Sitting on my flight to Barcelona, disinterestedly pushing my mid-flight meal around its plastic housing with a plastic fork, I’m reminded why people invest in good food. Despite the best efforts of catering companies, airplane food really is out there on its own in the field of gastronomy, largely due to the fact most kitchens cater for passengers at both ends of the journey. A flight from Delhi to Barcelona will more often than not offer a choice of either a substandard tub of curry or a substandard tub of paella.
My experience of Spanish cuisine doesn’t compare with the oversalted, deflated offering in front of me. Iberico ham, full-bodied wines, breads, olive oil, fish, cheese and olives (famously absent from today’s airplane salads) make up the celebrated Mediterranean menu.
Spain’s food is hugely exportable. The country’s food and drink industry is bettered only by the tourism industry in terms of contributions to national GDP (7.6 per cent), producing more than €80.7bn ($US107) and increasing exports by 11 per cent in 2011, according to data from the Spanish Food Industry Food and Drink Federation (FIAB).
This year Alimentaria, the biennial international food and drinks exhibition held at Fira de Barcelona and organised by Alimentaria Exhibitions, a joint venture between Fira de Barcelona and Reed Exhibitions, returned on 26–29 March with a reinvigorated and slimmed down four-day edition looking to underscore its international and academic credentials.
Domestic/Iberian demand for the event has weakened as a result of the recession, and to reverse the show’s recent decline, Alimentaria Exhibitions came up with a plan to spread word of its activities globally through supporting partner institutions and organisations such as the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) and the Spanish Food and Drink Industry Federation (FIAB).
It appears the drive to win international visitors paid off. The show pulled in 142,000 visitors, a seemingly modest increase of 1.4 per cent on the 2010 event. However, the show ran for four – rather than five – days and the number of international attendees rose by 11 per cent to 29 per cent of the total, lifting the modest achievement into something approaching a roaring success.
The international contingent included significant participation from Asia, with strong attendance from Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore and India, all sharing just shy of 95,000sqm of innovative culinary delights. Add to this the fact visitor numbers were likely impacted by a general strike on the show’s final day, which paralysed transport links and many elements of the service sector.
The event is nonetheless a long way from contesting the giants: Anuga and SIAL. The 2011 edition of Anuga claimed 6,600 exhibitors from 100 countries, who entertained 155,000 trade visitors from 180 countries on 284,000sqm at Messe Cologne. Hot on its heels is SIAL. The 2010 edition claimed 5,800 exhibitors from 106 countries and 136,000 visitors from 200 countries covering 260,000sqm in food and drink at Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris, France. The next edition of SIAL takes place on 21-25 October 2012, Anuga on 5-9 October 2013.
Alimentaria chairman, Josep-Lluís Bonet, said the event is “dealing with the crisis positively and is highly important, economically, to the present and future of the country”, a view echoed by Josep Antoni Valls, director of Alimentaria and deputy MD of Alimentaria Exhibitions. He stressed the food industry is “a cornerstone of the economy and progress and is fully committed to health, sustainability, employment, the economy, social cohesion, culture, innovation, the countryside and Spanish brands”.
To bring it into the fray, Alimentaria is hoping to occupy the higher ground of gastronomy. The Alimentaria Hub in Hall 7 is an educational pavilion that expands over a third of a hall and is a worthy and attractive neural centre for the exhibition. This hall of learning allows enthusiasts and seasoned foodies to learn the tricks of the culinary and drink trades.
It’s the first year Alimentaria is offering a hall dedicated to education. The idea goes beyond education, serving as the show’s public square; a gathering place for debate, the exchange of ideas, knowledge and discovery. It’s also a place where new business opportunities are generated, mixing the traditional with the avant garde.
Its natural complement, in Hall 6, is the BCNVanguardia conference area. The gastronomy conference, now in its fifth year and co-organised by Grupo Caterdata, had a focus on ‘innovation and integration’ for 2012, offering a chance to see chefs with a combined total of 40 Michelin stars.
Trade fairs, for all their colour, are so much more interesting when the subject matter lends itself to eccentricity. Many of the people at Alimentaria certainly fit that bill, gourmet palettes all too often accompanied by gourmand paunches; sommeliers and vintners rarely without a glass in hand; celebrated chefs frequently accosted by fans of their craft.
As a journalist removed from the hard core of the international food and drinks industry, it’s a little disheartening to think that I taste the food with an unedified palette. “Of course,” says the man swirling the wine in the glass in front of me, “you can tell that this grape has stayed on the vine later than most.” “So you can,” I lie.
It may not be Anuga or SIAL, but a better place to learn about gastronomy is hard to imagine.
Any comments? Email exhibitionworld@mashmedia.net
