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A Late Dinner: Discovering the Food of Spain
In this vivid and humorous journey, Richardson takes us past the cliches of paella and gazpacho to tell the real story of Spain's mouth-watering food, from the typical coastal cuisine to the shepherd cooking of the interior and the chic 'urban' food of Madrid and Barcelona. Along the way he gets caught up in a fish auction and the annual pig slaughter, spends a day at El Bulli restaurant and makes a never-ending stream of new friends.
320 pages, Print on Demand (Paperback)
First published January 1, 2007
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208 people want to read
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Paul Richardson
29 books1 followerLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
August 15, 2011
This book is based on a deep knowledge of everyday life in Spain, which shines through most notably in the chapters on rural life (the author lives on a smallholding in Extremadura). He does a good job of explaining the differences between regions; and Spain is above all a country of very diverse regions. I liked the organisation too, starting on the coast, then going inland to rural Spain, and finally visiting cities. Some chapters were very evocative -- the one about Asturias immediately made me want to visit -- though it's clear that the author knows some regions of Spain much better than others. I was a little disappointed in its thin coverage of the Basque country, basically dwelling on San Sebastian and haute cuisine.
In fact, there's a little too much emphasis on haute cuisine and meticulous accounts of meals in Michelin-starred restaurants, where the chef just happens to be on hand to present him with his very own menú degustación and a friendly chat. Not that these aren't important -- you can hardly write a book about food culture in Spain and not mention Ferran Adria and Martin Beresategui - but they don't reflect the food world of most Spaniards. His views are at times a little rosy -- or else stretching the truth. On several occasions he arrives in a strange town, selects a restaurant apparently at random, and has a wonderful lunch. In real life, this Would Not Happen. At least, it would occasionally, but you would be bound to stumble into one of the majority of indifferent Spanish restaurants and have a terrible, if cheap, meal. It's obvious he'd done research beforehand -- he's a food journalist for heaven's sake -- so why not say so?
Ferran Adria has it right: "People accuse me of lowering standards: 'It's your fault there are so many young kids trying to do modern food, and doing it badly.' Maybe, but isn't it much worse that there are millions of tortillas and paellas all over the country that are cooked so badly? Ordinary food in Spain is in a much worse state than haute cuisine, and that's a fact."
For me the key feature of Spanish food is that Spain was virtually a third-world country in terms of living standards until about the 1970s. So it's hardly surprising that food was cheap and filling, the stuff of poverty. There was no Spanish tradition of haute cuisine as there was in France -- which is why the Basque chefs looked to France for their inspiration:
I was surprised that Richardson didn't mention the culture of the menú del día in Spain. I'm sure I read somewhere that Franco instituted it to ensure that manual workers had a large, nutritious meal at lunchtime, and it must have played a large part in maintaining the dead hands of tradition and cheap stodge that still weigh heavily on Spanish restaurant food outside the rarefied temples of gastronomy. But it was interesting to read about the revolution that started in San Sebastian on the death of Franco, asserting Basque identity through modern riffs on traditional food, and then spread through the country. He makes it clear too that it's no accident that the most creative and adventurous chefs are from the rich provinces of the Basque country and Catalonia, both with easy access to mountains and sea, and with richer culinary heritages because of their voyaging past.
Further interesting facts: I knew that the Reyes Católicos were responsible for the Spanish obsession with pork, promoting it because it was a good way of winkling out closet Jews and Moors. But I hadn't heard that in the 1950s, as part of a deal with the Americans over military bases, the Spanish government imported millions of litres of American rapeseed oil. Spaniards weren't going to let go of their aceite de oliva without a fight, so in order to shift the imported oil a publicity campaign was started to convince them that olive oil was thoroughly unhealthy. Consumption plummeted until the scandal of the contaminated vegetable oil in the early 1980s that killed over a thousand people and persuaded the Spanish to switch back to the home-produced stuff.
Anyway, I enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it -- it's a great read for foodies planning to travel to Spain and wanting to understand more about the country and its culture. He even has a list of recommended restaurants, if your wallet will stretch to them.
In fact, there's a little too much emphasis on haute cuisine and meticulous accounts of meals in Michelin-starred restaurants, where the chef just happens to be on hand to present him with his very own menú degustación and a friendly chat. Not that these aren't important -- you can hardly write a book about food culture in Spain and not mention Ferran Adria and Martin Beresategui - but they don't reflect the food world of most Spaniards. His views are at times a little rosy -- or else stretching the truth. On several occasions he arrives in a strange town, selects a restaurant apparently at random, and has a wonderful lunch. In real life, this Would Not Happen. At least, it would occasionally, but you would be bound to stumble into one of the majority of indifferent Spanish restaurants and have a terrible, if cheap, meal. It's obvious he'd done research beforehand -- he's a food journalist for heaven's sake -- so why not say so?
