The croquette is not just another dish, but a sign of the status of the person who cooks it. Moreover, although it seems traditional for a place, it does not mean that it is easy to make, nor that all croquettes are the same. The temperature, the béchamel sauce, the ham, the type of breading... a whole range of combinations that led Axel Smyth, a chef with a Michelin star since November, to win the 11th Iberian Ham Croquette Championship at his restaurant Simpar in Santiago de Compostela on Monday, during the first day of the Madrid Fusión Alimentos de España.

And although he won't reveal the secret, between laughter and some nerves after reaching this milestone in his career, he says that the trick is in the bechamel, a key element in terms of flavor and texture in making a good croquette: "To achieve it, I had to cry while frying it," revealed the young chef, who makes his croquette, which is part of the tasting menu at his restaurant, with a broth made only with the ham part, without bones, and at a very low temperature.

A process that led him to win the final stage of a blind competition, in which more than 80 proposals were received, from Alejandro Villa, Edu Espejo, Adrián Collantes, Manuel Jurado, Manu Arenilla and Jorge Lozano, during a competition in which it became clear that this traditional Spanish dish seeks to give the customer "a little love", but that although there are many techniques for making it, in the end it is all about chemistry.

A formula, from Smyth, who took over the restaurant Quinqué, run by chef Carlos Griffo, winner of the 10th edition of this competition and who, on Monday, the first day of this gastronomic congress,Smyth formula took over the restaurant Quinqué, run by chef Carlos Griffo, winner of the 10th edition of this competition. On Monday, the first day of this gastronomic congress, he was one of the members of the jury chaired by Xanty Elías, from the Finca Alfoliz in Huelva, which also included the chefs José Pizarro, owner of seven Spanish restaurants in London, Gastón Acurio, great ambassador of Peruvian cuisine, and Jorge Vallejo, from the Quintonil restaurant in Mexico, and María Castro, from Sánchez Romero Carvajal, whose Jabugo ham is one of the recipes in this competition.