Famed El Bulli chef looks to China for Inspiration

Famed chef, Ferran Adria of El Bulli fame, is thinking about bringing his team to China to explore the ancient secrets of the country’s cuisine.

“In China, every dish has a story,” said the Spaniard during an exclusive interview with China Daily in Beijing. “The Chinese also see a relationship between food and health. That’s very interesting.

“We are thinking of coming to China as a team in 2013 for two months, to get inspiration from its ancient cuisine.”

Adria is in China this week as part of a national tour organized by the Spanish Tourism Bureau. He staged a cooking demonstration in Beijing on Tuesday. He has visited Shanghai and is now in Hong Kong.

He is renowned for his innovative cooking techniques and is widely considered to be one of the best chefs in the world. Before its closure in July this year, El Bulli boasted three Michelin stars and drew diners from all over the world. Adria has closed El Bulli down for two years and has allowed himself this time to explore creatively.

Adria announced he was planning to launch the El Bulli Foundation in 2014. It will involve choosing 20 creative chefs from around the world to work with the foundation for one year.

“The only criteria is creativity,” he said, adding that he is considering signing an agreement with three or four countries to select chefs. “We’d love China to be part of the agreement.”

Although he said Chinese cuisine is not his language, he suggested a new version of xiaolongbao – small steamed pork buns – in which the Shanghai specialty is prepared without its usual flour wrapping. He also talks about agar and candyfloss, which are tradtional food ingredients in China.

Source: China Daily

Photo: Daily Telegraph