Apparently, the oldest restaurant in the world is in Madrid

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Here’s a question for note: What do Tarantino, Hemingway, Tom Jones, Pérez Galdós, Charlton Heston and Nancy Reagan have in common? The answer is that all those celebrities enjoyed (or that’s what tradition says) of the stews served in one of the most special restaurants on the entire planet: Botin Housea food establishment famous for its barbecues located in the historic center of Madrid, five minutes from the Plaza Mayor. If the business is famous beyond the capital or Spain, however, it is not because of its vast list of illustrious clients, nor even for its baked suckling pig or lamb. What stands out is its age. The restaurant owners come back Its origins date back to 1725, which would make it the oldest in the world. This is how it appears certainly in the Guinness of records. The oldest? That’s how it is. The world is very big and above all it has many, many restaurants (in Spain close to 90,000), but if we ask the authors of the Guinness book no doubt Which is the oldest of all: Botín, a restaurant that traces its origins back to the beginning of the 18th century. This is how its owners defend it, they need that the business was founded in 1725, and so it is recognized the most famous record guide on the planet, the Guinness World Records. In fact, the place generates so much interest that in 2025, coinciding with its 300th anniversary, it starred in chronicles in media such as Smithsonian Magazine, The Times either Financial Timeswhose reporters took the opportunity to try their famous baked suckling pig and order a bottle of Rioja. And what is its story? The Guinness Book assures that the restaurant was set up in the 18th century by a French chef, Jean Botin, and his wife, originally from Asturias. Other versions they need that it was Jean’s nephew, Cándido Remis, who started the business (hence why he is known as ‘Botín’s Nephew’). What all versions agree on is that the origins of the business date back to 1725 and that the building it occupies, on Cuchilleros Street, is even earlier and can be dated to late 16th century. Another surprising fact is that, despite its astonishing longevity, the restaurant has only passed through the hands of two families: first that of its founder, then, already in the 1930s, that of the González family, who have run the restaurant since before the Civil War. How is it possible? The big question. No matter how good a restaurant is, no matter how much effort its owners put into it, or how appetizing their food is, it usually ends up declining over time. Changes in tastes, changes in cities, crises, pandemics, wars, generational changes… there are many rocks on which a family business like Casa Botín can run aground. If there is something exceptional about her, beyond her piglets, it is her great resilience and ability to adapt to changes. The authors of the Guinness Book themselves remember Until the 18th century, the inn could not sell meat or food. He only cooked the food that the guests brought. “There is a legend that it was feared that if taverns served meals, men would never return home to their wives,” remember in Smithsonian Magazine Floriana Gennari, anthropologist. Over time, towards the 19th century, the business began to be called a ‘restaurant’, emulating the culinary fashions of France and opting for a more select approach. “In fact they made cakes and sweets before focusing on pork and local meat,” duck Gennari. Is it really the oldest? Its owners so they claim. And this has been recognized by the Guiness World Record and international media that present it as such, including National Geographic, Forbes, cnn or Forbes, which included it in 2012 your selection of “10 classic restaurants to visit”. Now, the popular establishment on Cuchilleros Street is not the only one to claim that title. Without leaving the Community of Madrid we found another business, the Casa Pedro tavern, which hold that its origins can be traced back even further in time, to 1702. Even the international press has been echoed of the struggle between both establishments to be able to hang in their living room the certificate that distinguishes them as the oldest restaurant. Outside of Spain there are also businesses that they assure have a centuries-old history behind them, some even greater than Botín’s. And what are they? There are those who say that in Salzburg there is a place, the St. Peter Stifskulinariumwhich was founded in the 9th century. In Regensburg (Germany) there is another that dates back its history to the 12th century, the same century in which the museum supposedly opened its doors. Ma Yu Chingin Henan, China. In Japan we also find some restaurant which ensures that its history is well before that of Botín. Probably what few can compare with Botín (besides his suckling pig) is his history, rich in legends. It is said that Goya came to work at the premises washing dishes, Galdós organized gatherings there and the fire in his oven has never gone out, not even during the pandemic. Enough to have captivated figures like Hemingway, who mentions the restaurant in his work ‘Fiesta’. Images | Wikipedia 1 and 2 In Xataka | In Vigo the hoteliers have decided that it is enough to occupy tables to just have a coffee. Solution: minimum consumption

