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Lonely Planet World Food Spain
Lush photography and tantalizing descriptions of local cuisine set these beautiful pocket guides apart from all of the other guides that juxtapose food and travel. Each guide traces the unique cultural influences that helped shape the culinary traditions of the featured country, with fascinating sidebars on special ingredients and preparation techniques. The best feature of the World Food Guides is the fact that recipes are included, so you can try your hand at making Spanish romesco sauce, Moroccan bastila, or Vietnamese bahn xeo. You'll also find a food glossary, vivid photographs of ingredients and markets, tips and techniques, and much more.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
22 people want to read
About the author
Lonely Planet
3,672 books891 followersOUR STORY
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.
A beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies and Lonely Planet was born. One hundred million guidebooks later, Lonely Planet is the world’s leading travel guide publisher with content to almost every destination on the planet.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 5, 2014
I love this series, and I wish it were still around. This was another fine introduction to a nation's cuisine, illustrated with photos and peppered with recipes. Sterling and Jones take us to the different regions of Espana and their food habits and passions. It works as a discussion not only of Spanish food, but as a way in to Spanish culture generally. This makes perfect sense of course - any culture's relationship to food is an essential aspect of the picture, and tells you a lot about how people live.
We learn about the holy trinity of Spanish cuisine (olive oil, bread, and wine), about their love of ham, the importance of cod in the Northwest and hard cider in the Basque regions. The role of coffee and other beverages is delved into. The unique Spanish institution of the tasca (tapas bar) is considered carefully, and how the Spaniard drinks (with tapas) and socializes (usually at a tasca or restaurant), and often late into the night. Despite their outgoing nature and ability to enjoy alcohol, public drunkenness is frowned on in Spain, and this is a main reason why they nibble along with their imbibing. Wine, while important, is not sacred and can be watered down or turned into sangria (there is a nice, basic recipe included). There is some humorous advice provided for vegetarians, but the best advice would be to visit another land, since Spain is a carnivorous culture. The collection of recipes is not as impressive as in some of the other LP World Food guides, but that is just a quibble. This is a very enjoyable read.
We learn about the holy trinity of Spanish cuisine (olive oil, bread, and wine), about their love of ham, the importance of cod in the Northwest and hard cider in the Basque regions. The role of coffee and other beverages is delved into. The unique Spanish institution of the tasca (tapas bar) is considered carefully, and how the Spaniard drinks (with tapas) and socializes (usually at a tasca or restaurant), and often late into the night. Despite their outgoing nature and ability to enjoy alcohol, public drunkenness is frowned on in Spain, and this is a main reason why they nibble along with their imbibing. Wine, while important, is not sacred and can be watered down or turned into sangria (there is a nice, basic recipe included). There is some humorous advice provided for vegetarians, but the best advice would be to visit another land, since Spain is a carnivorous culture. The collection of recipes is not as impressive as in some of the other LP World Food guides, but that is just a quibble. This is a very enjoyable read.
February 6, 2022
As a vegan activist I have to say this is just about junk food. I mean, as almost anything Lonely Planet publishes, it´s a great book, culturally relevant, but you guys need to know that things are starting to change soooo much around here. Of course lots of people will never switch to a plant-based diet, but in the last 5 years we´ve got thousands of alternatives: restaurants like Level Veggie Bistro (https://www.levelbistro.es/) or shops like Quinto Mandamiento (https://www.quintomandamiento.com/) are just great examples. And many more will come!!
November 7, 2020
Deepens the enjoyment of your travel, going well beyond the several pages often listed in travel books. This one focuses solely on the food of the regions of Spain. well worth reading before you go. Worthy of Lonely planet.
September 5, 2015
There are a whole series of these pocket guides and I can't imagine why anyone would visit a foreign country without been armed with the relevant copy.
They all follow the same layout : culture, staples, drinks, home cooking etc.
Filled with photos, useful translations and anecdotes from Lonely Planet travellers, oh, and usually a handful of recipes.
I have seven of them, all of which I have read from cover to cover. Regrettably my days of foreign travel are over, although I have been to some of the countries prior to knowing about the series. My local library withdrew the copies I bought and own, although for some reason they did not replace them with newer copies.
They all follow the same layout : culture, staples, drinks, home cooking etc.
Filled with photos, useful translations and anecdotes from Lonely Planet travellers, oh, and usually a handful of recipes.
I have seven of them, all of which I have read from cover to cover. Regrettably my days of foreign travel are over, although I have been to some of the countries prior to knowing about the series. My local library withdrew the copies I bought and own, although for some reason they did not replace them with newer copies.
September 21, 2011
I highly recommend this as a reference to read before and during any trip to Spain. There are some recipes as well. I highly recommend trying the Ajo Blanco -- a favorite!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews