The Food of Spain: A Journey for Food Lovers [Paperback]

There are, as far as I know, seven volumes in this nice little "Food of" series,each subtitled 'A Journey for Food lovers.' I bought the hardcover edition of the Indian volume first and only afterward learned it was part of a series. Since then I have bought three others. As I like all of these books for the same reasons, it would be easiest to do a general review and then add a few comments concerning the individual volumes.

Mostly, the real pleasure from these books is the tremendous photography. The recipes are fine - I don't wish to suggest otherwise - but I wouldn't be as fond of these books if the recipes were the sole basis by which one could judge them. There is a picture for every recipe (some of them whole page photographs) and occasionally there are supplementary shots detailing some part of the cooking process. There are also all sorts of other pictures, some of which are directly or indirectly related to food, some of which are scenic shots, or pictures of people engaged in everyday life in the region in question. All are beautifully executed.

The book is divided into recipe sections based on the type of food (snacks, main meat dishes, seafood etc) and each book has half a dozen 'Food Journey' sections which deal with some aspect of the cuisine at hand. The Chinese book for example has a section on 'dim sum', and the Indian volume has one on spices. In the hardcover Indian book, these sections are fold-out pages with lots of photographs whilst in the paperback editions I own each section is just a brief two page spread. All the books introduce the region in question with a descriptive culinary overview and the final recipe chapter in each book is entitled 'Basics' and provides tips and recipes on making various essentials in the cuisine.

The Food of India: A Journey for Food Lovers - This, along with the Chinese volume' counts at the top of my 'favourite' list in this series. The 'dal' recipes are excellent and the recipes in the 'Basics' section for Coconut milk and Paneer were nice to see.

The Food of China: A Journey for Food Lovers - The most beautiful recipe pictures of all the books, I think. The Turnip Cake recipe is on of the best I have tried and the 'Basics' section is excellent.

The Food of Spain: A Journey for Food Lovers - Great textual introduction to Spanish cuisine in the first chapter. I *especially* love the Tapas section... I just wish this part could have been longer.

The Food of Italy: A Journey for Food Lovers - This is my least favorite of the books I currently own but that comment should not scare away potential purchasers. The book is has the same excellent qualities as the others, I just personally am more interested in Indian, Chinese and Spanish cuisine than I am Italian.

The remaining books in this series, as far as I know, are The Food of France: A Journey for Food Lovers, The Food of Thailand: A Journey for Food Loversand The Food of Morocco: A Journey for Food Lovers. I will certainly review any that I subsequently purchase. I will probably buy the French volume some time... I find Thai cuisine fascinating, although I don't like it very much, while Morrocan food doesn't particularly interest me very much. Still, I may just buy them for the terrific visual appeal!

This book caught my attention a while back while browsing in a store. I picked it up and started to look through it. After getting it home and really looking through it, I instantly loved it. It is presented beautifully and overall fun/exciting to read. Yes, a great 'coffee table' type book. Beautiful pictures and great explanations of foods from the different regions in Spain. The recipes are very classic. Loved it so much I bought a couple of other books from `The Food of _____" collection. A must have if you are looking into getting a cookbook on food from a specific location. Also would recommend `The Food of France" and "The Food of Italy". Love them just as much as this one.

A perfect starter book with recipes from throughout Spain. Nicely written with explanations of the recipes and the regions from which they came. Beautiful, "coffee table" book and excellent photography.

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