco barbecue is scheduled, this time with a presentation by Gustavo Shock, and a tasting of "high-end" and "unique" wines will be available.
"These are wines from the Campos de Solana winery, presented by Ramón Freixa, a food journalist, and Ada Iacob Mahu, a taster and international wine expert. This is an opportunity to discover other wines, those produced at altitudes close to 2,000 meters above sea level," they added.
Likewise, Alicante Gastronómica will offer visitors a stand where they can experience firsthand the country's "gastronomic excellences with other products such as pre-Amazonian rice from eastern Bolivia, grano de oro, Amazonian cacao from Beni with Chocolates Baure, or Bolivian oregano showcased by Carmencita, as well as presentations and tastings of other products originating from this guest country."
