The Food Of Spain

One of our foremost authorities on Mediterranean, North African, and Italian cooking, Claudia Roden brings her incomparable authenticity, vision, and immense knowledge to bear in The Food of Spain. The James Beard Award–winning author of the classic cookbooks A Book of Middle Eastern Food and A Book of Jewish Food now graces food lovers with the definitive cookbook on the Spanish cuisine, illustrated with dozens of gorgeous full-color photographs that capture the color and essence of this wonderfully vibrant nation and its diverse people, traditions, and culture.

Spanish cuisine is a melting-pot of cultures, flavors, and ingredients: Greek and Roman; Jewish, Moorish, and Middle Eastern. It has been enriched by Spanish climate, geology, and spectacular topography, which have encouraged a variety of regional food traditions and “Cocinas,” such as Basque, Galician, Castilian, Andalusian, and Catalan. It has been shaped by the country’s complex history, as foreign occupations brought religious and cultural influences that determined what people ate and still eat. And it has continually evolved with the arrival of new ideas and foodstuffs from Italy, France, and the Americas, including cocoa, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and chili peppers. Having become a powerhouse of creativity and innovation in recent decades, Spanish cuisine has placed itself among the best in the world. This is the first book in English to trace the history of the food of Spain from antiquity to the present day. From the use of pork fat and olive oil to the Spanish passion for eggplants and pomegranates, María José Sevilla skillfully weaves together the history of Spanish cuisine, the circumstances affecting its development and characteristics, and the country’s changing relationship to food and cookery.

The Gastronomical Arts in Spain includes essays that span from the medieval to the contemporary world, providing a taste of the many ways in which the art of gastronomy developed in Spain over time. This collection encompasses a series of cultural objects and a number of interests, ranging from medicine to science, from meals to banquets, and from specific recipes to cookbooks. The contributors consider Spanish cuisine as presented in a variety of texts, including literature, medical and dietary prescriptions, historical documents, cookbooks, and periodicals. They draw on literary texts in their socio-historical context in order to explore concerns related to the production and consumption of food for reasons of hunger, sustenance, health, and even gluttony. Structured into three distinct "courses" that focus on the history of foodstuffs, food etiquette, and culinary fashion, The Gastronomical Arts in Spain brings together the many sights and sounds of the Spanish kitchen throughout the centuries.

“I could not love this book more. A palpable instant classic, infused with wisdom, generosity, and achievable deliciousness. Every page feels like a blessing.”—Nigella Lawson “Claudia Roden channels the sun and warm glow of the Mediterranean. To read Claudia is to sit at her table, with everything, simply, as it should be. Pull up a chair for the food; stay at the table for the stories.”—Yotam Ottolenghi Join world-renowned food writer Claudia Roden on a culinary journey across the Mediterranean, all from the comfort of your own dinner table. Widely credited with revolutionizing Western attitudes to Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food, Claudia is a living legend. Though best known for her deep dives into cuisines, in this timeless collection of simple, beautiful recipes, she shares the food she loves and cooks for friends and family. You’ll find tried-and-true favorites from France, Greece, and Spain to Egypt, Turkey, and Morocco, inspired by Claudia’s decades of travel and research throughout the region. The many flavors of the Mediterranean are highlighted in dishes such as Chicken with Apricots and Pistachios, Vegetable Couscous, Eggplant in a Spicy Honey Sauce with Soft Goat Cheese, Bean Stew with Chorizo and Bacon, Plum Clafoutis, and so many more. From appetizers to desserts, Claudia distills a life’s worth of traveling and eating her way through the Mediterranean, presenting a selection of the recipes that she cooks the most often because they bring the most joy.

Vivid and richly textured, A Late Dinner is a delightful journey through Spain and Spanish cuisine. Paul Richardson is the perfect guide. In lush prose he brings to life the fascinating people who grow and cook and eat the hugely varied and still little-known food of Spain. Richardson's vibrant writing takes readers beyond gazpacho and paella and immerses them in the flavorful world of Spanish food -- from the typical coastal cuisine; to the ancient shepherd cooking of the mountains; to the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, and San Sebastián, where chefs are setting the trend for modern cuisine across the globe. His evocative descriptions -- the fried þsh in Cádiz; the tender asparagus and sweet crispy lettuce of Navarre; the Catalan calçotada, a feast of grilled spring onions in a nutty, delicately spicy sauce; the whimsical creations of internationally acclaimed chef Ferran Adrià -- are a celebration of the senses. Richardson traces the roots of Spanish cooking to the landscape, the people, and the history of this beautiful and complex country. A Late Dinner is a glorious and intimately drawn portrait of Spain.

Spanish food culture has evolved around strong regional cuisines and representative elements. This volume offers an overview of Spanish food and eating habits, taking into account a long and complex history, plus distinctive social, cultural, linguistic, geographic, political, and economic characteristics. Spain's location at the crossroads of Europe and North Africa has made it a gastronomic melting pot, with Arab influences and New World ingredients particularly noted. Readers will learn about the unique food culture in each region and how food practices and dishes in the Iberian Peninsula have developed over the centuries. Typical dishes and drinks, especially the Spanish wines, are described in context, with many accompanying recipes. Gastronomy in Spain has always been of utmost importance. Recently, the new Spanish gastronomy has taken center stage with internationally recognized chefs. Spaniards are shown to be extremely social eaters and drinkers who like to eat out. The everyday routine of eating out, such as at work and school, is clarified as well. Home cooking and the Spanish kitchen get special attention. Finally, although Spanish food has always been associated with the highly touted Mediterranean diet, health concerns about current eating trends are discussed. A timeline, a chronology, and illustrations round out the coverage.

“Brings to life—with real heart, history and technique—an astonishing look at the legacy of Spain’s flavorful meats.” —José Andrés, 2011 “Outstanding Chef,” James Beard Foundation Charcutería: The Soul of Spain is the first book to introduce authentic Spanish butchering and meat-curing techniques to the American market. Included are more than 100 traditional Spanish recipes, straightforward illustrations providing easy-to-follow steps for amateur and professional butchers, and gorgeous full-color photography of savory dishes, Iberian countrysides, and centuries-old Spanish cityscapes. Author Jeffrey Weiss has written an entertaining, extravagantly detailed guide on Spain’s unique cuisine and its history of charcutería, which is deservedly becoming more celebrated on the global stage. While Spain stands porky cheek-to-jowl with other great cured-meat-producing nations like Italy and France, the charcuterie traditions of Spain are perhaps the least understood of this trifecta. Americans have most likely never tasted the sheer eye-rolling deliciousness that is cured Spanish meats: chorizo, the garlic-and-pimentón-spiked ambassador of Spanish cuisine; morcilla, the family of blood sausages flavoring regional cuisine from Barcelona to Badajoz; and jamón, the acorn-scented, modern-day crown jewel of Spain’s charcutería legacy. Charcutería: The Soul of Spain is a collection of delicious recipes, uproarious anecdotes, and time-honored Spanish culinary traditions. The author has amassed years of experience working with the cured meat traditions of Spain, and this book will surely become a standard guide for both professional and home cooks. “A lovely, loving, fascinating, and, most all, useful book all lovers of the craft should be grateful for.” —Michael Ruhlman, James Beard Award-winning author of Ruhlman’s Twenty

COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR 2016, Spectator ‘The definitive book about the food of Spain’ Rose Prince