comply with Brussels and save your accounts

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It is the first electric manufactured entirely in Spainbut the arrival of the Cupra Raval goes beyond a product launch: it is the key piece for the firm to balance its accounts with Brussels, with Volkswagen and, ultimately, with the market. Why it matters. Cupra closed 2025 with an operating profit of just one million euros and negative margins of 0.6%, according to they count from The Economist. The main culprit was the 250 million in tariffs that the European Union imposed on the Cupra Tavascan because it is made in China. Added to this are the million-dollar investments committed to the Martorell plant. For this reason, the Raval is not just a new car: it is the rescue plan. Commitments. The Volkswagen Group has allocated around 10,000 million euros to the manufacture of a new family of electric vehicles in Spain, of which 3,000 million go directly to the Martorell plant. There the Cupra Raval and the Volkswagen ID. Polein addition to other Skoda and Audi models based on the same platform. The factory, with capacity for 300,000 units of this electric family per year, will operate at “maximum load”, according to Markus Haupt himselfCEO of Seat and Cupra, during the presentation of the model. Sales target. Haupt has put a figure on success: 40,000 units of the Raval in 2026. These sales should contribute to electrified vehicles represent 25% of the brand’s totala necessary threshold to comply with the CO2 emissions regulation required by the European Union. Without this percentage, Cupra is exposed to fines that would further aggravate an already tight financial situation. The goal of Volkswagen. The group demands Seat and Cupra an operating margin of 6% on sales for 2030. It is an optimistic figure, because if we review its history, the company has never reached it in its entire history. In fact, its best data is from 2024with a margin of 3.7%. To get there, the company has launched an efficiency plan that includes the elimination of 30% of senior management positions, although Haupt has pointed out which does not foresee any further staff adjustments beyond those already agreed upon. What stands out about the car. The Raval is presented with four versions in Spain. The entry level, simply called Raval, starts at 26,000 euros before aid, with a range of about 300 km, although for this we will have to wait until September. One step above we have the Dynamic version, with 210 HP and a 54 kWh battery, which reaches 444 km of autonomy and has a starting price of 32,065 euros. Then we have Dynamic Plus and the VZ Extreme, the latter with 226 HP and 384 km of autonomy, which starts at 40,265 euros. Dimensions, a sales argument. At 4.04 meters long and with a 442-litre trunk, the Raval surpasses its direct rivals such as the Renault 5which measures 3.92 meters and offers 277 liters of cargo. And here Cupra is not only looking to compete on price or autonomy, it is also betting everything on offering the cabin and capacity of a higher segment car within the body of an urban car. Rivals who set the bar. Vehicles such as the Renault 5, the KIA EV3 or the BYD Dolphin Surf They feature some of the best-selling B-segment electric cars in Spain. In terms of price and autonomy, it has difficult rivals to beat, so it makes perfect sense that Cupra also wanted to add the practicality factor as a differentiating element. We will have to wait to find out how Cupra fares after this decision. China. Haupt has acknowledged that Chinese manufacturers are on the company’s radar, although has defended that the Raval represents, in his own words, “a very strong response” to them. On the other hand, from Volkswagen, its CEO Oliver Blume has gone further with its motto “made in Europe for Europe”. Blume does not intend to resort to protectionism with his words, but he has clarified that Chinese manufacturers be required to produce on the continent instead of limiting themselves to exporting. The CEO reiterated also during the launch that the commitment to Spain and this model is “one of the largest investments” in the history of the group. We’ll see how the play goes. Cover image | CUPRA In Xataka | “We have no chance”: after visiting a Chinese factory, the CEO of Honda loudly admitted the noise of the industry

