Ginés Donaire I Bailén (Jaén), (EFE).- With views of the warehouses where the olive oil from the last harvest is stored, and with the aromas and flavors emanating from the cellars, the Aureum restaurant is the first to be has opened and offers its menu in the heart of an oil mill, specifically in Picualia, in Bailén (Jaén).
It is not a typical restaurant but a unique gastronomic proposal, based on phenology, which is part of the increasingly widespread oil tourism program in the olive-growing regions of Andalusia.
“We offer a unique gastronomic experience, which combines tradition with innovation and knowledge about extra virgin olive oil: a cuisine with roots,” José Antonio Simón, manager of this restaurant, assures EFE.
But the essence of this innovative gastronomic center is phenology, the science that studies the relationship between climate factors and the cycles of living beings. From there, the experience called “Fenologicum” proposes a menu that pays tribute to the cycles of the olive tree.
gastronomic roots
“The products of the land are the true protagonists of the kitchen in the most innovative and creative way possible,” says José Antonio Simón, who also works as head chef.
Led by chef Paco Simón, a menu is created based on the gastronomic roots of work in the fields, that is, what farmers ate in the olive season, constituting a tribute to day laborers and farmers.
The Aureum proposal (which means gold in Latin) starts with a guided visit to every corner of Picualia, the 21st century model mill that in 2016 was declared the Best Mill in Spain by the Spanish Association of Olive Municipalities (AEMO).
Picualia arose in 2009 after the merger of Agrícola de Bailén and Virgen de Zocueca, two agri-food cooperatives that decided to give it the name Picualia in honor of the Picual variety, the predominant variety in the province of Jaén.
the picual variety
Simón extols the olive tradition and draws attention to the Picual variety, in his opinion “the one with the most antioxidant effects and the healthiest of the 2,600 types of olives found in the world.”
The experience in this mill also includes a previous talk about the weight of the olive grove and olive oil in this territory. “In Jaén there are more than 66 million olive trees, the largest humanized forest in the world, only comparable to the largest natural forest in the world, the Amazon,” says Simón.
And, how could it be otherwise, in the phenological menus there is no shortage of tastings of the best EVOOs. It must be remembered that some of the best wines in the world come out of this mill, as confirmed by the more than 50 national and international awards obtained in recent years. EFE