The first postgraduate Master in Gastronomic Sciences and Quality
Products began on 28 February, 2005, at the Colorno campus of the
University of Gastronomic Sciences near Parma in Emilia-Romagna. A
total of 25 students arrived from all over the world: France,
Switzerland, Finland, Canada, the United States and Mexico as well as
Italy.
From 18 May to 1 June the class will be traveling on a stage (field
seminar) through the Iberian peninsula. “Spain is a land characterized
by a remarkable gastronomic heritage: a bastion of ancient culinary
traditions, rich in both small producers and world-renowned companies.
It is an unmissable destination for anyone who, like our students,
wants to deepen their knowledge of quality foods,” said Alberto
Capatti, Academic Coordinator of the University.
The two-week-long stage is being held with the support of the Xunta de
Galicia and the local consortia set up to protect the best foods and
wines of Spain.
In Castilla y Leòn, the students will be based in Salamanca and
Tordesillas were they will visit consortia and producers of Jamòn
Iberico (Iberian ham), Cecina de Leòn (smoked dried beef), and other
cured meats, Zamorano cheese, and wines such as D.O. Toro and D.O.
Ribera del Duero.
Next, the students will travel to Santiago di Compostela to discover
the gastronomic heritage of Galicia; as well as visiting small
traditional cheesemakers and breeders of Celta pigs, the students will
also have the opportunity to help gather shellfish, visit the fish
market and to see the artisanal production of preserved fish. The stage
will finish with a trip to the wineries of the Rias Baixas area.
The primary objective of the journey is to give the Master students the
skills necessary to compare quality products from different countries.