InterSICOP 2024 Main Sector Personalities: Alejandro de Miguel, beverages and other fermented products in ice cream parlours

His parents were language teachers, so everything seemed to indicate that his professional career was heading towards teaching and Art History in particular. However, Alejandro de Miguel took a radical turn after working one summer in an ice cream parlour and falling in love with the profession. He moved to Italy with the intention of starting his training and discovering in depth the production and sale of ice cream in that country. When the pandemic broke out, he decided to return to his hometown, Madrid, to continue gaining experience in La Romana. There he met the Argentinian Iván Abachian, with whom he opened La Tramontana in 2021, a non-conformist ice cream parlour with its own workshop and a very dynamic showcase with a variety of proposals. Some of the strong points of the establishment are the use of seasonal ingredients and fruits, using less sugar and the right percentage of fat, and making a careful selection of suppliers, most of them from the Community of Madrid.

In the University Expert Course on Artisan Ice Cream Production at the University of Alicante, Alejandro de Miguel presented a great and complete research on fermentation, a field that has been little explored in ice cream production. A commendable piece of work of which he will give details at the next edition of the show.

At InterSICOP 2024, this chef will give the technical seminar "Beverages and other fermented foods in ice cream" on Saturday 17 February at 11 am. In this talk, he will be looking in depth at the advantages of fermentation in ice cream production. In addition to being a good marketing tool, fermentation offers the possibility of personalising and differentiating the display case, exploring fun combinations of flavours and taking advantage of wasted ingredients that are usually discarded.

Interview with Alejandro de Miguel, speaker at InterSICOP 2024

1.- How and why did you start your research into fermentation in ice cream?

It really started as a personal challenge. I really like Korean cuisine and especially kimchi, which I prepare quite often at home. When I was doing the Expert Course at the University of Alicante, I decided to make an ice cream with kimchi that I could have in a display case. As the idea was to create a flavour that could be served in a cone, I had to find a combination in which the kimchi was noticeable, but not too invasive. Thus the mango sorbet with kimchi was born. By researching and researching, I discovered a world full of possibilities and many new flavour ideas.

2.- What advantages does fermentation bring to the ice cream parlour?

It is a way of personalising the display case, offering unique flavours. It allows us to be creative and have fun looking for flavour combinations.  

3.- What are the disadvantages?

In the ice cream parlour, the pace is frenetic, especially during the high season, and fermentations are slow processes that require us to be patient and methodical. These are two worlds that are apparently not easy to combine.

Moreover, the word fermentation is often rejected by the general public, even though it is so present in our daily lives. It is essential to know the product well and to know how to communicate it to the customer in order to avoid possible reticence.

 4.- What are the parameters that must be taken into account when working with fermentations?

It depends on the type of fermentation and the working method used. But in general, we will take into account the degree of acidity (pH), the water activity (aw) and the presence or absence of oxygen. 

5.- What will you present at InterSICOP 2024?

Right now I'm working on the recipes, so I can't give too many details. I will make some sorbet with kombucha and/or some with tepache, and some ice cream or sorbet with fermented fruit.

The idea is to show the whole process, from when we put the drinks or fruits to ferment until we serve the sorbet/ice cream.