too much ambition for so little time

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Artemis II has been successfully completedbut this has practically been the beginning of the Artemis missions. NASA’s goal is for a manned spacecraft to land on the Moon and, in the future, to build a lunar base for future expeditions. But for that it will be necessary to take another step in the development of space exploration technologies. Aware that it can’t do everything alone, NASA already has the support of private agencies, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, but that can create complicated tensions. Apollo vs Artemis. When humans first landed on the Moon aboard Apollo 11, they had a ship made up of two modules: a landing module and a command module. Once in lunar orbit, both modules were separated, so that one remained rotating around the Moon and the other carried out the lunar landing. Both had to be manned. Therefore, in all the missions in which the moon landing was achieved, there was an astronaut who did not set foot on the Moon. In the case of Artemis, the goal is for the entire crew to land on the moon. They will travel in the Orion capsule, as they have done in Artemis II and, once in lunar orbit, they will pass to the lander, which will already be there. SpaceX vs Blue Origin. Taking the above into account, it is clear that NASA’s next big step will be the construction of the lander. Orion has already more than proven that it works perfectly. In order to reach the planned dates on time, NASA asked for help from the two largest private space exploration companies: Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. In principle, the initial contract was received by SpaceXfor the construction of a lander called the Human Starship Landing System (HLS). However, there are some delays in production that have led NASA to consider canceling the contract and giving priority to Blue Origin’s proposals. That, logically, has generated many tensions between both companies. Step by step for a moon landing. According to NASA’s schedule, the manned moon landing should occur in 2028. By the time Orion reaches lunar orbit, the lander should already be theredocked to the Lunar Gateway, the Lunar Station to be built through the collaboration of the American, European, Canadian and Japanese space agencies. During the time it remains docked until the arrival of Orion, the HLS will have to receive fuel several times, directly in orbit. When Orion arrives, it will also dock with the Lunar Gateway, so astronauts can transition from the ship to the lander. Everything will be ready for the moon landing. Many steps and very little time. Although the manned moon landing is planned for the end of 2028, before refueling in orbit should be tested and, above all, carry out a complete uncrewed moon landing. It is important to check that it is safe before taking astronauts to the lunar surface. The first steps should be carried out in 2027. But both the Lunar Gateway and the HLS have experienced delays. A way could be found to directly dock the HLS with the Orion spacecraft. In fact, Some tests have already been carried out on Earth successfully.. However, the delays that SpaceX is experiencing make it very difficult to meet the dates. China on the heels. Although there are those who say that NASA has already won the lunar race against China, in reality the winner will be whoever takes its astronauts to the lunar surface first. NASA has taken its people to the orbit of our satellite, but China is working at a good pace. Its goal is to land on the moon in 2030. In principle, NASA would go faster, but delays could truncate its plans. Maybe we should give up racing. In reality, it is more than proven that the greatest space successes are those that come from collaboration. All you have to do is see that, although it has not received the publicity it deserves, Europe has played a key role in the success of Artemis II. The effort to turn lunar missions into a race between China and NASA may obscure the true objective. Demonstrate that humanity, wherever it comes from, is capable of taking that great leap that Neil Armstrong was already talking about in 1969. The best way to jump will always be as a team. Images | NASA (edited) In Xataka | We knew there was water on the Moon, but not why some craters were empty. Finally we have the answer

A fan secretly recorded 10,000 concerts over 40 years with a dictaphone. Internet Archive is digitizing everything

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For four decades, Chicago club owners would see a guy with deep pockets walk in and turn a blind eye. Aadam Jacobs didn’t sell anything or bother: he simply recorded. Every week, several concerts. Every year, hundreds of tapes. Forty years later, that absurd and methodical habit is one of the most valuable and unique sound files of rock history. Who is it. Jacobs, who is now 59 years old, began recording concerts in 1984 with a dictaphone-style device that his grandmother lent him. He was 17 years old and was already recording songs from the radio when he realized he could do the same live, simply hiding a recorder in a pocket when entering the room. Jacobs does not consider himself an obsessive archivist, but simply a music fan. His reasoning was simple: if he went to several concerts a week anyway, why not document them? More and better. Over time the equipment improved: from the Sony cassette it went to DAT (digital audio tape) and from there to solid state digital recorders, although in the first years he admits that he used quite mediocre material because I didn’t have money for anything else. At first, the venue owners tried to stop him from recording, but over time he became a regular figure on the Chicago music scene and many began to let him in for free. A profile of him in the ‘Chicago Reader’ in 2004 he described it as one of the city’s cultural institutions. What’s in the boxes. What has happened with the Aadam Jacobs Collection, which is the name that has ended up being given to all of their recordings, is especially valuable to fans of indie and punk rock from the 1980s and early 2000s, when the scene hit the big time. mainstream thanks to nirvanazo. The catalog includes early performances by REM, The Cure, Pixies, The Replacements, Depeche Mode, Sonic Youth and Björk. There are also rarities, like a 1988 concert by rap pioneers Boogie Down Productions, or a 1990 performance by cult group Phish. The star: Nirvana. Nirvana’s recording from 1989, when the group was completely unknown, may be the most interesting of all, taken two and a half years before the release of ‘Nevermind’. But there are also hundreds of performances by smaller groups that have no other sound documentation of their career. Engineers reviewing the recordings acknowledge some surprise at the good quality of many of the recordings, especially given that Jacobs was not using professional equipment. How it started. After appearing in a 2023 documentary, the Internet Archive contacted Jacobs to propose preserving the collection in its live music collection (Live Music Archive), since analog tapes have a limited lifespan. Gradual demagnetization, fungus and mechanical deterioration of coil mechanisms mean that the risks of loss increase with each passing year. Internet Archive volunteer Brian Emerick travels to Jacobs’ house once a month and picks up 10 to 20 boxes, each containing 50 to 100 tapes. He transfers the analog recordings to digital files, which he then sends to other volunteers for mixing and mastering. Emerick estimates that it has digitized approximately 5,500 performances since the end of 2024, and that the project will still take several years to complete. An exception. Jacobs’ tapes have survived through a mix of personal obsession and luck, which has ended up leading them to a repository where they will remain for posterity. He smartphone has democratized concert recording, to the point where it is practically impossible for a live show not to have its corresponding digitalization. But democratizing is not preserving: most of that material ends up buried in forgotten backups or online platforms that change their terms of service frequently. Jacobs was methodical despite his amateur status, and that is what has saved this true musical treasure. In Xataka | The first chorus decides everything: streaming is making today’s songs much simpler

In Spain we love to have dinner at ten at night. To our biological clock and our heart, not so much

