It is an honour for me to preside over the Acadèmia Catalana de Gastronomia i Nutrició, an institution that works in our country to safeguard and enrich knowledge related to food products, cuisine and the culture of dining: the preparation and composition of dishes, as well as the conscious and healthy enjoyment of food and drink.
For more than two thousand years, an Academy has been a centre of knowledge and excellence in a specific cultural or scientific field. It is therefore not only a cultural institution of the State, but also a body with a clear social mission: to promote better nutrition, healthy habits and wellbeing.
This social mission obliges us to distance ourselves from any form of elitism. Knowledge, if not shared, loses its meaning.
Gastronomy does not mean necessarily expensive meals, lavish banquets or, even less so, hypercaloric and/or unhealthy consumption.
The Acadèmia Catalana de Gastronomia i Nutrició has as its main mission the preservation of our culinary heritage; the care and guidance of its present and future evolution; the dissemination of knowledge about local food products; their preparation and responsible use; and the promotion of healthy eating habits that keep us away from ultra-processed foods and nutritionally unbalanced combinations. In short: to teach and promote the entirely achievable challenge of eating well and healthily.
Our society cannot afford to ignore this basic knowledge, to believe that eating well is expensive or only for the privileged, and to remain — almost unknowingly — immersed in a latent epidemic whose symptoms are increasingly evident: overweight and its associated medical risks (hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol…), which inevitably lead to cardiovascular diseases (heart attacks, strokes…) and neurodegenerative conditions (Alzheimer’s and other dementias).
We must not confuse illness with neglect, but we must acknowledge a reality: eating well is not expensive, not difficult, and not time-consuming. In twenty minutes, it is possible to prepare a meal that meets all these requirements at a very reasonable cost.
At the same time, the Academy cannot abandon its cultural dimension and must dedicate resources and efforts to research and the dissemination of rigorous publications that provide citizens with tools to improve their food, culinary and nutritional education.
For all these reasons, and many more, the Acadèmia Catalana de Gastronomia i Nutrició works in Catalonia for the benefit of our society.
We enjoy the privilege of access to seasonal, local products of excellent quality, at more than reasonable prices and requiring little preparation time.
We simply need to know how to buy seasonal produce, apply a little imagination and devote a little — not much — time.
Our health, and that of our children, will thank us for it.
The Acadèmia Catalana de Gastronomia i Nutrició wishes to accompany you on this journey.
Welcome aboard.
Joan Font i Torrent
President of the ACGN
