The final of the first national 'Tapa Alimentos de España' competition will be held in Madrid over a ten-day period from Thursday week.
Coinciding with the Hotel Tapa Tour 2020 gastronomy festival, ten tapa contestants have been selected from sixty that were presented by hotels, including the state-run paradores, from across Spain. Nine of the ten were chosen by a jury, and the tenth was the winner of an Instagram contest open to the public.
The ten are: 'Oyster, chard and kohlrabi fritter' from Germán Espinosa of the Hotel España, Barcelona; 'Eat Mallorca' from Alvar Albaladejo of the Sant Francesc Hotel Singular in Palma; 'Sardines and what?', created by the culinary team at the Riu Plaza España, Madrid; 'Cod, cauliflower and cheese pancake' from Diego Cordeiro and Francisco Capilla on behalf of the Paradores de Turismo de España; 'Madrid liquid stew fritter' by Rubén Amro Rodríguez of La Torre Boxart Hotel in Collado Mediano, Madrid; 'Stew bites' from José Antonio Guerrero of Lago Resort Menorca; 'Gil-Calao' by José Luque of The Westin Palace, Madrid; 'Shrimp, marrow and extra virgin olive oil cold stew' from Álvaro Abad García of El Plantio Golf Resort, Alicante; 'Tomato symphony of the palaces' by Loli Rincón of the Hotel Manolo Mayo in Seville.
The tapa selected by the public is 'Seabed' from the Aldiana Club Resort Costa del Sol, La Línea de la Concepción.
The tapas are all prepared using Spanish products, and the jury comprises members of the Spanish Association of Cooks and Confectioners. The competition has the backing of the Alimentos de España food brand, which was created by the ministry of agriculture, fisheries and food in order to underline the excellence of 'Made in Spain' products.
There is to be a special award for the best 'Tapa Confinada', one from many created by hotels during the lockdown.