The aim of Soria Gastronomica as a gastronomic and cultural event for professionals in the hotel and catering sector, cooks, traders of food products, mushroom producers, mycologists, biologists, gastronomic press and lovers of mushroom world in general, is to share knowledge, provide updated information on any topic related to mycology, learn, teach and promote the province of Soria as one of the richest territories for its mycological production.
This event is held every two years in Soria, where the production of wild mushrooms is 4,450 tons per year, according to MICODATASIG data. The VIth International Mycology Congress "Soria Gastronómica" was held in 2018, so the next event will be scheduled in 2020. Each celebration of the congress is developed around a specific topic. The framework of the last congress held was 'The mushrooms kingdom functions as a sustainable source of gastronomic inspiration and tourism innovation". The programmatic content of this event covers a wide range of activities with lectures, showcookings, workshops... within the framework of the topic defined in the congress.
More than 500 participants from all over the sector attended Soria Gastronómica in each edition. The impact on the gastronomic sector stands out with the participation in the congress of relevant chefs with Michelin stars, which has put Soria province and Castilla y León region at the centre of the international Mycological Gastronomy.. These Congresses, organized by the Junta de Castilla y León, have served to highlight the leadership of the province of Soria and of all Castilla y León in the field of mycological tourism, both in terms of variety, quantity and quality of the product, as well as its pioneering system of regulation and promotion.
The event's agenda is developed over two working days. In the last edition, the number of participants was limited with a registration fee of 50 Euros. Pre-registration is required due to infrastructure limitations, so it is recommended to do it in advance. In the same way, Soria has a modern but limited hotel capacity and it is advisable to book accommodation in advance. There are good communication routes from Madrid (airport) to the town of Soria, although there is only a good offer of public transport by bus (connection to the town from Barajas airport).
Soria Gastronomica is the most important mycological gastronomy event in the country, an unmissable event for the gastronomy and tourism sector. The most recognized chefs of the national and international gastronomy such as Ferrán Adriá, Carme Ruscalleda, Santi Santamaría, Juan Mari Arzak, the Japanese chef Yukio Hattori, the prestigious French chef Regis Marcon and the Italian Igles Corelli have participated in the event. The gastronomic, tourist and scientific fields are well represented. Moreover, a greater participation of another key sector is necessary: the productive one, both the companies that commercializes the products elaborated with wild mushrooms and of the primary producer: the picker.
Soria Gastronómica is a multidisciplinary congress which is opening new profiles in its participants and putting in communication several fields of knowledge such as nutrition, food technology and tourism. In the last edition, several future challenges were agreed within the participants: “Nutrition: mushrooms as healthy superfoods” and “Adaptation to climate change: what to do in a year without mushrooms”.
José Miguel Altelarrea Martínez, josemiguel.altelarrea@cesefor.com
Further information
Multifunctionality of the mycological resource (Source: Concha Redondo Cesefor).
Mocological gastronomy. (Source: Cesefor)