The Moscow News Readers’ Club has initiated the second in a series of cultural evenings devoted to the world’s cultures and cuisines. The evening, celebrating Spanish culture and cuisine, was hosted by El Asador restaurant in Moscow’s center.

Attendees enjoyed seeing chef Valery Shesternyov cook a suckling pig and a lamb in a vintage oven, and reveal the secrets of Basque cooking. Basques are an ethnic group in the Spanish provinces of Navarra, Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya and Álava.

“This oven is used for roasting milk-fed piglets, lambs and goat kids,” Shesternyov said.

According to Shesternyov, Basque cuisine has a unique taste. Basque cooks use no sauces or spices. For ages, Basque cuisine has evolved on its own, unaffected by Arabic cuisine which is noted for its spices.

“Any spice kills the food’s original flavor, so we use only natural ingredients, such as olive oil, sea salt and organic meat and sea food,” Shesternyov noted.

The evening included an opportunity to try some unique drinks. Leonid Gelibterman, international wine and beverage judge, presented The Moscow News readers with an exclusive eight-year-old Brandy de Jerez.

“This brandy is very popular in Spain. You can see that the world offers many wonderful beverages beyond cognac and whiskey,” Gelibterman said.
Attendees then had a chance to take part in a taste test, guessing at wines and beverages.

The highlight of the evening was the master dance class. Partiers got to learn Spanish flamenco and play the maracas. The best dancers received prizes from The Moscow News and its partners.

The Moscow News cultural evenings create a bond between the newspaper publishers, its writers and its readers, according to Tatyana Volkova, head of the printed publication advertising group at RIA Novosti.

“A newspaper is like a living entity. It needs feedback. These gatherings are an opportunity to stay close to our readers, learn about their interests and concerns, and then take them into account when working on our newspaper articles,” Volkova said.

According to The Moscow News chief editor Tim Wall, the newspaper strives to appeal to people from all around the world.

“These cultural evenings are no exception in this respect. Even at today’s event, you can see people from different countries. I believe these evenings will be very successful in the future,” Wall said.

This flamenco-flavored evening with its Spanish culture and cuisine was held with the assistance of the Spanish Embassy in Moscow. The idea of organizing regular cultural events has piqued the interest of various foreign embassies in Moscow as well, organizers said.