San Sebastian Gastronomika has hosted the Third Tierra De Sabor – National Chickpea Championship, a competition that aims to champion the gastronomic possibilities of this really versatile Castilian product.

In the final, Casa Natalia (Formentera), with the chef Carles Abellan at the helm, beat five restaurants spread all over Spain.

The third Tierra de Sabor - National Chickpea Championship aimed to crown the chef who presented the best dish prepared using this extraordinary ingredient. It aimed to crown the successor to La Botica* de Matapozuelos, Valladolid as the restaurant that prepares the best dish with chickpeas. The Casa Natalia restaurant in Formentera has achieved this, represented in the competition by the chef, Carles Abellan, who incidentally won the first Gastronomika National Potato Salad Competition in 2018, on that occasion with his restaurant Tapas 24 in Barcelona.

Now he has achieved this with a dish of chickpeas with ray, Madrid-style, which convinced a jury made up of chefs and journalists like Elena Arzak, Antonio José Candel Cano, Ignacio Medina, Carlos Maribona, Patricia Mateo and Jaime Uz.

In the final, Abellan beat off five challengers: Taberna Pedraza (Madrid), Real Balneario* (Salinas, Asturias), El Empalme (Rionegro del Puente, Zamora), Nado (A Coruña) and Adobo (Barcelona).

They all had to cook a dish that they have on their menus based on varieties of the Fuentesaúco chickpea, whose Protected Geographical Indication, recognised by the EU acknowledges the exceptional quality of this product, or Pedrosillano, protected by a Guarantee Seal. The dish could be served cold and hot, savoury or sweet, and highlighted the culinary virtues and potential of this type of legume.


Previous winners of the Tierra de Sabor- National Chickpea Championship 

2022- Casa Natalia by Carles Abellan (Formentera) 
2021- La Botica de Matapozuelos (Matapozuelos, Valladolid)
2020- Fierro (Valencia)