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 award-winning author of classic cookbooks A Book of Middle Eastern Food and A Book of Jewish Food has now written a passionate and evocative book on Spanish cuisine, illustrated with gorgeous photographs that capture the colour and essence of this vibrant nation and its food. Magnificent in its span, The Food of Spain is a treasure trove of recipes that have been passed down through generations, from simple rustic tapas and delicately flavoured soups, to seafood, meat and game specialities, glorious paellas, celebratory bean dishes and exquisite desserts. Claudia explores both the little little known and the classic dishes of Spain, travelling the length and breadth of the country, from Andalusia to Asturias, Catalonia to Galicia. And whether writing about smoky, nutty Catalan Romesco sauce, sweet and hot tender lamb stew with honey, or the iconic, emblematic national dish of Spain - saffron-perfumed Paella Valenciana - Claudia's clear, elegant and humorous voice is a reader's delight; a guide not only to delicious food but to the peoples and cultures that produced it. Both comprehensive and timeless, The Food of Spain is one of the most important books on this tremendous cuisine to appear in the last fifty years. A classic in the making, it is an essential work not only for fans of Spanish and Mediterranean food but for every serious cook and discerning armchair traveller.Author BiographyClaudia Roden was born and brought up in Cairo, but was educated in Paris and in London, where she has lived for many years. Widely admired as both a great cook and a fine writer, she has written classic works on Middle Eastern food and Mediterranean cookery, including the award-winning The Book of Jewish Food, and, most recently, The Food of Italy. Claudia Roden was born and brought up in Cairo. She finished her education in Paris and later studied art in London. Starting as a painter she was drawn to the subject of food partly through a desire to evoke a lost heritage - one of the pleasures of a happy life in Egypt. The local delight in food, like the light, colour and smells and the special brand of hospitality, warmth and humour, has left a permanent impression. With her bestselling classic, A Book of Middle Eastern Food (Penguin 1970, revised edition A New Book of Middle Eastern Food, 1985), first published in 1968, Claudia Roden revolutionised Western attitudes to the cuisines of the Middle East. Her intensely personal approach and her passionate appreciation of the dishes delighted readers, while she introduced them to a new world of foods, both exotic and wholesome. The book received great critical acclaim, and the publication of the enlarged edition was enthusiastically welcomed. Mrs Roden has continued to write about fo