Mussels with white beans and tomatoes —and the revenge of the land

Natacha Sanz Caballero Rice, Grains and Pasta, Fish la venganza del campo, Lent, mejillones, platos de cuaresma, primary sector, sector primario, shellfish

The recipe I am sharing today, mussels with white beans and tomatoes, combine products from the primary sector, fishing and farming, many of whose purveyors are demonstrating on Europe’s streets and highways as we speak. And I have to say, with good reason.

Tractors demonstrating at Puerta de Alcalá, Madrid (photo credit Info Bierzo)

Manuel Pimentel, agricultural engineer, farmer, editor, author and former Minister of Labor of Spain, has recently published a book entitled “La venganza del campo”, the revenge of the land, where he explains some of the reasons that have led to the current situation. According to Pimentel, the reasons are not just economical, they are also political and moral. The primary sector worker feels neglected, ignored and persecuted, not only by the legislators, but by society in general. They were appreciated during the pandemic as the purveyors of food, and are now considered the enemies of the environment.

The book title, the revenge of the land, refers to the way in which the land has reacted as it has done since antiquity when it has felt persecuted: with a reduction of the crops, and therefore an increase in the price of food, which leads to an increase in the cost of the average family shopping basket.

Why is the land rebelling?

This is what Mr. Pimentel says it has happened: as a consequence of globalization, and a strong and powerful concentration of distributors, a lot of pressure has been put on the price paid to farmers for their products. In the two decades between the years 2000 and 2020, Europeans have enjoyed the lowest food prices in their history. Since food wasn’t a subject of concern, farmers and other primary sector workers were not of concern to the consumer either.

Farmers demonstrating in front of the Ministry of Agriculture of Spain (Madrid). Photo credit Heraldo de Aragón

Tractors and farmers demonstrating in Madrid (photo credit Madrid Secreto)

While this was happening, as a society we started to value much more the environment and its sustainability, which increasingly appeared in polls as a priority. Little by little, a mostly urban society started to flourish, a society that put great value on the environment and started passing laws that only took that variable into account. Many of the laws approved by the European Community have limited, restricted or persecuted, and therefore led, to the rise of costs in the primary sector. As a consequence, the primary sector industry is in turmoil, and on the road to be dismantled.

In reality, what has happened, is that the European Union laws have been written to create a beautiful and clean countryside, leaving the production of food to others—farmers, stockbreeders and fisherman of countries outside of the European Union—while European farmers and stockbreeders have been pointed with the finger as abusers. According to Mr. Pimentel, Europeans want nutritious, beautiful and affordable food, but without farming industry or farmers, cattle industry or stockbreeders, fishing industry or fishermen. In the collective conscience, the farmer, the stockbreeder and the fisherman is perceived as an enemy of the environment —which is a great paradox, because they are the ones that have the highest interest in the conservation of the environment.

As a society, we have to decide if we want an accessible food supply for all, or one that only the rich can afford. Up to now, Europe has been legislating for the latter.

Farming, fishing and stock breeding are not the problem, but part of the solution. What happens then? Europe’s countryside is becoming a beautiful place to stroll, while other countries are exporting to Europe the products that can perfectly be produced in Europe. What’s worse, we are not requiring or enforcing that the products entering the Union abide by the rules we’re imposing to our own European products and production methods and processes. The worst consequence, one that no country or society should ever accept, is that we are handing the keys to our food supply to third parties, external countries to the European Union, while we are strangling our own production. Wise leaders would never do that.

Where do we go from here?

To add to the problem, another issue that is arising is the generational renewal in the primary sector. Working the fields, breeding stock, and fishing have become very unattractive activities for the young. Spain, for instance, needs a minimum of 200,000 new farmers to guarantee the future of the sector (data comes from a study by the School of Agricultural Engineering in Córdoba). According to Mr. Pimentel, if the current legislative situation in Europe doesn’t change, the primary sector will only be able to feed the rich, while the middle and lower classes will not be able to afford the prices of primary food, that is, fruits, vegetables and grains, fish and meat.

Mr. Pimentel touches on many more points and variables in his book, but these are some of the ones he has been promoting in the media, and I have to say, I agree with everything he’s saying.

Today’s recipe, mussels with white beans and tomatoes, would have been very affordable 10 years ago, and while it is not out of reach today, its price is no doubt higher than it could be. I want a clean environment, I want to produce in a sustainable manner, but I also want to be able to afford nutritious and varied food items to put on my table. All the countries that sell to the European Union should do so under the same conditions and following the same rules that are asked to European Union primary sector producers. The European Union leaders, for their part, have to write laws that are reasonable, attainable, and beneficial for all, the general population as well as the producers.

A side note to mussels with white beans and tomatoes: not only it is very tasty and nutritious, but it makes for a perfect Lenten dish!

Note: to learn about Spain’s Lent and Holy Week traditions, check here, or in the Idiosyncrasies section of the FUNDAMENTALS tab in the main menu.

In front of the Ministry of Agriculture, Madrid (photo credit El Heraldo de Aragón)

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MUSSELS WITH WHITE BEANS AND TOMATOES

Mejillones con alubias blancas y tomatitos

Cuisine: Spanish

Author: Natacha Sanz Caballero, Mama Ía blog

Ingredients

• 3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cups baby tomatoes
• 1 shallot
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 15- ounce can white beans rinsed
• 2 pounds mussels
• 2/3 cup white wine
• 1 lemon
• A few sprigs of parsley

Instructions

• In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, peeled and thinly sliced, and sauté until soft but not brown.
• Add the tomatoes, sliced in half, and the shallot, thinly chopped. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to release their juice, about two minutes.
• Add the beans and stir to combine. Place the mussels on top and add the wine and one half of the lemon cut in rough pieces. Cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes.
• To serve, add a few more slices of lemon and sprinkle with minced parsley. Accompany with some slices of fresh country bread to soak up the delicious juices.