Domino

Matt, this is the reason why I made my earlier comment.
Spain is the largest producer of olives, oils etc but they export a huge percentage to Italy to then mix it with oil from their own and other countries such as Greece and market it as Mediterranean Olive Oil.
But the fact that it is processed/merged/bottled and only descirbed as Mediterranean gets around the problems of origination - so they slap their company name(s) on along with an address in Italy.
ipso facto - the masses think it is all Italian.

Even if you go to the online stores you will find very little olive oil from Spain available. But we know it is available, perhaps as CMan says, they keep the best for themselves.

The same goes for Spanish cheeses, and how often do you find Spanish Sherry Vinegar - the market is flooded with Italian Balsamic Vinegar, but that is most commonly a lower quality imitation of real balsamic which is not a true vinegar.

I am sure that major marketing efforts, along with availability of product would make some small inroads into the Spanish Crisis, but would do no end for the profile of the country.
Many people come to Spain for holidays etc, like the taste of the product but then find they just can't get their hands on it back home.
Perhaps that is the fault of the buyers and merchandisers of the likes of Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons and even Waitrose. They need educating, which considering the iron grip they have on our food and clothing would be very difficult indeed.

rugbymatt

I have just got back from the supermarket, a massive Sainsbury's. On the shelf were 11 types of olive oil, 7 were Spanish. If you were to ask people what they know about Spanish food I would hazard a guess that most people would say Olive oil first... All of that aside, my point still stands. If Italy imported most of the Spanish olive oil then why is Spain the biggest producer and the biggest exporter? If Italy imported Spanish oil, given that they produce a massive amount themselves, surely they would therefore become a bigger exporter than Spain? Do you see what I am getting at? I am not disputing your claims, what I am disputing is the claim that Spain has been somehow lazy or incompetent in the marketing of its massive and highly advanced oil production industry. I figures simply don't stack up.

steviedeluxe

Given a more forward-thinking policy by most supermarket buyers, the food would be of far better quality, just from local British suppliers alone. I know farmers' markets and specialist butchers are addressing this need, but it's still the case that most people shop at supermarkets. But do we blame the supermarket buying policy, or the demands of their customers for ever lower prices?

cricketman

No because Spain has to export in it to Italy first! Or it simply gets exported directly from Spain but under an Italian brand name

Domino has the issue sorted on this occasion

I've been told that I've been ridiculous before when I've said that when we lived in the UK we couldn't get hold of any of the Spanish foods we eat so had to ship it over, even the basics such as coffee and olive oil. UK supermarkets stock some food labelled as Spanish, some cheap chorizos and the like, but not the actually things most people use and eat, which is fair enough, the food is for British people, not Spanish people

But then British people think they know and love (or hate) Spanish food when actually they've rarely or never had it. Like a colleague of mine who buys chorizo to fry it in an omelette, something a Spaniard would never do

In the main plaza in Benalmadena Pueblo there are 4 restaurants (term used in its loosest context). Two of them are run by Spanish people, one who used to be my neighbour, but they serve cr*p frozen food for foreigners. The two more upmarket places look Spanish according to their names and menus, indeed we thought they were, until we visited each of them, and the British waiters and owners could only speak some broken Spanish and the dishes were done wrong (morcilla with gravy for christ sake). Now for a tourist, they would think these places were Spanish because they were marketed as such, but they were as Spanish as Joey Barton is French when he puts on that funny accent

What I am trying to say is you can't trust what it says on the label!

Dick Dasterdly

Oh dear, broken Spanish, that's surely a hanging offence in itself.

As for Spanish serving crap to foreigners, maybe they expect to get away with it because 90% of them throughout the country serve the same unimaginative bland crap to their own people in non tourist areas.

Fredbargate

But also you cannot blame the tourists, how are they to know any different.

jackytoo

Must have been tough living so long in an ex-pat ghetto like Benalmádena and trying to get Spanish food...strange choice for a Spanglophile...is this what's meant by le crisis in Spain

cricketman

Of course not

cricketman

Actually the area is as Spanish as what you want to be, except for the restaurants which were very much for tourists. Restaurants are pretty good in Malaga and Marbella but pretty terrible between that, although there are a few good exceptions.

From what I saw, probably 80% of people in Benalmadena Pueblo are Spanish, which is a higher proportion than Londoners who are British

Domino

surely chorizo is Spanish ??
I am still learning, but I cannot see why a Spaniard wouldn't put it into an omelette.
or is there some book of food etiquette that says NO WAY !!

this isn't France we are talking about

rugbymatt

Have a look at the official figures. That simply doesn't stack up. If you read through some of the articles on the IOC you will also see that the industry itself sees this as a historical fact and simply doesn't happen like it used to.
I'm not gonna argue the toss, I'm sure the good people on BE are much more "in the know" than the body that regulates, governs and advises the industry and its not really that important to me.

Domino

Matt things have changed in Sainsbury's - drastically
Its only a year since I was in one and I know I looked at the oils, not a single Spanish, different varieties of Italian and one or two Greek. Then of course the 3 or 4 varieties of own label.
A quick check on line shows Farchioni, Napolina and Felippo Berio but Sainsbury's own is listed as being from Spain.

Where are the Spanish Borges and Carbonell - you may see them from time to time but not often.

As to the exporting bit - I agree, Spain isn't incompetent but perhaps a little lazy. They are exporting tons of the stuff, they get paid for it, who cares what happens to it after it leaves the country ! It is income pure and simple.
But, with respect (to the Spanish), they don't seem to bother about their reputation in the food game as do the French and Italians who make a great thing of their food. Spaniards are laid back, take it or leave it, its up to you. Just don't disturb me whilst I have a great meal. And yet their meals come from the same roots (no pun intended) as the Italians, the same materials, the similar ways of cooking and preparing.

Its fine having a product, even better to advertise it - but if you don't make it available to the market you will never make a penny.

rugbymatt

What is interesting is that olive oil consumption is falling in both Spain and Italy.... I wonder what the Italians are doing with all this hooky olive oil they are importing, 'cos they ain't exporting it.....

Domino

so if production remains steady - which we know it won't does that mean that people are cooking with less olive oil because of La Crisis ??
have they found out that other countries like UK don't use as much as them, if at all when making their horrible English meals.??

rugbymatt

Yeah, surprisingly China and Brazil, both countries are now increasing their imports of Spanish olive oil.