Ferran Adria has it right: "People accuse me of lowering standards: 'It's your fault there are so many young kids trying to do modern food, and doing it badly.' Maybe, but isn't it much worse that there are millions of tortillas and paellas all over the country that are cooked so badly? Ordinary food in Spain is in a much worse state than haute cuisine, and that's a fact."
For me the key feature of Spanish food is that Spain was virtually a third-world country in terms of living standards until about the 1970s. So it's hardly surprising that food was cheap and filling, the stuff of poverty. There was no Spanish tradition of haute cuisine as there was in France -- which is why the Basque chefs looked to France for their inspiration:
More than anything, the cooking of rural Spain is a collective response to the realities of climate, weather, organised religion ... and, above all, the need to provide the body with the calories needed for hard physical work. (p 97)
I was surprised that Richardson didn't mention the culture of the menú del día in Spain. I'm sure I read somewhere that Franco instituted it to ensure that manual workers had a large, nutritious meal at lunchtime, and it must have played a large part in maintaining the dead hands of tradition and cheap stodge that still weigh heavily on Spanish restaurant food outside the rarefied temples of gastronomy. But it was interesting to read about the revolution that started in San Sebastian on the death of Franco, asserting Basque identity through modern riffs on traditional food, and then spread through the country. He makes it clear too that it's no accident that the most creative and adventurous chefs are from the rich provinces of the Basque country and Catalonia, both with easy access to mountains and sea, and with richer culinary heritages because of their voyaging past.
Further interesting facts: I knew that the Reyes Católicos were responsible for the Spanish obsession with pork, promoting it because it was a good way of winkling out closet Jews and Moors. But I hadn't heard that in the 1950s, as part of a deal with the Americans over military bases, the Spanish government imported millions of litres of American rapeseed oil. Spaniards weren't going to let go of their aceite de oliva without a fight, so in order to shift the imported oil a publicity campaign was started to convince them that olive oil was thoroughly unhealthy. Consumption plummeted until the scandal of the contaminated vegetable oil in the early 1980s that killed over a thousand people and persuaded the Spanish to switch back to the home-produced stuff.
Anyway, I enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it -- it's a great read for foodies planning to travel to Spain and wanting to understand more about the country and its culture. He even has a list of recommended restaurants, if your wallet will stretch to them.
Read
January 10, 2009This book is a little uneven. Some chapters, like one on Asturias, are great. He bored me when talking about Barcelona, which is one of my favorite cities. It's a book to dabble in, but not read cover to cover.
March 26, 2012
Didn't really enjoy this as I expected to. The parts on the countryside of Spain and the traditional food were somewhat interesting. But once we got to the cities it was an extended restaurant review. Lots of culinary name-dropping. Ho-hum.
September 15, 2008
Spain really fascinates me. I must go there! This is a lovely book.
January 8, 2011
A gastronomic tour of Spain
May 10, 2019
This book was rife with musings, but nothing conveying a reason to keep reading. I didnt know what the author was after. Ultimately it felt as if Richardson had information to convey about regions in Spain but didnt effectively tie that info back to what he was seeing, feeling and experiencing.
I didnt feel taken on a true adventure. I never detected uncertainty, and therefore true wonder felt absent.
I didnt feel taken on a true adventure. I never detected uncertainty, and therefore true wonder felt absent.
August 9, 2020
A joy. A food travelogue around a country I love. Richardson doesn’t just take us on a journey through, around and within the tierra of Spain, it’s also a trip through history. Well written with a sharp eye for detail. I’ll keep this book to hand and sip in and out when I miss Espana and its food.
September 27, 2017
Must read for everyone who wants to spend more than 1 week in Spain.
October 19, 2020
i enjoyed the descriptions and a look in to the different foods of Spain.
March 23, 2014
Ну что ж такое! Опять разочарование. Невзирая на мою огромную любовь к серии в целом и, что уж там скрывать, безграничную зависть к авторам Амфора Travel, в этот раз меня разочаровал именно автор книги.
Уж очень скучно и неинтересно Ричардсон рассказывает об испанском быте, а самое грустное - очень часто скатывается к ресторанам категории Michelin. Но у нас же не ресторанный справочник, ммм? Особенная любовь к этой серии является именно в том, что авторы описывают обычных жителей и обычную домашнюю кухню, Ричардсон же поставил себе за цель рассказать о локальной кухне с точки зрения исследований истории и культуры испанцев. В принципе, можно было и выиграть за этот счет, но почему все так скучно, медленно и неинтересно? Собственно, я бросила читать эту книгу тогда, когда поняла, что осилила ровно 30%, а казалось, что читаю уже вечность и вот-вот должен быть финал.
