Martín Berasategui, one of the world's most renowned chefs, shares his immense passion for mushrooms and truffles in this interview. For him, these products are a gift from nature and an essential part of his cooking, inspiring limitless creativity.
With his contagious enthusiasm, Berasategui takes us on a journey through his career. He talks about the evolution of cooking over the last 50 years and his philosophy as the "eternal apprentice." He also pays tribute to Spain, the world's largest producer of black truffles, and reveals why he considers nature to be the best cook of all. It's a sincere and passionate look into the mind behind one of the most important gastronomic empires.
(If you prefer, you can watch the video interview by clicking here)
What is the importance of truffles and mushrooms in your cooking?
In my shopping basket, truffles and mushrooms are super important. It's my land, it's my country, it's one of the best products, if not the best, of all that have passed through my hands. I have to thank you a lot because the mushrooms and truffles you bring me have a place in all my cooking: in soups, with vegetables, with legumes, in rice dishes, in pasta, with fish, seafood, mollusks, in salads, with meats, poultry, game, cheeses, and even in desserts. Because I really like to make, for example, the last dessert we made with apples has a honey and truffle ice cream that is incredible and is leaving everyone speechless. I have to give a big round of applause to Laumont because with the product you bring me, both mushrooms and truffles, people are so enthusiastic, and we infect them with the desire to enter a wonderful world, one that makes your eyes shine and that shows you the path of passion to make an unforgettable lunch or dinner.
If you had to choose one particular dish, which one would you highlight?
If I had to choose one, I would say it's the venison or roe deer dish that comes with a homemade candied apricot, with Laumont's truffles and your mushrooms, and it has a pickled cucumber skin with vinegar and sugar. All of that is accompanied by a forest of your mushrooms and that wonderful truffle that tickles the palate of anyone who tries the dish. But if I were to name just one, I could name hundreds.
How have nature and other factors influenced your career?
I couldn't be luckier to have been born where I was, to have people to my right and left who make my shopping basket enviable for everyone who visits our restaurants. And for us to create the work that people come from all corners of the world to taste, in the case of mushrooms and truffles, it has a lot to do with Laumont and the market. In the end, the best book ever written in the history of cooking, whether in Lasarte, Barcelona, Tokyo, London, or Paris, was written by nature, not by any chef. A chef must be, if not humble, at least normal, to see what nature has written every day and, from there, with the passion, professionalism, and integrity that the products we hold in our hands deserve, give the most we can with our great teams, who are what make us great. And well, I have to tell you that Martín Berasategui isn't just me; you all have a lot to do with that Martín Berasategui. We are Martín Berasategui, and in that "we," Laumont is included with its mushrooms and truffles.
Do you think cooking has changed a lot since you started?
Of course. I think what's done now is nothing like what was done 50 years ago, which is when I started as an apprentice. I was lucky to start as an apprentice with my parents and my aunt when I was 15. I lost my father when I was young, and that makes the "softness" you have when you're young turn into a crust. Like in many homes around the world right now, I had to become the "crust" due to the circumstances, you know? That completely changed my life. It was a time when there were no schools or universities. Technology has changed the world, and of course, it has changed the world of cooking. Back then, people cooked very well and there were several techniques, but now there are so many more, because I share some of the best things I've done during the year with the rest of the world, and I learn from others. I started as an apprentice at 15, and 50 years later, I consider myself more of an apprentice than I was back then. I call myself the "eternal apprentice." So, when your eyes are wide open and you're always searching for new things, in 50 years, in half a century, techniques have changed a lot, both for mushrooms and for truffles.
As a Spaniard, what is your opinion on black truffles in Spain?
Well, I'd like to be honest and tell you that Laumont's black truffles are in the heavens of the products that pass through my hands. And I'd also like to tell you that Spain is the country that produces the most black truffles in the world. I'd also like to clarify that the French and Italians come to Spain to buy black truffles, and people need to know this, because it's a unique country for black truffles, and they're available to any restaurant in the world, no matter where they are, where they are enjoying or transporting happiness from the kitchen. I always like to say this loud and clear because it's my country and because you have to be honest in life. Much strength!
