Taste Spain Edinburgh offers the opportunity to explore Spain’s most iconic foods, taste the diversity of flavours, exceptional quality, and authentic essence of the Spanish culinary world. The event which has been organised by Foods and Wines from Spain and Alimentos de España, follows market insights gained last year which found that there is a desire for 
seeing more trade events outside of London.
Specialist producers from the regions of Asturias, Andalusia, Castile and León and Castilla-La Mancha will be showcasing a variety of foods which reflect the quintessential gastronomy of Spain. Many of these foods on show enjoy DOP status – Protected Designation of Origin – a recognition of superior quality linked to the lands where they are made and a guarantee to consumers of their provenance.
The region of Asturias in northern Spain has both mountains and coastal landscapes, and here apples and fish form the foundations of the local gastronomic culture. Its valleys provide ideal conditions for apple orchards as well as 
beekeeping, while the Cantabrian Sea is a source of an abundant variety of high-quality fish. The Spanish preserves industry is considered as one of the best in the world, and canning seasonal produce, whether it is fresh fish or vegetables, is a longstanding tradition. In Asturias, the preservation process has been perfected and refined over many generations, the canned fish, which is exceptional in quality, includes delicacies such as white tuna belly, anchovies and sea urchin roe.
The mountainous landscapes of Asturias also provide an ideal environment to produce honey. Artisan producers use minimal intervention resulting in a honey in its purest form 
which can be both organic and monofloral: crafted from the nectar of a single plant species such as Chestnut.
Asturian cider is produced as both natural (traditional) and sparkling as well as New Expression styles, including no alcohol and low abv. It is extremely versatile and food friendly pairing exceptionally well with the regional blue cheeses, such as Cabrales and Picos Blue. Apple paste – dulce de manzana – is a delicacy not to be missed, this tasty essence of apple is ideal served alongside a cheeseboard or on bread.
The plateaux and pastures of central and southern Spain produce gastronomic icons of the Spanish larder: Manchego cheese, dry-cured ham, and olive oil. From the La Mancha 
region, Manchego cheese is traditionally made from the milk of the Manchega sheep. Manchego, which has its own Protected Designation of Origin, has a distinctive flavour and texture, which develops through an ageing process lasting from sixty days to two years.
Andalusia is the home of the olive, a staple of the Mediterranean diet. Embedded in its culture, olive oil is one of the pillars of Spanish gastronomy. There are more than two hundred olive varieties in Spain, each with their own distinct flavour characteristics: extra virgin olive oil – the unrefined pressed juice, marks the highest quality status.
A gastronomic tour of Spain would not be complete without the ultimate icon of Spanish fare – jamón, dry-cured ham. The grass and acorn rich pastures of the dehesa provide 
grazing areas for different breeds of pigs. The marbling, texture and flavour of jamón is influenced by the breed of pig, its diet and length of curing. It achieves its gastronomic peak in Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, from Extremadura, where free range black Ibérico pigs freely feed on a diet of acorns.
Taste Spain Edinburgh takes place on Monday 20th May at The Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh, when exhibitors will be showcasing artisan products from 12pm until 5pm.
A light lunch will be available between 1pm and 2pm.
For more information, please email spainfoodwineUK@comercio.mineco.es
To discover more about foods and wines from Spain, visit www.foodswinesfromspain.com