The Provincial Government of Girona promoted the Girona Excel·lent seal of quality based on the idea that local culinary culture is not limited to the kitchen or to restaurants. Rather, restaurants are the expression of the land’s culinary wealth, variety, and excellence. In other words, the fact that the cuisine from Girona’s counties remains one of the most influential in the world is not something that happened overnight.
First of all, we have a region with the sea and the mountains, with diverse and complementary landscapes, and with a spectacular wealth of natural raw materials. Next, we can see humanity’s historical imprint here, at a crossroads of multiple cultures and exchanges. On the one hand, Girona has tangible heritage: dolmens, menhirs, farmhouses, bridges, Romanesque churches and hermitages, monasteries, beautiful meadows, olive groves, ancient vineyards and caves, postmodern wineries, and gorgeous fields and orchards. On the other hand, we have our intangible culture: our agricultural, horticultural, wine-making, livestock rearing, fishing, forestry, and olive oil making methods, and the way we transform raw agricultural materials into quality artisanal and industrial products.
Altogether this gives rise to an uninterrupted secular culinary tradition, which is refreshed and modernized in each historical period.
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