A Late Dinner: Discovering the Food of Spain [Paperback]

As a renowned food writer, Richardson takes us beyond paella and gazpacho, deep into the soul of Spain's culture. This is not just a foodie book, this is a voyage around Spain: its geography, history and culinary delights. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'[Richardson] knows stuff about Spain we fly-by-nights can only guess at.' Guardian Praise for OUR LADY OF THE SEWERS: AND OTHER ADVENTURES IN DEEP SPAIN: 'Witty and knowledgeable fascinating.' The Times 'Puckish, witty, casually erudite delivers acute and sharply observed portraits of both people and places' TLS

Acclaimed food and travel writer Paul Richardson first visited Spain as a humble Inter-railer with just enough Spanish phrases to get by. Some years later, following a chance posting to a Madrid food fair, he became hooked on the glorious fusion of old and new at the heart of Spanish culinary culture and decided to move to Spain for good. It was to be the beginning of a lifelong love affair with the country, its culture and its food. In A Late Dinner, Paul takes an extended journey around Spain to get to the heart of its food and the culture of those who grow and cook it. He depicts the dramatic changes that have gripped Spanish life over the last quarter-century, exploring the extremes of culture and food from the rustic to the avant-garde. Along the way, Paul gets caught up in bidding fever at a fish auction in the Levante, helps out with the almost ritualistic Matanza (the annual pig slaughter that takes place in many households in rural Spain), spends a day with Ferran Adria at his world-famous elBulli restaurant, and makes a never-ending stream of new friends who often welcome him into their homes to reveal the secrets of traditional domestic dishes. His intriguing expedition takes him from typical Spanish coastal cuisine to the shepherd cooking of the mountains, via the vibrant cities where creativity and innovation are now setting the trend for modern cuisine around the globe. Paul Richardson's lively, vivid and infectious account takes us beyond the cliches of paella, gazpacho and oranges to tell the real story of the mouth-watering food of Spain and the fascinating patchwork of identities that make up this colourful, tradition-rich country.

Paul Richardson has owned and managed a small farm and vineyard in Spain for the past fifteen years. He is also the author of Our Lady of the Sewers: And Other Adventures in Deep Spain, Cornucopia: A Gastronomic Tour of Britain, Indulgence: Around the World in Search of Chocolate, and Williams-Sonoma Barcelona.