On the first day of Alimentaria '08, the international food and beverage trade fair in Barcelona, I walk past the historic Plaça de Espanya to arrive at the Montjuïc venue, built for the Universal Exhibition in 1928. With the majestic Castell de Montjuïc looming just up the hill, I strongly feel the presence of the old. However, much of the emphasis of Alimentaria on the new—research, development and innovation–and I'm excited to see how this manifests in the meats, wines, cheeses and other products being showcased.

In New York City where I live, authentic Spanish food has become increasingly trendy with several hot restaurants opening in the last year—including one, Pamplona, that was chosen among the 10 best new restaurants of 2007 by a New York Times food critic. I'm keen to expand my knowledge of the country's cuisine.

All Things Carne
I begin at the Intercarn (meat) pavilion, which features polished displays of some of Spain's leading meat producers. Suddenly a dog appears and begins sniffing around my feet. This is a proper conference hall with doors and carpeting and security so I'm confused as to how a dog got in. And I'm even more confused as to why this dog doesn't seem interested in any of the meats. It all begins to add up when I notice that the dog's owner is talking to a man in a suit wearing with one of those ear pieces that the Secret Service wears. A crowd begins to form. More men with ear pieces appear. Then, as the VIP guests arrive – the Prince and Princess of Asturias – I finally realize that the dog is on the job, sniffing for explosives or some other security threat rather than just a lucky pet here for treats. (I couldn't be more thrilled about the celeb spotting. I've been to many food fairs, but have never seen royalty. I immediately text message my sister in Atlanta to give her the news.)

Once the glamorous procession passes, it is time to get to work. I start going from booth to booth seeing what's on offer. Because of strict FDA and USDA regulations, much of what is exhibited in the Intercarn pavilion can’t currently be imported into the U.S., but it was a great opportunity to sample and learn about the meats from Spain's various regions. I make sure to try my first taste of Jamón Ibérico, the marbeled, silky, dry-cured ham that is finally being imported to the U.S. And it only took one slice to understand what the excitement is about. The meat seems to melt in your mouth and the acorns, which are a primary part of the pig's diet, can be tasted in every bite. I realize why it's worth the $100 a pound back home.

I continue to eat my way through Intercarn, trying bites of Jamón Serrano, Botillo del Bierzo, and various other items. I particularly enjoy the Sobrasada de Mallorca, a bright red sausage made with minced pig meat, paprika, salt and a dash of pepper.

I recommend that Americans wanting to do business efficiently should be Spanish speakers or have someone with them who is fluent in food terms and production methods. However, even when I don't have a translator at my side, as I make my way through the 13 pavilions at the show–from wine to fish to packaged goods–I find a real united passion about Spanish cuisine. Corey Lee, Chef de Cuisine at The French Laundry restaurant in California and a judge at Alimentaria's sous chef competition agrees. "It was my first time in Spain and I was very impressed with the culture of food and wine that exists there. There seems to be a fraternity and camaraderie amongst the chefs that I found very inspiring. It's more of a collaborative effort to raise the overall quality and innovation of food in Spain than there is in the U.S.," he says.

Spanish Cheese
I find an ideal example of Spain's food innovation at a special tasting of 100 new cheeses from 17 regions. I've long been a fan of some of the D.O. cheeses such as Cabrales and Zamorano but there are many in this fresh array that are intriguing. Among those that are or may soon become available in the U.S. market are: Montefrieño: A fresh goat milk cheese from Andalucía that is soft and slightly salty and can be eaten immediately or ripened for three months.
Inés de Granda: From the Asturias region, a goat, cow and sheep milk cheese that is sweet and buttery near the rind but chalkier and more citrusy towards the middle.
Odre: A soft, fatty, buttery and nutty sheep milk cheese from Catalonia.
Añejo en Manteca: From Murcia´s region, a goat’s milk cheese coated in pig fat and left to age for 10 months.

This doesn't mean that I'm ignoring some of the more traditional cheeses as well. Delicasa, among other companies, offers a consumer-friendly pack featuring an array of P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) cheeses sealed in individual compartments within the package to keep the flavors fresh and protected—an ingenious fast-and-easy cheese board.

Great Packaging Concepts
Throughout the show, but especially in display areas such as Innoval (innovation) and Premios Best Pack (best packaging awards), I see other examples of creative, make-life-easier, packaging. Several companies offered a Fabada Asturiana kit (white bean and meat soup, similar to a cassoulet) with the various meat and bean ingredients in a multi-celled package. Serra & Mota offer an array of cocktail and tapas appetizers in a similar multi-celled pack, as does Espuña with its meat tapas packs. A company called Just Married has a range of products featuring cooked sauces in simple but stylish metal tins with the accompanying rice, pasta, in a separate container secured within a clear bag tied with a ribbon. Another favorite of mine is Vindaro's Rioja balsamic vinegar (aged 10 years) in a convenient spray bottle. I hope some of these innovations will make the leap to the U.S.

Cutting Edge Experts
Spain is known for its avant-garde chefs whose drive for interesting flavor combinations and deconstructive cuisine has created ripples around the food world. I discover as I'm touring the Restaurama (restaurant) pavilion that the company Sole Graells plans to open a store in New York City to sell and train people on the Texturas, Ingenios, and Lyo Sabores lines of food products, which will enable chefs to make the hot gelatins, airs, melon caviar, spherical ravioli and more that Ferran Adrià from El Bulli made famous. The name Adrià comes up again when I ask Chef Lee from The French Laundry if he’s seen any particularly interesting examples of modern Spanish cuisine. "I saw a DVD pastry demonstration by Albert Adrià at the workshop at Sole Graells. It was an amazing combination of innovation, refinement, precision, and fun. For me, it captured what modern food should be," he notes.

What strikes me though, especially as I go through the Pabellones de las Autonomías (the area filled with small companies and regional food associations), is that I don’t see much of this daring in the products on offer. I come to the same conclusion in the Olivaria (olives) section. It is possible that my lack of Spanish is impacting my assessment or that I just somehow missed those products, but most of the smaller companies I interview talk to me of improving their products—bringing out more flavors in the extra virgin olive oil, using higher grade pimentos in their relish—rather than going for the exotic experiments often found in restaurants.

An Abundance of Wine
The largest pavilion by far is the Intervin (wine and spirits) section at 32,000 sq. meters featuring more than 1,300 companies. This is of particular interest for me (and not just because I like my wine) but because I've read that in the next few years, the U.S. is expected to pass France as the world leader in wine consumption.

There are many more pavilions at Alimentaria–from organic food to fish to frozen to beverages to sweets—but I'm running out of time, brain power and room in my stomach to properly investigate them all. With about 5,000 participating companies and close to 160,000 visitors, it is an enormous event. As it is, when I leave the conference center my head is swimming—and I swear it's not because I drank too much cava. Really.

Susan Segrest is a New York City-based writer and editor. She's written for a variety of publications including Marie Claire, the New York Daily News, Prevention, Seventeen and Specialty Food Magazine.