Offal, one of the great emblems of traditional Spanish cuisine, celebrated World Offal Day, reaffirming its role in contemporary gastronomy. This year, the commemoration comes with a major innovation: the first Map of Spanish Offal, a digital tool that brings together restaurants, bars, and butcher shops across the country that work with these products with passion, skill, and respect. The map was launched last night at La Tasquería.
The initiative is part of the “A Country of Offal” campaign, promoted by the Spanish Meat and Livestock Forum with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food through the “Foods of Spain” strategy. The campaign aims to highlight the value of this product from a cultural, sustainable, and modern perspective, asserting its place in contemporary cuisine and its contribution to a more responsible food system.
The Spanish Offal Map is presented at La Tasquería
The main event of the celebration took place last night at La Tasquería (Madrid), one of the contemporary temples of offal, with Javier Estévez’s cuisine serving as an example of innovation and respect for the product. Within this context, the Spanish Offal Map was officially presented, an initiative promoted by the “A Country of Offal” campaign and endorsed by the Livestock and Meat Forum.
The presentation included speeches by José Manuel Álvarez, communications director of the Livestock and Meat Forum; Javi Estévez, chef of La Tasquería and ambassador for the “A Country of Offal” project; Fernando Díaz, director of Dapsa; and Jesús Terrés, who acted as master of ceremonies.
The presentation also highlighted the nutritional benefits of offal, as well as its versatility and diverse uses in cooking.
Attendees enjoyed a menu designed and prepared by Javi Estévez, featuring offal dishes:
- Panipuri of pork and duck rillettes with vermouth gel
- Terrine of liver, Iberian pork jowl, tongue, and sweetbreads with dried fruit
- Crispy rooster comb with liver pâté
- Tartlet of calf’s testicles with Comté cheese and cherry tomato
- Pork cheek taco with king prawn and spicy mayonnaise
- Crispy toast of lamb neck pibil with avocado
- Sando of veal sweetbreads with shiso mayonnaise
- Rabbit kidney skewer Meunière style
- Focaccia of pig’s snout with brava sauce and aioli
- Breaded and fried lamb brains with chimichurri mayonnaise
- Stew of tripe, trotter, and snout
- Braised strawberries with lemon cream and strawberry ice cream
The menu, accessible at casqueríadeespaña.es/mapa will bring together restaurants, bars, and butcher shops across the country that work with offal with knowledge, technique, and passion. More than 200 establishments from every region of Spain are already part of this interactive map.
From historic taverns to avant-garde restaurants and small butcher shops, this dynamic and collaborative tool will continue to grow and give visibility to those who remain committed to a product that is part of the essence of Spanish gastronomy.
“With this map, we want to pay tribute to all those who cook with head, heart, and entrails. Offal is history, flavor, and sustainability, and it is part of who we are,” said Gregorio Rodríguez, director of the Livestock and Meat Forum.
A Country of Offal: a campaign that celebrates our heritage
“A Country of Offal” was created with the aim of recovering the gastronomic memory of a product deeply rooted in our culinary history and introducing it to new generations. The campaign highlights the virtues of offal—tasty, nutritious, affordable, and sustainable—and champions its role in the Mediterranean diet and Spanish culinary culture.
The campaign includes educational activities, audiovisual materials, and digital content that explain why offal, more than any other product, embodies the values of resourceful cooking and the circular economy. It utilizes up to 90% of the animal, reduces food waste, and promotes a more responsible consumption model.
A Tradition with a Future
According to the latest available data from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA), corresponding to the 2023 Household Consumption Panel, Spaniards consumed nearly 29,500 tons of offal, valued at approximately €184 million, representing an 8% increase compared to the previous year.
Although the 2024 Food Consumption Report reflects overall stability in food consumption in Spain, offal continues its upward trend, driven by the search for traditional flavors, sustainability, and resourceful cooking.
This growth is also supported by consumer interest in products with cultural and gastronomic value, aligned with the principles of the circular economy and the complete use of the animal.
More and more chefs from established names like Martín Berasategui, Pepa Muñoz, and Juan Pozuelo to new generations, chefs are reviving and reinterpreting offal, restoring it to its rightful place in contemporary Spanish gastronomy.
World Offal Day, which celebrated its second edition this year, was created to recognize the role of this product in Spanish culinary culture and to pay tribute to the work of all those who, from the fields and butcher shops to the kitchens, contribute to keeping it alive.
“We are a country of offal. We always have been, and we will continue to be as long as there are chefs, butchers, and consumers who value the taste of authenticity,” emphasized José Manuel Álvarez, communications director of the Livestock and Meat Forum, the driving force behind the campaign, which brings together the six meat industry interprofessional organizations (ASICI, AVIANZA, INTERCUN, INTEROVIC, INTERPORC, and PROVACUNO).
