Earlier today I attended a press conference announcing Toro de Lidia Gastronomic Days in Sevilla. As with the recent Sevilla Orange Days the idea is for various bars and restaurants around town to promote a specific local product by creating a special tapa made with this ingredient. This time it is the prized Toro de Lidia, the Spanish fighting bulls bred for the bullring. There is no doubting the high quality of these free-range animals and, since not all of the toros make it to the ring, it makes sense that they would also be taken to market. As with the world-famous Iberian pata negra pigs, these healthy well-fed beasts are born and bred in a natural environment that also ensures a habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna that might otherwise not be preserved.

I applaud the recent efforts of the Sevilla Tourism Board in promoting our fabulous local gastronomy as a tourist attraction (something I’ve actually been doing for years with my Sevilla Tapas blog and the food tours) but I have to admit that it’s hard for me to see who their target market is. I am sure that today I was the only non-Spanish journalist/blogger in attendance at the presentation, and wondered why money is being spent like this, basically “preaching to the choir”? What Spaniard doesn’t already know and love cola del toro (well, unless they are vegetarian)? It’s something they have grown up with, serious comfort food handed down through the generations via treasured family recipes.

Another observation is that the bars and restaurants that take part in these promotions are mostly the same corporate-run establishments. Again, why would this be attractive to a visitor, especially those looking for an “authentic tapas experience” in Sevilla? Trust me, there is a large – and growing – number of experienced travellers who actually organise their holidays based around the local food they hope to enjoy. And they will not be interested in hotel restaurants or obvious corporate chains. Having said that, many of these places are making some very good and creative food, but they just don’t fit in with what today’s internet-savvy tourists are looking for.

But overall it’s a good initiative and, hey, you have to start somewhere. If that’s by securing corporate sponsorship to get the word out then I guess that’s fair enough. Perhaps once better established the city will look to its already well-established community of experts (both local and foreign residents) who have been working for years in the tourist industry and have built up their own successful niche markets and networks.

Below is a list of the participating tapas bars and restaurants…