No gels, no foams: Catalonia turns to grannies to teach traditional cooking

Maria Antònia Udina, 76, prepares a Penedès cockerel with dried fruit and nuts and a dash of cognac, a dish characteristic of Catalan cuisine. Photograph: Pablo García/The Guardian

Catalonia’s avant garde chefs have made a name for themselves with their revolutionary techniques and molecular gastronomy, yet they are fond of saying they are merely paying homage to the simple dishes served at their grandmother’s table.

Maybe so, but now the grannies have been given a chance to show off the real thing under a Catalan government initiative called Gastrosàvies.