With all the focus going on a few famous regions, and often overshadowed altogether by its French neighbours, the sheer variety of Italian wines is often overlooked. We talk to Monica Larner, an award-winning wine critic and writer who lives in Rome, about Italy’s fantastically diverse offering of wine. The…

By Phoebe Hunt There is perhaps no better way to tell the story of Italy’s culinary diversity than through pasta. Not only are there many hundreds of different shapes originating from the country’s 20 regions – often with multiple different names depending on where they’re being eaten – each pasta…

The original article is published in Más Raro Que magazine – The Gastronomy issue (Sep. 2020) There’s no one quite like him. For chef extraordinaire Bittor Arguinzoniz, food is religion and ingredients are sacred. He mastered the art of grilling any food, capturing the heat of the fire and honing…

Like so many people associated with the restaurant world, William Sitwell’s life changed beyond recognition when the pandemic hit last spring. One of the UK’s eminent food critics, he was left wondering what the future of the restaurant world would be, as well as looking back on how eating out…

From Antiquity to today, truffles, the diamonds of the kitchen remain a highly-prized mystery. While truffles can be cultivated, the harvest is as unpredictable and uncontrollable as anything coming from nature. It is this enigmatic quality, and the unique, deep musky yet indescribable taste, that drives prices upwards of 850…

By Caroline Champion They are cited as culinary references in numerous texts of the twentieth century and flaunted as a key element of Lyon’s tourism. They are a cornerstone of France’s regional gastronomic heritage. Yet who are these famous Lyon Mothers (Mères Lyonnaises)? Writing a text for the Dictionary of…

by William Kelley from Robert Parker The Wine Advocate By many metrics, Burgundy is enjoying unprecedented success. Dominating any list of the world’s most expensive wines, the region produces some of the most coveted and costly beverages on the planet. What’s more, Burgundy’s animating philosophy of terroir—the notion that the…

Named Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2004, Renaut is as generous in character as his cuisine is controlled and refined, both reflections of the rich yet subtle mountain environment in which they flourish. A former sous-chef of celebrity chef Marc Veyrat, also renowned for his use of mountainous plants and…

Couldn’t get more old school than La Cova Fumada, a humble workers bar in the neighborhood of Barceloneta. It serves the freshest possible seafood, fried artichokes when in season, and the legendary and very tasty “bomba”, (deep-fried meatball with mashed potatoes, aïoli and spicy sauce), which they invented more than…

One of the best meals in Barcelona ever.