Of the 2,350 food products evaluated in the ‘Superior Taste Award 2022’, 135 winners have been Spanish. The best and most prestigious chefs and ‘sommeliers’ in the world decided this last Tuesday, in Brussels, after tasting thousands of products.
The awards, given annually in the Belgian capital, have been attended this year by great figures from the gastronomic scene, such as Gabriel Lucas, Best National Sommelier 2021, Ferran Centelles, Head of Sommelier at the El Bulli Foundation, Cristina Figueira or Silvia Anglada, among many others.
The number of award-winning producers has increased by 15% compared to previous editions, one more figure that highlights the value of raw materials and talent in the national culinary field.
The food industry continues to grow, and catches up with the most demanding and ambitious palates and tastes.
The variety of the Spanish product has become evident when the results are published: liqueurs, meats, salted meats, beers or sweets were some of the winners of those 135 winners in the evaluation of the International Taste Institute.
The increase in participants and products presented in the competition is greater each year, and reflects the growing concern of the gastronomic sector for sustainability, health and care for the environment. Many of the products that proliferate year after year are related to these areas. “We are proud to see how more and more vegan or plant-based products are presented year after year to our evaluations and for this reason, in a special way, these efforts have been distinguished by our jury”, said Eric de Spoelberch, CEO of the International Taste Institute.
The criteria followed by the more than 200 judges are severe and, above all, objective. For this to be the case, the organization arranges a blind tasting so that there are no influences of any kind. In it, there are many aspects that are evaluated and taken care of, so that no detail escapes the final score.
The parameters evaluated by the chefs and ‘sommeliers’ are the preparation, the balance and the ability to reach the range of maximum flavor. To reach the final, the products had to overcome the score barrier by 70%.
The rating has been based on the five standard sensory criteria: touch, hearing, sight, taste and smell. Alan Coxon, president of the jury of chefs of the International Taste Institute, values the work of gastronomy professionals, and affirms that he feels real pleasure in “sharing these moments with such dedicated and passionate people, all united, valuing respect and the passion for gastronomy and the profession».
