Book dossier

The flavours of Andalucia

by Elisabeth Luard

This is a cookery book with a strong travel bias, dealing with each of Andalucia's eight provinces in turn to provide a personal, geographical and culinary survey of the area. It shows how the land itself and historical events have influenced the culinary tradition of the region, with its intriguing combination of hearty peasant fare and the delicate seasonings that are a legacy of the Moorish invasions. Each province draws on its own magnificent natural larder, and the recipes, such as hot gazpacho from Huelva, salt cod with potatoes and peppers from Jaén, pork and beans with chard from Seville, and chickpea and wheat soup from Almería, reflect this diversity. The author lived in the area for several years. Her personal reminiscences are interwoven with a wealth of cultural and historical information, and the text is accompanied by the author's own watercolors of dishes, places and scenes of Andalucian life.