Unexpected duo: Hungarian grandmother taught Spanish star chef how to make strudel

Imre Lászlóné Kókai, Aunt Ica, is the head of the kitchen at a rural school, and often dons folk costume to introduce visitors to the history of her home and involve them in the gastronomic heritage she grew up in. Meeting her had such an impact on the Spanish chef that one of the surprises on Bibó’s new summer menu was strudel – with a cottage cheese filling, to which Dani added candied orange, thus complementing the delicacy that is considered Hungarian with the Mediterranean aroma of her home. This little twist brings to life the creativity that characterizes Bibo’s kitchen, where the dishes are born from the flavors of Dani’s childhood, the memories of his travels, and the dishes of Hungarian cuisine.

Just like the creative potato stew (with inverted Scotch eggs) prepared for this year’s Gourmet Festival, inspired by tradition – which became a favorite of the audience and is now on the menu -, the strudel is also part of the philosophy that truly special dishes can be made from the simplest ingredients, with attention and technique. Flour, water, salt, sugar – but according to Aunt Ica, the secret lies in the movements that have been passed down through the centuries. Reaching under the rested mass, Aunt Ica uses the back of her hand to pull the dough into a thin sheet, making the dessert with such inspiration and explaining it to the Spanish chef so enthusiastically that they understand each other even without a common language: this is gastronomy.

“It’s moments like these that make this profession worth working in – when stories are told not with words, but with gestures and flavors. Standing next to Aunt Ica, seeing the passion and precision with which she makes the strudel, reminded me of where gastronomy comes from: from home, from memories and from knowledge passed down from hand to hand,” said Dani García.