The Foods and Wines of Spain by
Penelope Casas
Essential Reference On Spanish Cuisine And Wines
400 superb recipes--a delicious gathering of the traditional cooking of
Spain with new ways of using exotic seasonings and unusual
combinations, plus a comprehensive survey of Spains excellent wines and
sherries.
Personal Review: The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope
Casas
`The Foods and Wines of Spain' by culinary journalist Penelope Casas
was the only comprehensive coverage of Spanish cuisine when it was
published at the urging of Craig Claiborne in 1979 and it is probably still
the only book in English which aims at covering the entire range of
Spanish cuisine. As such, it stands among some of the other notable
American books on national cuisines such as Diane Kochilas `The
Glorious Foods of Greece', Jean Anderson's smaller book on `The Food of
Portugal', Marcella Hazan's `Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking' and the
granddaddy of them all, Julia Child's `Mastering the Art of French Cooking'.

Casas shares in this tradition by being published by Child's publisher,
Knopf, and having the same distinguished cookbook editor, Judith Jones.
Since I have never seen an unattractive book published by Alfred E. Knopf,
I am certain this book benefits from this association.
Casas organizes her book by types of dishes, using the usual hodgepodge
of type meaning when served and type meaning principle ingredient. The
fourteen chapters on ingredients / servings are:
`Tapas', slightly misleading, as classic tapas dishes such as the famous
`tortilla Espanola' appears under egg dishes. If your primary interest is in
Tapas, get Casas recent book devoted entirely to this subject.
`Embutidos, Pasteles Y Empanadas', or sausages pates, and pies is one
of the most convincing arguments that this book covers the whole range of
Spanish cooking, as it includes doable recipes for making many classic
Spanish Charcuterie such as chorizo. It also contains several very nice
empanada recipes that show off one of many differences between Spanish
and Mexican cooking. In Mexico, judging by a recipe by Rick Bayless,
`empanadas' are just a bit larger than raviolis. In Spain, `empanadas' are
much more like calzones.
`Ensaladas' Salads, including a claim that it was the Spanish and not the
French who invented Mayonnaise.
`Verduras Y Legumbres' Vegetables, showing the importance of potatoes
in Spanish cooking. This is historically obvious, as the Spanish brought
potatoes along with all the other New World produce back to Europe.
`Sopas Y Potajes' Soups and Meals in a Pot, very similar to the northern
Italian love of ministre.
`Huevos Y Tortillas' Eggs and Egg dishes. Evidence that there are many
great Spanish frittatas.
`Arroces' Rice dishes, including several types of Paella. `Please use
Spanish Rice'
`Mariscos' Shellfish, with as much love of mussels as the French, it seems.
`Pescados' Fish, including several bacalo (dried, salted cod) recipes and
fish steaks.
`Aves Y Caza', Poultry and Game, with the usual European love of rabbit,
partridge, and other wild things.
`Carnes' Almost a copy of the Italian cuisine with pork, lamb, and veal.
Maybe a bit more lamb than Italia.
`Panes, Bollos Y Masas', Breads and Pastries. While I am sure this is not a
complete survey of Spanish bread baking, I am just a little surprised that
there is no mention of baking with wild yeasts so popular in French and
Italian baking. On the other hand, there is the distinction, as in France,
between bakeries that specialize in bread and shops that specialize in
pastries. While almonds run through all of Spanish cuisine, it is in baking
where it comes together with egg whites and puff pastry to form an
especially strong affinity with Austrian baking traditions. I am not sure
whether this is because these two countries shared interaction with
Moorish culture or whether the countries shared the same royal house, the

Hapsburgs, for many generations, or a combination of both, but it is little
discoveries like this which make culinary anthropology really fascinating.
`Postres' Desserts, sharing the Italian interest in sweetened fruits above
most other dishes, plus marzipan and many other almond preparations.
`Bebidas' Sangria, almonds, coffee, citrus, and almonds.
Almost all main course protein dishes include a suggestion pairing the dish
with an appropriate Spanish wine. This includes the egg dishes, but not
other tapas dishes. The last chapter deals in great depth with the wines of
Spain, including the famous Andalusian sherries. Two of the more
interesting facts here is the statement that the Italian Marsala is really a
form of sherry and that a bottle of sherry may contain wine from grapes
harvested over many years. So much for the James Bond quote about
giving the vintage of the `underlying wine fortified to create the sherry'. Not
only does this chapter give lots of details about regional wine centers; it
gives extensive tables of high quality vintage wine and sherry labels and
the author's opinion on their quality. Since this book was published in 1979
and not revised since 1982, there may be some question on whether this
information on wineries is still valuable. I will venture a guess that it is
probably as good as anything else you may find, since the lists are long
and most vintners endure, especially since the fortunes of Spanish
businesses have improved greatly since the restoration of the Spanish
republic after the death of Franco.
Like the recipes in Casas later book on Tapas, I find all the recipes in this
volume to be very good, almost as extensive as my favorites from Julia
Child and Marcella Hazan. This is a real foodie book, as the discussion of
regionality and authenticity of the recipes is a great pleasure to read, even
if you never make any of the recipes. It is also great background for
understanding the cuisine of Ferran Adria, the great modern Spanish chef
working just outside Barcelona. This book also humbled my conceit at
criticizing Daniel Boulud's recipe for baby eels. While they may be hard to
come by, apparently the Spanish really love them.
Even if you are not a foodie, this is a great source of recipes for eggs, rice,
sweet peppers, almonds, lamb, and fish. It is also a great resource if you
are not familiar with Spanish wines.
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