[Photo provided to China Daily]

Spain is famous for its cuisine, especially its olive oil, wine and ham. Those and many other Mediterranean delights can be enjoyed without visiting the country at the ongoing Spanish Food Festival in Beijing.

Minzu Hotel, together with Turespana, the official organization to promote Spain as a destination abroad, jointly organized the festival, which began on the evening of Aug 30 and will last until Sept 30.

According to Turespana, besides the country’s sunshine and beaches, its delicious cuisine and great wines are another attraction for foreign tourists.

"Just taste everything! I try to present the real Spanish food and taste here," said Spanish chef Nicolas Diaz Jogeix. He worked in a Michelin two-star restaurant for 10 years and now works in a restaurant in Madrid.

He is collaborating with Wang Chundong, master chef of the hotel’s Coffee Mill restaurant, to present more than 80 Spanish dishes during the month. At Coffee Mill, diners can enjoy a buffet surrounded by Spanish-style furniture and Lladro porcelain figures from Spain. It seems as if the small, elegant Spanish statues are dancing on the table as the guests sample the cuisine.

The one-month festival presents four theme weeks — the passionate bull fighting, Spanish soccer, the romantic flamenco and the Spanish culture. There are performances each Friday and discounts are available on some Chinese group-buying websites.

Diaz Jogeix recommends the Gazpacho, a Spanish cold tomato soup, as a starter, saying it is refreshing.

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