Outbreak of Salmonella in restaurant raises debate in Spain over government guidelines

At least 59 people complained of food poisoning at a restaurant in Madrid famous for its egg tortillas, starting a debate on government regulations in Spain 

A restaurant known as Casa Dani in Madrid famous for its egg tortillas has been temporarily closed after a salmonella outbreak, creating a debate about how the dish should be cooked.  

At least 59 people were reported to have complained about food poisoning, after eating the tortilla at the restaurant last week, while six have been hospitalised, as per the Madrid region’s health department, cited by the BBC.  

Following this incident debate has started over how the restaurants should cook this dish as well as the need to tighten regulations by the government that provide guidelines for serving eggs at restaurants.  

In Spain for the past three decades, government guidelines suggest that eggs served in public either need to be pasteurised or if they are fresh, they should be cooked at a minimum temperature of 75 degrees Celsius.  

However, this regulation was slightly relaxed in December 2022, as the government said that fresh eggs should be cooked at “70C or more for two seconds” or “at a temperature of 63C for 20 seconds”. 

The restaurant now says that they are cooperating with the local health officials so that its kitchens are free of salmonella, in order for them to open again.  

Casa Dani has won several prizes in the past, including the Spanish potato tortilla championship in 2019. The restaurant has also been featured in the Netflix series Somebody Feed Phil and serves around 100,000 tortillas every year.

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