Ferran Adrià and an Exhibition on Catalan Gastronomy, Key Figures in Berlin

The Berlin Food Week, Germany’s most emblematic urban gastronomic event, is celebrating its 10th anniversary by recognizing Catalonia’s role in global culinary innovation. This includes a masterclass by Ferran Adrià and an exhibition on the global significance of Catalan gastronomy.

Ferran Adrià’s session, which could be attended both in person and via live streaming in German, brought together a wide selection of chefs from Berlin’s leading restaurants, as well as specialized media and notable gastronomy figures from Germany. Adrià delivered a 45-minute session titled “The Influence of Catalan Haute Cuisine on Gastronomy.”

Toni Massanés, director of the Alicia Foundation, introduced the exhibition “Catalonia, the Land of Wonders. From Medieval Recipes to the World Gastronomy Region 2025,” held in the Lichthoff Hall at the Acht venue, located in Berlin’s Mitte district. The exhibition guides visitors through six spaces that explain how Catalonia has often led the global culinary scene, with multiple restaurants topping the prestigious “50 Best Restaurants of the World” list, including Barcelona’s Disfrutar.

The exhibition begins with medieval references, linking the international prestige of today’s Catalan cuisine to its historical roots. One of the exhibition areas highlights Catalonia’s biodiversity, landscapes, and culinary tradition with a quote from Josep Pla: “Cuisine is the landscape in the pot.” It shows how the region’s varied landscapes—mountains, the Mediterranean Sea, and inland plains—contribute to a wide range of high-quality ingredients. A mosaic of Mediterranean flavors, including olive oil, wine, wheat, fish, meat, fruits, and legumes, is presented alongside iconic Catalan dishes like suquet, esqueixada, escalivada, and llonganissa.

The exhibition also includes maps highlighting Catalonia’s main research centers, culinary infrastructures, and cooking schools. Another map showcases Catalan food products with European quality certifications, which are highly valued in the German market. A third map locates Michelin-starred restaurants and those with prestigious international rankings.

According to Toni Massanés, “Catalonia boasts an exceptional cuisine, with a millennia-old culinary tradition, a richness of ingredients, and a gastronomic expertise that makes it excel worldwide. We are fortunate that Ferran Adrià, a genius in any field he could have chosen, became a chef within this fertile environment, allowing him to revolutionize the world of cuisine.”

Prodeca has produced a special publication titled Catalonia, the Land of Wonders. 1975–2025: Fifty Years That Changed World Gastronomy, in collaboration with Cuina magazine. This publication was gifted to all attendees, along with a bottle of extra virgin olive oil provided by the Catalan DOP-IGP Federation, featuring five of Catalonia’s olive oil DOPs: Siurana, Les Garrigues, Terra Alta, Baix Ebre-Montsià, and Empordà.

The publication explains how Catalan cuisine evolved over the last five decades, transitioning from a historic but nearly invisible tradition to shaking up the global culinary map, enriching it with diversity. Over the past fifty years, Catalonia has rediscovered its own cuisine, blending a brilliant past with Mediterranean influence, inspiring the imagination and talent of a generation of fearless chefs. Today, these chefs are driving a paradigm shift in global cuisine, making it richer and more diverse thanks to their contributions.

At the close of the event, Berlin Food Week’s director, Alexandra Ambrinus, stated: “When we thought of culinary innovation, creativity, and genius, Ferran Adrià was the first name that came to mind for celebrating our anniversary. To say his cuisine has influenced modern gastronomy is an understatement. He redefined it, and his creations and language are still relevant, transforming kitchens worldwide. Additionally, the work of elBulli Foundation and the Alicia Foundation goes a step further by researching and developing healthier, better, and more sustainable foods. We are extremely proud and grateful to have him in Berlin as our guest to discuss his influence on global haute cuisine.”

The event is part of international activities promoting the designation of Catalonia as the World Gastronomy Region for 2025.

Additionally, starting Friday, various Catalan agri-food products will be available for purchase at the House of Food space. Catalonia’s stand will feature a range of products already present in the German market.

Germany: A Strategic Market for Catalonia

Germany is an established market for Catalonia’s agri-food sector: the €970 million exported in 2023 accounted for 6.4% of Catalonia’s global exports, making it the third-largest destination for Catalan exports. The main products exported to Germany in 2023 were Fine Food or multi-product categories, worth over €305 million, and fruits and vegetables, exceeding €275 million.

Over the last 20 years, exports from Catalonia to Germany have nearly doubled, reflecting a 94% increase since 2003. Currently, more than 800 Catalan food and beverage companies export to Germany, 515 of which do so regularly (for more than four consecutive years). Over the past decade, the number of regular Catalan exporters has increased by over 30%.

Despite being a highly competitive and mature market, characterized by a high degree of segmentation and variety in food offerings, factors like health, sustainability, quality, and convenience are key.

Prodeca’s Commitment to Agri-Food Positioning in Germany

As a strategic market, Prodeca has been working intensively in recent years to promote Catalan products and support companies interested in exporting to Germany. In collaboration with the Catalan Government’s Delegation in Germany, Prodeca has organized several commercial positioning activities for Catalan agri-food products aimed at professionals, including journalists, sommeliers, restaurateurs, importers, distributors, and executives from the country’s leading supermarket chains.

Prodeca has also created a promotional catalog of Catalan products aimed at German distributors and importers and organized various tastings of characteristic Catalan products such as wine and olive oil, as well as in-store promotions in supermarkets like MitteMeer and El Colmado.

Catalan companies have also had the opportunity to participate in major international trade fairs held in Germany, such as ANUGA, one of the world’s largest multi-product food fairs; Prowein (Düsseldorf), a key wine industry fair; Biofach (Nuremberg), Europe’s leading organic food fair; Fruit Logistica (Berlin), a meeting point for the fruit and vegetable industry; and ISM (Cologne), the top international fair for sweets and snacks.