Juan Mari Arzak

A godfather of Basque cuisine, Arzak helped bring us spherification, cooking with liquid nitrogen and countless techniques that grace modern menus. Mark Sansom speaks to a legend of molecular gastronomy

I was born in the restaurant

For Basque people food is more than a way of life. It’s a religion. When I was young I had severe asthma, which gave me every excuse to stay tied to my mother’s apron strings. My passion, my life, I owe it to her.

My earliest food memory still seems like yesterday.

I was aged six and was sent down to a local field to watch the oxen with my cousin. He brought a pot, some leeks, carrots, onion, potatoes and alubias (a red bean common in Spain) and the thickest bread I’ve ever seen. He set up a stove and cooked it for hours and hours. I couldn’t take my eyes off the way the beans rose to the surface then sank back down. So much so that most of the oxen ran away. I would never have made it as a shepherd. From that moment on I knew I was hooked on food and cooking.

The best city in the world for food is obviously San Sebastián

but if I had to pick somewhere else, it would have to be Oaxaca in Mexico. The markets there are so colourful, and vibrant. Mexican food can be too spicy, but there it has just the right balance. I will never forget eating a fresh tortilla that a fat Mexican lady made for me with fatty back bacon, salsa and green peppers. Only three main ingredients, but perfect. She had trust in what she made.

My favourite restaurant is Arzak, but of course I would say that.

My other favourites are also found in and around the city of San Sebastián: Mugaritz is among my top five in the world, www.mugaritz.com, and I love what Pedro Subijana is doing at Akelare, akelarre.net. His red scorpion fish dish is one of the best I’ve tried. Outside of San Sebastián though, Noma in Denmark is pretty magic. Each dish tells its own story and that is really important for me, www.noma.dk

British food has moved on so much in the last decade.

My favourite restaurant in the UK is The Fat Duck. Heston is a good friend and bit of a genius. Though we all know where he gets his inspiration from! www.thefatduck.co.uk

One ingredient I can’t live without is the hake

from waters near San Sebastián. It’s so versatile. You can do nearly anything with it – it’s meaty and holds its form. It has always been on the menu at my restaurant. Its current incarnation sees it served with green sauce and fermented black garlic. Like the restaurant, it is constantly evolving. I try to bring something new to it with each version.

Evolution is the word that defines my kitchen

Everything is based on research and the avant-garde, and to keep improving we have to have that in our DNA. The future is based on the past, and to really evolve you have to think like a child.