А ведь я знаю культуру и кухню испанцев довольно неплохо. Повезло попасть на стоящие курсы испанского языка, где удалось и пообщаться с носителями языка, и познать их кухню - на разные праздники учителя готовили традиционные блюда, которые студенты с удовольствием расхватывали. Оранжевые креветки, жаренные в оливковом масле с петрушкой на закуску, отвратительный хамон (imho) действительно любопытно сочетается с дыней, потом ложка паельи (еще столько всего, а уже ничего не лезет!) - все эти ароматы жаренного риса с морепродуктами дают большего понимания культуры испанцев, чем полгода курсов! Кому еще лезет, выдается чашка горячего шоколада (настоящего, а не с порошка) и бумажная салфетка, на которой лежит сладкий чуррос. Сколько всего, о чем можно было поведать и рассказать...
А Ричардсон, приезжая в определенный регион, начинает рассказывать о местности, о людях, о климате, но как-то упускает кухню. То там, тот тут мелькают разговоры о гастрономии, но за 30% их если и наскреблось, то не более 2%. Хотя интересные факты и попадались, но не думаю, что многое потеряла, не прочитав и половины книги.
Уж очень скучно и неинтересно Ричардсон рассказывает об испанском быте, а самое грустное - очень часто скатывается к ресторанам категории Michelin. Но у нас же не ресторанный справочник, ммм? Особенная любовь к этой серии является именно в том, что авторы описывают обычных жителей и обычную домашнюю кухню, Ричардсон же поставил себе за цель рассказать о локальной кухне с точки зрения исследований истории и культуры испанцев. В принципе, можно было и выиграть за этот счет, но почему все так скучно, медленно и неинтересно? Собственно, я бросила читать эту книгу тогда, когда поняла, что осилила ровно 30%, а казалось, что читаю уже вечность и вот-вот должен быть финал.
А ведь я знаю культуру и кухню испанцев довольно неплохо. Повезло попасть на стоящие курсы испанского языка, где удалось и пообщаться с носителями языка, и познать их кухню - на разные праздники учителя готовили традиционные блюда, которые студенты с удовольствием расхватывали. Оранжевые креветки, жаренные в оливковом масле с петрушкой на закуску, отвратительный хамон (imho) действительно любопытно сочетается с дыней, потом ложка паельи (еще столько всего, а уже ничего не лезет!) - все эти ароматы жаренного риса с морепродуктами дают большего понимания культуры испанцев, чем полгода курсов! Кому еще лезет, выдается чашка горячего шоколада (настоящего, а не с порошка) и бумажная салфетка, на которой лежит сладкий чуррос. Сколько всего, о чем можно было поведать и рассказать...
А Ричардсон, приезжая в определенный регион, начинает рассказывать о местности, о людях, о климате, но как-то упускает кухню. То там, тот тут мелькают разговоры о гастрономии, но за 30% их если и наскреблось, то не более 2%. Хотя интересные факты и попадались, но не думаю, что многое потеряла, не прочитав и половины книги.
March 6, 2014
Paul Richardson combines travel with Spain's culinary delights and enjoys mouth-watering food in Ibiza. Read by Jonathan Firth.
Broadcast on:
BBC Radio 7, 2:15pm Monday 1st February 2010
Taken onboard two episodes but I'm just not into this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2017
Awesome book! as long as I've been reading it, I felt the smell of all the food Paul was describing, and the taste of all the dishes. After reading the book my view on eating as a process and on the whole food empire has changed definitely. I wish there will be books about italian and french cuisines as well, written by Paul.
July 19, 2014
Неоднородная книга. Когда автор пишет о традиционной испанской кухне, без всяких изысков и наворотов, у него это так вкусно получается, что прямо слюнки текут. А вот в главах, где основное внимание уделяется авангардной кухне и известным современным кулинарам, повествование становится скучным и рассчитанным не на простых людей, а на фанатов кулинарного искусства.
January 12, 2009
Really should be 3 1/2 stars -- I can't go to 4 as the author focused on hob-nobbing with celebrity chefs more than I would've liked; strongest point would be the regional variations within the country, which were covered well.
September 17, 2008
This is an enchanting book that will take you to Spain.
Read
May 17, 2009A Late Dinner: Discovering the Food of Spain by Paul Richardson (2008)
January 4, 2012
Makes me want to go to Spain and eat.
June 22, 2012
the home cooking of España
October 16, 2012
A culinary guide and history of spanish food.I really enjoyed Paul Richardson describing his farm and foods in Extramedura so for me best part of the book was the epilogue,glossary and appendices !!
May 7, 2013
A sensual, if verbose, journey through the cuisine of Spain. The historical sections can be tedious, but this is still excellent food writing.
June 26, 2014
Interesting facts mixed in among a lot of uninteresting stories that seem to be pointless.
January 30, 2017
Entretenido viaje gastronómico por España, incluyendo entrevistas con cocineros, reflexiones históricas y culturales de distintos platos y pasión por la comida.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews