Spanish chef Maria Jose San Roman said the leftover recipes are the best in the world to reduce at least 35 percent of food ending up in the trash.

“Leftovers are the best recipes in the world. We have to teach people to use leftovers again, even if we are rich,” Roman told Anadolu as part of the Women and Gastronomy event in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Jose San Roman, the founder of Women in Gastronomy, said 35 percent of the food produced in the world goes to the rubbish.

Underlining the importance of zero-waste, she said the leftovers must be manufactured instead of ending up in the trash.

“I am involved in a very big project of the Spanish government where we said the world’s richest country cannot throw anything… Poor are rich because they use 100% of their food. The most expensive product is the one you throw,” San Roman said.

She advised people to think carefully before shopping and said “we do not have to fill the house with food”.

The Spanish chef, owner of a Michelin-star restaurant in Monastrell in Alicante, said the open buffets in 5-star hotel restaurants “should be forbidden to prevent waste.”

Jose San Roman said “game over” for extensive buffets.

She said serving with a tray and port is a “very good idea” as people fill their plates in open buffets with a lot of food they cannot eat.

Spanish chef Maria Jimenez Latorre said it is “ridiculous” to buy something and not use it properly.

“We have to take care of our planet. Whatever you throw is the most expensive way to spend money,” she said.

Regarding the leftovers, she said she always uses them. For example, she prepares an omelet with bread when it is too hard to eat.

“My suggestion is just to buy whatever you need for the week. Go to the supermarket with a list after having lunch or dinner. If you are hungry, you buy much more than you need,” she added.

During the Feb. 6 twin earthquakes in Türkiye, she said she worked in the kitchen in a hospital in the quake-hit Iskenderun district of Hatay province.

“I recycled everything. I worked with the Spanish government. We prepared wonderful lunch and dinner for lots of times,” she added, noting that zero-waste is really significant in those difficult times. (PNA)