In 1905 Santiago Rusiñol wrote a monologue, The escudel-o-meterIn it, he proposed a utopia. "An enormous widget would allow the stew to flow from every tap in every house. Noodles, stew meat, chickpeas, and rice would all come out." "Rusiñol reflects what escudella represents for Catalans, if our happiness depends on escudella flowing from the taps," explains Toni Massanés, general director of the Alícia Foundation, which is participating in the escudella monograph programmed at the Girona Gastronomic Forum. For Josep Roca, of El Celler de Can Roca, "it's a soup that can be popular but also imbued with solemnity. It's a lifestyle inside a pot." But apart from the sociological aspect, there is also scientific evidence. It's not an exaggeration to say that we are evolutionarily programmed to like escudella.

Girona will once again become the epicenter of gastronomy in February. From the 9th to the 11th, the 12th edition of the Fòrum Gastronòmic Girona will take place, a must-attend event for the restaurant, gastronomy, and Horeca sectors. It will bring together more than 200 companies and 150 speakers at the Palau de Fires and in the Devesa Park area. This year, escudella and carne de olla—one of the great symbols of Catalan cuisine—will be the focus of an edition that will celebrate tradition as a driving force for innovation and the future of cooking.

In the 1980s and 1990s, foie gras was a trendy ingredient and found on restaurant menus. However, it has now practically vanished. And not only in Catalonia, but also in France. "I spent a few days in Paris, and I ate in one-, two-, and three-star restaurants; foie gras was nowhere to be found," says Philippe Regol, a gastronome participating in a panel discussion entitled "Why is foie gras in danger?" at this week's Girona Gastronomic Forum.