The winning recipe, composed of tuna, garlic, peppers, pine nuts, and tomato, EVOO, and salt, will be part of the Mi Cub menu this season. The winner has received a title that credits her as the best titaina cook. “This Titaina Tournament is unique in the world,” said the host of the event, Boro Peiró.

Mi Cub, under the motto “The 4 Seasons of the Terreta,” presents a typical and traditional Valencian recipe each season, made with local products and quality, locally sourced ingredients, which give rise to unique dishes in which identity is very present. Highlighting our own and recovering traditions is one of the objectives of this initiative, and titaina, typical of these dates in April and Holy Week, could not be missed.

Paqui Martí grew up in a family dedicated to the hospitality industry, where she learned her mother’s recipe among stoves and restaurant routines. Today, her children continue this tradition at the helm of another establishment in El Cabanyal, where titaina is cooked throughout the year. However, she prefers to reserve its preparation for Holy Week, thus maintaining a more special character linked to tradition. According to her, the secret of a good titaina lies in patience and cooking it slowly, without rushing.

Paqui Martí’s titaina recipe, following the steps marked by the winner, will remain on the menu throughout the year: the key is to sauté all the ingredients, except the tomato, with a good splash of oil and then add the tomato and leave it for at least two hours at a low temperature.

Anabel Navas, director of Mi Cub and promoter of this initiative, was very pleased with the celebration of this VI tournament and pointed out that “this event has established itself as a prominent event in the city’s gastronomic calendar, highlighting tradition and local products.”

Media and journalists specializing in gastronomy were the members of the jury, and each one cast their vote to choose their favorite proposal.

The other participants were Mila Crespo, Dolores Carabal, José Díaz, and Natalia Sanz.

Mila Crespo has run a bar all her life in El Cabanyal, an environment in which traditional cuisine is part of everyday life. There she learned her mother’s recipe, internalizing from a young age the secrets of titaina and other typical preparations. Over the years, she has also established herself as a great specialist in pepitos and buñuelos, of which she proudly claims are the best in all of Valencia.

Dolores Carabal, a resident of the neighborhood since childhood, maintains a very close link with the family culinary tradition. She learned the recipe from her father, who was a fisherman and had a clòtxinas farm, which deeply marked her way of understanding cooking. Although she usually prepares titaina during Easter and Holy Week, it is increasingly common for her to cook it at other times of the year, encouraged by the insistence of her children and grandchildren. In addition, she stands out for her skill in making pepitos and empanadillas, which are also part of her usual repertoire.

In the case of Jose Díaz, his relationship with titaina is more self-taught. He learned to prepare it on his own, following the traditional recipe and perfecting it with practice. In his home, this preparation is reserved exclusively for Holy Week, when he gathers family and friends who eagerly await the opportunity to enjoy it.

Finally, Natalia Sanz keeps the tradition alive thanks to her family roots in El Cabanyal. Her grandfather was a fisherman and her grandmother sold fish in the Tavernes Blanques market, so titaina has always been present in her home. Although she likes to prepare it throughout the year, especially to share it with a group of international friends that she has formed in the neighborhood, it is during Holy Week when it acquires greater prominence, as it is an essential part of the traditional cuisine of these dates.

With this initiative, Mi Cub reaffirms its commitment to Valencian gastronomy, betting on the recovery of traditional recipes and on giving visibility to local talent that keeps alive the culinary essence of the terreta.