And at the Oscars, what do you eat? Spanish acorn-fed ham, macaroni and cheese, 37 desserts and a menu cooked by 120 chefs

There is no eating at the Oscars.

Lets start by the beginning.

At the Oscars you have to arrive many hours in advance, sit in the Dolby Theatre, chat with your seat mate, fit into a dress or a millimetrically designed suit (those who are lucky enough) and not get a single crumb on them during the performances. The show lasts more than three and a half hours.

There is no food at what is probably the most famous awards gala in the world.

There is a stalls with about 3,000 spectators who, if possible, can go out to the mezzanines to drink water or have a cocktail, because alcohol is served.

So the food what?

That one comes later.

As soon as the gala ends, all the winners, nominees and guests go up to the area where the Governor's Ball is held, the official awards party where whoever is the new owner of a statuette can engrave it with their name.

And all while eating some slices of freshly cut ham.

In a large space with a round bar with a gigantic Oscar in the middle, several informally distributed tables, chairs and sofas, the Governor's Ball will take place for the 65th time, the end of the awards party, whose menu and layout have been given to be known this Tuesday.

The American chef of Austrian origin Wolfgang Puck, who commands another 120 chefs, will serve a gargantuan menu in which this year, for the second time, the presence of Spanish ham stands out, specifically from the brand Cinco Jotas, chosen by the chef, who is client of the house (and fan) for more than five years and who directly decides who their suppliers are for the event.

Hence, he had Jabugo's house in 2019 and now he has called them again;

They are your guests, they do not pay or charge anything for those hams.

In principle, Puck has announced that there will be four legs - all made of 100% Iberian ham, one of the highest in the range - but the firm explains that they have made up to 10 available, all of them imported from Spain for the occasion by means of official, since meat products cannot be brought into the United States across the border in the usual way, in luggage.

On that first occasion in 2019, the ham was part of a cold salad with arugula, burrata and grapefruit, but its success was such that its cutter, Raúl Garrido (also present this year at the Oscars, along with a second cutter, Carlos Sánchez) He had to go out to the room with his paw and serve it directly on the plate, without being part of another recipe.

Hence, this year at the Ball, two cutting stations have been placed directly.

“We are going to have Cinco Jotas every year as long as our friend Raúl comes to cut it,” the chef joked at the presentation.

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But man does not live on ham alone.

Puck, which has been serving the post-awards menu for 30 years, has an extensive menu for the exquisite palates of BMartin Scorsese, Margot Robbie, Robert Downey Jr., Bradley Cooper and Emma Stone, among some of those who will pass through the room.

To feed such a large number of people and with so many dishes, the quantities announced follow the proportions of the menu: 90 kilos of smoked salmon and the same amount of chicken, beef and sea bass, almost 75 liters of soy sauce, 27 kilos of mushrooms, 18 kilos of shrimp or cauliflower, 100 ducks and a thousand bao buns.

To start, Puck and his chefs will assemble 10 life-size dishes that will be served on a tray pass.

Among them, spicy tuna tartare with sesame and miso,

steak tartare with

pavé

potatoes

, vegetarian dishes such as toast with butter and honey with sonjo jam and fresh whipped cream, vegan dishes such as

carrot, mushroom and edamame

gyozas

, and, of course , mini

wagyu

burgers with old cheddar and

remoulade

sauce and also various pizzas, since we are in Los Angeles for a reason.

Wolfgang Puck, with one of the chocolate cigars that he will serve at the Governor's Ball, the party held after the Oscars, on March 10. Mario Anzuoni (Reuters)

Afterwards, small plates will be passed around, two of them cold (a beet salad, goat cheese and citrus shallot vinaigrette; and another falafel salad with green chickpeas, herbs, coconut labné and lemon vinaigrette) and seven hot ones, as well as four mini desserts.

Among the hot dishes, one that is almost a national emblem, macaroni and cheese, but here refined in the

cacio e pepe

style , smaller burgers, stewed chicken with black truffle,

wagyu

beef with apple and celery puree and yuzu ponzu sauce, sea bass grilled with marinated artichokes and Veracruz sauce and, in the vegetarian section, pea

agnolotti

.

The sweets are a vegan paulova with persimmon persimmon,

bourbon

and cinnamon, or a chocolate and cherry tree, raspberry gel, cherry vinaigrette and black sesame, among others.

In addition, Puck has placed five themed stations, each with different dishes, where guests can try different dishes.

In the first, called

Fish & Chips

, there will be three preparations, such as fish and potatoes accompanied by tartar sauce, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding or a prawn cocktail, although with caviar, of course.

The second,

Crispy Rice Bar

, is dedicated to Japanese food and has different types of sushi and rice cakes prepared to order, and Asian ingredients to accompany those dishes: wasabi and avocado sauce, noodle salad

or

pickles with wasabi.

The third is Chinese food: at

Chinois On Main

there is duck with steamed bao buns and lamb skewers with ginger and carrot puree and coriander and honey sauce, or Chinese salad with caramelized cashews, crispy

wontons

and mustard and

lemongrass

vinaigrette .

The fourth is nothing less than a wood-fired pizza oven, with five options: margherita, white cheese with jalapeño, mushroom and truffle, pepperoni with Calabrian honey and fried vegetables.

This March 5, Wolfgang Puck presents one of the cuts of meat that will be served at the Governor's Ball, the party held after the Oscars, on March 10, 2024. Mario Anzuoni (Reuters)

The fifth, called something like

Bar de Pastoreo y Paella

, is one of the most varied, with 14 dishes.

This is where the Jabugo ham is found, but there is also potato omelette (the chef has made the dish known with its name in Spanish), which will be accompanied by romesco sauce and drop-shaped peppers, as well as olives dressed in rosemary and orange and two paellas, one with vegetables and the other, attention, with chicken, clams, mussels... and chorizo.

There's also hummus, eggplant babaganoush, jalapeño-marinated feta, pomegranate quinoa salad, and pita breads.

Then it's time for sweets.

Here both Puck and his dessert designers, Kamel Guechida and Garry Larduinat, have thrown in the remains, preparing 38 creations.

There is an immense variety.

First, more classic sweets: dark chocolate éclair, crunchy chocolates with almond and raspberry

pannacotta

, coconut and yuzu cake, milk chocolate and passion fruit canelés, creamy salted caramel and calamondin orange puff, fruit pâté with homemade pomegranate and ginger kombucha, Tropézienne cake (typical of the south of France), cheesecake with

Tahitian vanilla and raspberry

chantilly , caramel

mousse

and popcorn with infused sweet ravioli, freshly melted white chocolate and dark chocolate powder.. .

There, when the buttons have to be undone, there are more left.

First, half a dozen

mendiants

(bits of melted and hardened chocolate with fruit and other chocolates on top, such as one with hazelnuts and another with apricot, pistachio and sea salt) and Grand Marnier chocolate cigars, plus bars of Grand dark chocolate booking.

And then, more traditional sweets: apple pie, cloud cake, chocolate-covered waffles and Speculoos cookies,

chocolate and lemon

cookies ... There are also waffles on a stick, as if they were ice cream, the so-called

croiffles on a stick

, in five different flavors: with ice cream, coffee,

cookies

, fruit... And of course the finishing touch will be the miniature Oscars, whether made of dark chocolate filled with ganache, milk chocolate or dulce de leche.

They are the kings of the night and the finishing touch, whether in copper and tin or delicious chocolate.

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