The one with the potato omelette with or without onion is one of the great gastronomic debates nationals. And like all national debates, it’s packed with fans.
For the defenders of the potato omelette with onion, this dish is inconceivable without the touch of sweetness and juiciness that the vegetable gives. His detractors defend the opposite: eggs and potatoes they are sweet enough. Also, if the onion is poorly done, it ruins the tortilla.
Beyond the good-natured “the important thing is that it is juicy”, almost all the media chefs in Spain have had to position themselves in the debate: journalists are very heavy and we always ask the same thing. So it is enough to consult the newspaper library to draw a map of cebollistas and sincebollistas.
In the absence of the INE dedicating itself to investigating this matter of national importance, all the more or less informal surveys that have been carried out on the matter yield a clear conclusion: in Spain tortilla with onion is preferred at a rate of almost 3 to 1. Something similar happens among chefs, although some of the great heavyweights of our gastronomy are staunch defenders of the tortilla without onions. We start with them.
the chefs sincebollists
David Munoz
The DiverXO chef is a strong advocate of the tortilla without onions. This is how he expressed it in the last Madrid Fusion: “The problem with the onion inside the tortilla is that adds excessive sweetness unnecessary in an omelet. Any egg preparation with a sweet touch costs me a lot, I think not home. A good egg, a good potato and olive oil is the perfect combo. It just needs salt.”
Danny Garcia
The chef from Malaga is another heavyweight of Spanish gastronomy who declares himself a firm defender of the tortilla without onions. He has repeated it this way on multiple occasions, the last one on his Instagram, where he shared his tortilla recipe: “The onion is annoying. There are many people who say that it gives it a special touch. And a sausage too. I am Galician for this, even though I am Andalusian”.
Ferran Adria
the former cook of The Bulli, A great international reference in modern Spanish cuisine, he has also publicly declared himself a defender of tortillas without onions. Or, rather, the tortilla without onion and potato chips, a recipe that he is usually considered the inventor of, although he himself rejects such an honor. This was recently told to Cristina Brown in The sixth. “If you make a cheese omelette, do you make the cheese?” Adrià asked. “No, right, well, what’s wrong with buying the chips if they’re of quality?”
elena santoja
Yes, the pioneer of cooking programs in Spain, the unparalleled elena santojait is also sincebollista. Not a trace of the vegetable in the program Caught red handed in which he cooked the iconic dish together with Matias Prats father, who expressed himself in this way: “Onion is an estimable condiment, but it is also delicious just with eggs and potatoes, it depends on the point that is given”.
angel lion
It has not been easy to find a pronouncement by the chef from Cadiz about the potato omelette, but in an article published in Elle magazine he is asked about his favorite potato omelette and recommends the one they make in the Sale The Macka from El Puerto de Santa Maria. A “weak omelette”, very famous in the area, which does not have onion.
Oriol Castro
The one who was Adrià’s right-hand man at El Bulli recognized in 2015 his colleague Mikel Iturriaga, from the foodie, who prefers the omelette without onion, “to appreciate the egg and potato more”. At his side, in the same video, Eduard Xatruch, Castro’s partner in the two Michelin stars Enjoydefends the potato omelette with onion.
The onion chefs
Karlos Arguinano
The best-known chef in Spain, who is none other than Gipuzkoan Carlos Arguiñano, Like almost all Basques, he is a defender of tortillas with onions. Pedro Subijana, Juan Mari and Elena Arzak, Eneko Atxa or Andoni Luis Aduriz do not appear on the list due to lack of space, but they are also declared concebollistas.
The ingredients of his base recipe have been shared on countless occasions: six eggs, a small onion, three potatoes, a green pepper, two glasses of olive oil, salt and a leaf of parsley.
David de Jorge and Martin Berasategui
David de Jorge has always vehemently defended the Potatoes’ tortilla with onion. So much so that he forced his partner, Martín Berasategui, to put aside his usual diplomacy to state emphatically that a good potato omelette contains onion. “Martín is also tortilla with onion,” he explained in the anthill. “Dabiz Muñoz is a purple. It’s nice, but lilac. Then he makes dishes with 750 elements and now with the tortilla chips you have to be minimalist. Well no”.
Jose Andres
“It’s not a food hall, it’s a WAY OF LIFE!”--@ChefJoseAndres last night on @FallonTonight, talking about @littlespain. Only at Hudson Yards. #HelloHudsonYards #SeeYouAtHudsonYards pic.twitter.com/jHcbac8LJ6
— Hudson Yards NYC (@HudsonYardsNYC) April 19, 2019
The most well-known Spanish cook from beyond the seas is also a renowned defender of the potato and onion omelette. So he made it known to himself Jimmy Fallon in his acquaintance late night, where he prepared the tortilla that is served in his American restaurants. With onion.
joan rock
The chef of the tristarry The cellar of Can Roca is also a recognized concebollista. “With well-poached onions, it’s the one I have in my memory, it’s the one my grandmother used to make, and it’s the one I like,” the cook explained to El Comidista.
Alberto Chicote
The presenter of Nightmare in the kitchen has spoken out several times in favor of the potato omelette with onion and even shared her recipe on Instagram. His trick: poach a finely chopped sweet onion separately from the potato until caramelized, but without using sugar.
mario sandoval
The chef at the two-star restaurant Coque also makes the potato omelette with onion, at a rate of one onion for every six eggs and three potatoes. “I must confess that you are facing one of the best potato omelettes in the world,” she assured bluntly. Will have to try it.
Samantha Vallejo Najera
We close the list of onion growers –which would be endless– with the choice of the television cook. The MasterChef jury shared with Elle that her favorite potato omelette is the one made in the Silkar bar, one of the most famous in Madrid. A very juicy omelette, almost in the Betanzos style, but unlike what is usual in the town of A Coruña, it does have onion.
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