Only in Spain

Only in Spain could they stage what is described as an “International Competition for Stew with Meatballs”. The event will take place on Saturday in the Municipal Leisure Centre, Torrevieja. It starts at 10am and by 2pm the stews must be ready for judging.

There are  four categories:

• Traditional Torrevieja recipe
• Stew with meatballs – free version
• Traditional meatball stew from the community, region or national.
• Typical recipe from a foreign country

There is apparently a lot of interest in the wider categories with entrants from, Orense, Ciudad Real, Guadalajara, Sevilla and even Argentina. It could turn out to be a hotly contested competition.

This is serious business because there is a long history of this dish and even a website that aims to safeguard the traditional ways of cooking it. Basically, there are two forms of meatballs; those with blood included and those without. However, from that point it becomes a lot more complicated as you can imagine. Apart from the choice of meat, there is the careful choice of herbs and spices to consider.

The last time we enjoyed lunch across the road with Pepe and Eladia, our Spanish teacher’s wife had prepared meatball stew for us all. I thought it was delicious but Antonio felt it was too spicy and dared to tell his wife as much. You can imagine the “discussion” that followed and the ear bashing Antonio received.

For those that might be interested here is a website that will get you started on the path to the perfect meatball stew.