My five favourites

quique dacosta

My five favourites

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For collaborating in this article, Quique Dacosta and Consum donated €500 to the NGO “Acción Contra el Hambre”, to be distributed to the needy.

Being the proud owner of three Michelin stars, appearing on the list of the 50 Best Restaurants and being chosen Best European Restaurant is not within the reach of everyone. But thanks to his talent, discipline and determination, Quique Dacosta has achieved gastronomic glory from his little corner of Denia. As the image of the best Valencian (and Spanish) gastronomy worldwide, Quique is much more than a creative chef: his charity side is well known and he has been named as an ambassador of Action against Hunger in 2017.


Here are his “Top 5”:

ORANGES

In the Valencian community, citrus fruits are almost like our insignia. From the north to the south of the Province, citrus fields are a constant. The orange is the citrus fruit par excellence here. That said, I want to emphasise it in particular as a basic ingredient of a healthy diet and also as the staple of our agriculture, of the way of life created around it and the economy that it has historically generated in the Valencian region. It also represents one of those magical, quality products that has made its way across Europe and is recognised everywhere. Not letting it be forgotten is our mission today.


EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL 

EVOO is almost the summary or personification of a gastronomy and a way of life: The Mediterranean diet. It may be, along with vegetables and salt, the link between my kitchen, my idea of gastronomy and my way of life.



PEANUTS

They are a great source of energy that, whenproperly distributed in our diet, is wonderful. In the Valencian Community, wehave an area of unparalleled artisan production that is called the Collaret.In addition to its thousand applications in the cuisine here and in many placesin the world like Thailand, I choose it because using peanut we have createdPumply (peanut butter) to save the lives of the most disadvantaged children.


BROCCOLI

I can enjoy infinitely the texture of broccoli, itsflavour and its many possible preparations. But I enjoy it more since I havestarted to cook it with the minimum of preparation, such as steaming it, whichretains all its valuable properties for the body and health. I loveeating broccoli.


MEDIUM-GRAIN RICE

Rice is quite possibly the only food product that is the backbone of almost every culture. From the mythical Valencian paella or the arroz a banda, to Italian risottos or Japanese cuisine, but also, sadly, to some places in the world where there is not much more to eat besides rice.