Fermín Cabanillas I Navahermosa (Huelva), (EFE).- That almost half of a town or city is involved in an activity seems impossible, but it is what the Huelva village of Navahermosa has achieved, which, with about 30 inhabitants, has brought together 12 of them around a contest to find the best Lenten French toast cooked in their home kitchens.
This Lenten sweet, which can be prepared in a thousand ways, has gathered the neighbors in their multipurpose room, in a village that can be reached after traveling two kilometers of secondary road from the National 433, to find a place that, after It hardly survives over the years despite the fact that the average age is far higher than that of the towns in the region with the most inhabitants.
In the village, located in the north of the province of Huelva, there are approximately 60 homes, with some farmhouses scattered throughout the urban area, and with this room as a center of activities, where the Navahermosa Viva association is about to inaugurate a center for reading, and where today it smelled of cinnamon sticks or honey, thanks to the 180 French toasts submitted to the contest (15 for each of the 12 contestants).
Traditional or innovative French toast
At four in the afternoon, the first participants began to arrive, and they have finished preparing everything to present them in the best possible way, since their appearance was part of the score requirements, as well as their taste.
In fact, although the Lenten French toast is a high-calorie dessert, each of the three members of the jury had to try at least one portion of the 12 participants, with drinks of water to help them pass the time as well as possible.
All this, while the participants, mostly women, waited at the door of the room, since in a place where, literally, all the neighbors know each other, it was necessary to avoid any influence on the verdict, so that until it was They have tried all of them, in a blind tasting, the doors have not been opened again.
The previously published bases indicated that people of any age could participate, even outside the association and without gastronomic knowledge, and traditional or innovative French toast were admitted, since creativity was valued, as well as presentation with some personal and original touch.
Taste, texture, presentation…
Each participant had to present at least 12 already prepared French toast, with three plated in the same room, one for tasting and evaluation by the jury, and another two for the exhibition and taking photographs, and the rest have been distributed at the end of the contest. for the attendees to try.
The Lieva Association and the Association for the Elderly of Galaroza, the municipality to which the village belongs, also gave impetus to the initiative, “with which we have tried to carry out an original activity in the village based on gastronomy,” Manuel Cano explained to EFE. , spokesperson for the Navahermosa Viva Association, the soul of this idea.
The jury has scored the taste, texture, presentation, originality or creativity, valuing each aspect from 0 to 5, and in the end, after a hard battle between the palate and the eye, the winning French toast has been the one made by Esther She is sure that she can now boast of preparing the best French toast among all her neighbors, as the trophy that has been given to her attests.
Now, Navahermosa Viva prepares new appointments, to spend the time as well as possible, especially on weekends, in an area where “winters are very long”, and, among other ideas, for April 22 he has scheduled his first Book Fair, with stalls distributed around the areas near its multipurpose room and the presence of various authors to present their works. EFE