Santiago Orts with a land anemone, and various details of the plant. / GOSSI
Huerto Gourmet, a Spanish firm from Elche, has just introduced its innovative high quality fruits and vegetables, many of which have been recovered from ancient times, and most of which have an Asian origin, into the German, French and English market. The company harvests its products in the traditional way, under the best conditions and with the maximum guarantees.
The company began expanding to Europe after conquering the kitchens of many of the finest chefs in the country, who have integrated their products into the dishes offered by their restaurants, all of which have Michelin stars. Chef Martin Berasategui was the first to include Huerto Gourmet's fresh date in his culinary offerings, an example that was quickly followed by his peers.
This is one of Huerto Gourmet's star products and it is being used more and more in haute cuisine, in the context of what is known as gastrobotany, and that has marked a difference with the frozen date coming from other countries. The fruit has made a strong impression and it's becoming well known both nationally and abroad.
The company also sells carissa, a large bittersweet berry from the South African desert that resembles red berries, and land anemones, as the company has called one of its findings; a plant with a taste reminiscent of marine barnacle.
In addition, the company also offers citrus and tomatoes. Huerto Gourmet grows two varieties of tomatoes, the Mutxamel and the raf varieties, which are the result of many years of research that have given them an "extraordinary texture and aroma, which can't be found in the market nowadays," said Raquel Alvarado, commercial director of the company.
But the most unique products grown by the company are their thirteen citrus varieties, the most impressive of which are: the hand of Buddha, the citric caviar (which got its name because of the balls inside it that resemble the roe of sturgeon), the dragonfly, the bergamot, the yuzu and the cider varieties. All of these varieties are originally from the East. Some of them, such as the citron, used to be grown in Spain. A tradition that, in time, was lost.
The company's citrus campaign will last until winter, giving way to the beginning of the vegetables from the desert campaign. These vegetables are fleshy and have different flavours that are characterized by the accumulation of minerals inside of them. The cordifole, glacial lettuce, and glacial ficoid, which have multiple culinary uses, are the most marketed by the firm. The glacial ficoid has generated the most interest among professional chefs, as it is a vegetable that can be used as a garnish for fish because of its marine flavour.
Huerto Gourmet's goal, however, is to reach beyond the kitchens of chefs, so they have resorted to large distributors so that their products can be purchased at select specialized food stores.
The next challenge, said Raquel Alvarado, is to open the market so their fruits can be distributed in commercial spaces in general. The fact that these fruits and vegetables are still unknown to the general public should not be an obstacle, as their containers can provide the necessary information about them, said Alvarado.