The heritage of Spanish cooking

THE HERITAGE OF SPANISH COOKING is a sumptuous celebration of Spanish culinary history, containing 150 of Spain's most popular and delicious recipes. The recipes have been collected from ancient Spanish culinary texts, historic menus and oral traditions to provide the most tantalizing and representative selection. The delectable array of recipes ranges from tasty tapas such as Garlic Mushrooms, the classic Andalusian Gazpacho, Country Omelet and Paella Valenciana, to more unusual recipes — showing the various outside influences on Spanish cuisine — such as spicy Cauliflower in Garlic and Paprika Sauce, Roast Pork with Almonds, and Santiago Almond Cake. The distinctiveness of Spain's gastronomy is due in large part to the country's turbulent history and to the fact that Spain has played host to a great variety of cultures. The Roman invaders of Iberia began the wide cultivation of olives for oil and introduced their own cooking techniques of baking, roasting and broiling. After the Visigoth invasion livestock farming was developed in Spain and regional differences in the cuisine soon developed. The Arabs brought citrus fruit, rice, eggplants, sugar cane, herbs and spices.After the discovery of the New World, Spain became a gateway to Europe for myriad new ingredients - tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, cocoa and corn. They were added to the classic Spanish dishes with gusto, giving them exciting new color and flavor THE HERITAGE OF SPANISH COOKING is superbly illustrated throughout with masterpieces of ancient and modern Spanish art - paintings, ceramics illuminations — and depicts, in visual splendor, the rich and varied history of Spanish cooking. In a lively, readable and often humorous style, Alicia Rios and Lourdes March invite you to sample the pleasures of good Spanish cooking and to delight in a tra ditional cuisine that is as modern as it is influenced by the past.