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Eating dinner at 9 or 10 at night is something that is quite normal for Spaniards, but seen by foreigners, it is something that shocks them quite a bit as it is so different from the customs of other countries. And although our normality is to eat at three in the afternoon and dinner at ten at nightthe reality is that our biological clock is not designed to digest large amounts of food when the sun has already set. Time matters. Although in recent years we have been obsessed with looking at the ingredients of what we eat or the amount of calories it contains, the reality is that science gives more and more importance to consumption. This is where chrononutrition comes from, an emerging discipline that studies the relationship between circadian cycles and our diet, and that little by little is seeing that eating late dinners has a direct impact on our metabolic health. our quality of sleep and our risk cardiovascular. The biological clock. Our body works like an orchestra perfectly synchronized by circadian rhythmsand leaving them has serious consequences. We see it, for example, with the famous jet lagthe time change or even when we go to bed at a time that is not ours. The result is that the body has to recover again and has important effects, such as great fatigue. In the case of eating at odd hours, especially at dinner, we are desynchronizing the peripheral clocks that the cells of organs as important as the pancreas or liver have. And this results in a drastic worsening of glucose tolerance and also insulin secretion. Its effect. And it has consequences, since when we eat dinner close to our biological bedtime, that is, when the sun is setting, the body reduces the consumption of nocturnal fats and there is also a large release of cortisol, which is the stress hormone, and the release of melatonin, which is essential for falling asleep, is delayed. This is something that became clear in a 2025 meta-analysis, where it is detailed that eating after nine at night worsens the rhythms of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which not only has a metabolic impact, but also an emotional one, increasing the risk of depression. The Spanish case. If we focus precisely on our country, we have as a reference the study led by the ISGlobal institute that analyzed to 100,000 participants of the NutriNet-Santé cohort. Here it was concluded that dining after 9 pm is associated with a greater cardiovascular risk, especially impacting the risk of cerebrovascular disease in women. In the case of weight. If you want to lose weight, dinner time also has a lot of influence, as noted in a study by researcher Marta Garaulet that showed that people who eat later at midday lose less weight than those who eat early, even when they consume the same calories and expend the same amount of energy and sleep the same amount. Added to this are studies in Catalan adults that associate the delay of the first meal of the day with a higher BMIwhile extending overnight fasting is related to a lower BMI. Beyond the scale. Although we may keep in mind the impact on digestion, the reality is that studies suggest that having late meal times is related to poorer quality of sleep. This was seen in the United States, where science pointed out that in middle-aged women it has been proven that bringing dinner time closer to bedtime prolongs the time it takes to fall asleep, therefore shortening the effective duration of rest. And as we already know, having poor quality sleep generates many other problems, such as a worse cardiometabolic profile, which generates a true vicious circle. Its nuances. Logically, having a late dinner alone does not explain the state of health of the Spanish population, since the context has a lot of influence. This is where the traditional Spanish Mediterranean diet comes in, which makes dinners later meals, but also much lighter, leaving the main energy weight for the midday meal. That is why you should keep in mind that a late, copious and ultra-processed dinner followed by a trip straight to bed is not the same as a light dinner accompanied by some physical activity before going to sleep. Even so, science suggests that, if the objective is to reduce metabolic risk, improve carbohydrate metabolism and lose weight, the winning strategy involves advance dinner time and maintain a longer overnight fasting window. Images | Eiliev Aceron Shane In Xataka | Healthy obesity does not exist: why “being fat but fit” is nothing more than a myth

We have been looking for decades to reduce diesel pollution. The answer was in the water

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In slow progress, but with increasing momentum, new energy vehicles continue to gain ground in Europe. However, the vehicle fleet It is still plagued by diesel enginesespecially because beyond passenger cars, they continue to dominate freight transportation, agriculture and industry. Because? Well, because at the end of the day they are robust, efficient and very reliable. But they are also one of the main sources of air pollution. However, there are numerous projects and studies that seek to make diesel a much less polluting fuel. In this regard, a team of researchers from Nigeria has given it a twist to an already known technology that, well applied, can change that equation without having to redesign the engine. What is WiDE technology. Its acronym in English stands for Water-in-Diesel Emulsion, or water-diesel emulsion. The idea is to mix small amounts of water with the diesel using substances called surfactants, which act as stabilizers and keep the mixture homogeneous for up to 60 days. The result is a fuel that, on the outside, barely differs from conventional diesel but that behaves very differently inside the engine. How it works inside the cylinder. When this mixture burns in the combustion chamber, the water droplets vaporize instantly and violently. This phenomenon is called “microexplosion” and has a direct and positive effect: it atomizes the fuel into much finer particles, which improves the mixture with the air. More efficient combustion at lower peak temperatures directly translates into fewer nitrogen oxides (NOx) and less soot. Numbers. The study, carried out by researchers from the Federal University of Technology of Owerri (Nigeria) and published at Carbon Research, analyzed the results of this solution in studies around the world. After this, they detected that engines that operate with WiDE can reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 67% and suspended particles by up to 68% compared to conventional diesel. In addition, several experiments also pointed to an improvement in the thermal efficiency of the engine. Because matters. Current emissions control systems, such as particulate filters or SCR catalysts, work, but add cost and mechanical complexity. WiDE, on the other hand, acts directly on combustion and does not require modifying the engine. According to the main researcher of the study, Dr Chukwuemeka Fortunatus Nnadozie, is “a practical and cost-effective way to clean diesel engines” that opens “an immediate path to lower emissions in both developing and developed countries.” The key: surfactants. It’s not all about mixing water and diesel. The stability of the emulsion depends largely on the type and amount of surfactant used. The investigation concludes that formulations that combine several surfactants offer the best results, both in fuel stability and combustion quality. On the other hand, if this component is chosen incorrectly it can compromise both the performance and security of the system. What remains to be resolved. The authors themselves acknowledge that the technology needs more research before mass adoption. Optimal surfactant formulations remain to be defined and the long-term effect on internal engine components needs to be evaluated. The study’s co-author, Professor Emeka Emmanuel Oguzie, point which, “with proper formulation and testing, could become an important part of sustainable transport and industrial systems.” An intermediate solution. WiDE is not proposed as a substitute for electrification or renewable energies, but as an intermediate solution. The authors describe it as a bridge between the current use of diesel and a cleaner energy model, and point out that it could combine with biodiesel and other emissions control systems to enhance their effects. In Xataka | With gasoline at 2 euros per liter in France, something is happening in Guipúzcoa: French people crossing the border with jerrycans

China has shown that the good and cheap electric car exists. So Citröen has had to get its act together

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China is doing very well with the cheap electric car. And if not, tell them BYD Dolphin Surfa 100% electric vehicle that the company finances at just over 3% for 125 euros per month. Without financing it costs 19,990 euros which, after aid, can become 11,780 euros. Saving exceptions like Dacia Springwhich compete in a much lower league, Western manufacturers have no choice but to respond. And Citröen has been the first to do so. 11,700 euros. Citroen has been lowering the price of its ë-C3 for more than a yeara car that was launched on the market for more than 20,000 euros and that, since its launch, has been reduced by almost half. Now, after aid, the Citröen C3 costs 11,700 euros, with an eight-year warranty. What it offers. With a price practically identical to the Dolphin Surf, an almost identical autonomy (220 km under the WLTP cycle), and a technology relatively similar to that of the Chinese alternative, we are finally talking about a price at which the company can be competitive. What China offers. Both vehicles, in their most economical version, have LFP batteries. The main difference is in the charging system: 65 kW for the BYD and 30 kW for the Citröen. The key, however, is not in the specs: it is that BYD has been offering a competitive price since its arrival in Spain, which has catapulted it into the top 3 of the best-selling electric cars in the country. Beyond Tesla. There is no electric car that sells more than the Model 3 in Spain. This is to be expected, given the reliability, range and price of the vehicle. Just below Tesla, we have the BYD Dolphin Surf, which has sold more than 1,332 units so far this year (compared to 2,489 for the Model 3 and 2,023 for the Model Y). Taking into account that they play in completely different leagues, the BYD case is a resounding success. A purely urban car that sells practically twice as much as its direct rivals. The electric C3 has 634 units sold, placing it in the top 9. The ranking points to something very clear: the price is the main purchasing factor for the Spanish electric companyand Western manufacturers will have to tighten their grip if they want to compete with China. In Xataka | The electric cars with the most autonomy that can be bought in 2026

names, bank details and more, compromised

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Basic-Fit is one of those names that are repeated over and over again when we visit different European cities. Their gyms are everywhere and their backpacks have become almost a recognizable element in the urban landscape. Precisely for this reason, what has just come to light is not a minor incident: the largest gym chain in Europe has suffered a security breach which has exposed information of around a million clients. The question is inevitable: what exactly happened? According to a statement sent to Xatakathe attackers managed to breach the system responsible for recording members’ visits to the gyms. We are not facing just any system, but rather one of the pieces that are part of the daily lives of millions of users. The company maintains that the intrusion was detected automatically by its monitoring systems and that it was blocked within a few minutes. The geographical scope of the incident is clear: six of the 12 countries where the company operates have been affected by the intrusion. We are talking about Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and the Netherlands. In the case of the latter, the number of affected is around 200,000 customers, and there are no details on the rest of the territories. If you’re wondering why only half of the countries have been affected, Reuters has the answer: the rest operate under a franchise model with different computer systems. It is a key point to understand why the scope could be more limited than it initially appears, although it is still significant. The company has launched an investigation with external cybersecurity experts. Thanks to this, we are beginning to outline what type of information may have been compromised. According to the statement, the exposed data includes: Membership Information Name and address Email address Phone number Birthdate Bank details (partial leak; only some users’ IBANs were exposed) Basic-Fit insists that no identification numbers or passwords have been leaked, nor has it detected that the data is circulating publicly. When he talks about the latter, everything indicates that he is referring to environments such as dark webwhere this type of information usually ends up for sale and where personal data becomes a more commoditys. Just because there is no trace now does not necessarily mean that it cannot appear later. The risk, in any case, is real. With access to this type of data, a malicious actor can launch phishing much more credible or even more precisely targeted attacks. Therefore, beyond the specific scope of the breach, the recommendation is clear: it is advisable to exercise extreme caution with any email or communication we receive in the coming days, and always verify that they come from legitimate sources. Basic-Fit, being a listed company and operating under European rules, has notified the data protection authorities about the incident. At the same time, is notifying customers who have been affected. Images | Basic-Fit | freepik In Xataka | How often should we change ALL our passwords according to three cybersecurity experts

The most dangerous time of the drought is now. Just when we have the reservoirs full

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Spain has just officially emerged from the drought that it has been dragging on since 2021. And no wonder: the reservoirs are at 83.5%; That is, the highest level recorded in the month of March in the entire historical series. That also explains why we are not talking about it: restrictions have been lifted, administrations have been relaxed and, beyond some very specific places, no one talks about the drought anymore. It is right at this moment that the next water crisis is being prepared. The paradox of abundance. At least, that’s what explains Jorge Rodríguez-Chueca in The Conversation. This professor from the Polytechnic University of Madrid is convinced that now is the time to think about what would happen if it doesn’t rain more all year. Because it is precisely when water begins to run out that the system is most in danger. After all, just one dry year (without changes in consumption) would be enough for the drought to return. The wettest January on record may be, for all we know right now, a mirage. What really is a drought? And it is that, according to the researcherdrought does not begin when there is a lack of water; It begins when consumption is unable to adjust to the variability of inputs. That is why we must stop reactive management and start thinking ahead. But let’s not rush: there are still scars from the drought. And, no matter how happy we are about the current situation, it would be reckless to forget that the effects of the previous drought are still with us. According to many researchers, the It started in 2021 and was the worst drought in 200 years. and, in early 2024, reservoirs reached historic lows. It is true that the situation began to recover shortly after, but it has taken more than two years (and a historic event) for the drought to end. A historical pattern. The most interesting thing about Rodríguez-Chueca’s work is the idea that, in periods of abundance, demand increases (not only is more water consumed, but more is irrigated, more permits are granted, and more facilities and parks are created). When drought hits, consumption is higher and that accelerates the crisis — and the margin for action is smaller. We have seen it many times. As explained in Datadista“since the deep drought of the 1990s, each dry period has served to implement emergency measures (…) or allow practices that were not eliminated when the rains returned, they were used to expand irrigation, increasing the problem of overexploitation and contamination of aquifers and the wetlands they feed.” Will we fall into the same mistake again? That is the big question and there are no signs to be optimistic. Above all, because the problem goes beyond what Rodríguez-Chueca points out: we are talking about a structural problem. Irrigation modernization is a poisoned gift: it reduces water needs per hectare, yes; But that has pushed many dryland farms to be converted into irrigation. Ultimately, each innovation and improvement creates a more efficient system, but more dependent on missing water. This is what has led us to this situation. Image | Anthony Da Costa In Xataka | In the middle of one of the most extreme droughts in living memory, Catalonia has had an idea: start cutting down trees

Prepared food already represents a business of 3,000 million for Mercadona. And that is a problem for McDonald’s and Burger King

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The proverb says that a picture is worth a thousand words. The success of the so-called ‘merchants’ Supermarkets that are hybridizing to become places where you can buy and consume already cooked dishes are not only measured in images and words. It can also be followed with something much more forceful: figures. One of the most resounding he just left her Mercadona. Throughout 2025, the Valencian chain had a turnover of around 700 million euros in Spain through its section ‘Ready to eat’. If we expand the focus to include its pre-cooked offering (refrigerated, trays…) the joint business volume in Spain and Portugal amounts to 3,000 million euros. What has happened? We have just obtained data that helps us better understand how the ‘Ready to Eat’ section is working for Mercadona. According to the information advanced by Food RetailIn 2025, the Valencian chain invoiced 700 million euros in Spain through this channel. Perhaps it seems like a discreet figure when compared to its global sales, which were close to 39.8 billion in Spain, but it is interesting for two big reasons. First, because the ‘Ready to Eat’ section is young. It was not launched until 2018. Since then Mercadona has been expanding it throughout its network (in 2025 it reached 210 new supermarkets) until it was present, at the end of last year, in 1,469 points of sale from Spain and Portugal. The second reason is that in reality ‘Ready to eat’ is only one of the multiple channels that allow Mercadona to capitalize on the growing demand for already cooked food. If the entire business and its turnover in Spain and Portugal are taken into account, the level of income is much higher. How much do you earn then? In total, if we count both the business generated by the ‘Ready to eat’ section and the sale of pre-cooked food (creams, packaged chicken or refrigerated pizza, for example), Mercadona entered around 3 billion of euros in Spain and Portugal. Not only does it represent just over 7% of the company’s global turnover, it also shows a growth of 20%, which confirms the potential of that line of business. The figure helps to understand Mercadona’s commercial strategy, which has been betting on the ‘Ready to eat’ section for years (in 2025 it implemented it in 250 new super) and in recent months it has redoubled its bet, adding to its offer of dishes and desserts a new service of freshly ground coffee. The cooked food sections also play a decisive role in the so-called ‘Store 9’the new establishment format that the company wants to implement in its network. Does the data matter that much? It is certainly striking. FRS contributes another brushstroke which helps to understand to what extent the sale of pre-cooked or ready-to-eat food has grown in Mercadona. The 3,000 million euros registered in Spain and Portugal in 2025 far exceed McDonald’s annual sales in Spain (around 2 billion euros) or Burger King (others 1.5 billion). In fact, it almost equals the sum of both subsidiaries. It’s not surprising at all. Mercadona has conquered 20% of the entire food and beverage business (in value share) and ships a large part of the hamburgers with buns sold in Spain. According to the Numerator signatureis behind approximately 10.2% of consumption occasions. They are just nine points lower than the national market leader McDonald’s (19.5%). Does it only happen with Mercadona? At all. The chain stands out for its considerable market share, but it is not the only one seeking to benefit from the growing demand for already cooked food. In February, the consulting firm NielsenIQ estimated that “prepared and ready-to-eat food solutions” are growing at a rate of more than 10% in supermarkets and hypermarkets, which is in turn shaping a billion-dollar business. “Right now this segment represents a total of about 3.7 billion,” explains Nacho Biedmatechnician of the consulting firm, in an interview with elDiario. There are analysts who calculate that the distribution sector (which includes supermarkets) already monopolizes 23% of what we spend on food outside the home. Why this change? Because consumer habits are not immutable. We do not eat the same, nor in the same way nor in the same places as our grandparents. And our grandchildren probably have different habits too. I predicted it last year Juan Roig, predicting that in the middle of this century Spanish homes will no longer have kitchens, so supermarkets will become more than just the place where we buy food to fill our refrigerators: they will be our great reference in food. Beyond these changes at the domestic level, sections like ‘Ready to Eat’ play a great role. They offer customers variety, agility and, above all, rates that traditional bars can hardly match. Prepared meals from supermarkets are in a way the successors of a ‘menu of the day’ that has been in crisis for yearssuffocated by rising prices. More and more people stop going to the corner restaurant to spend 14 euros in a menu of first, second and dessert that will take you 45 minutes to consume. He goes to an Alcampo, Carrefour or Mercadona, buys a couple of dishes for 10 euros and devours them in less than half an hour in the dining room located in the supermarket itself. Many people even take cooked food to devour at home. Images | Mercadona Via | FRS In Xataka | Very few national supermarkets are resisting Mercadona: regional chains like Froiz are

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