Grape, Olive, Pig: Deep Travels Through Spain's Food Culture

My husband and I are total Iberophiles. We have been to Spain (and Portugal ❤️) numerous times and love every bit of Iberia from the Basque Country to the Balearics to Andalucia. It's a magnificent area of the world filled with wonderful people and fabulous art and architecture, but one of the reasons we really love it is its amazing food.I had forgotten that I had this book on my kindle and recently found it while I was searching for something to read on a flight to Spain. Let's just say that after I finished reading this book, the plane couldn't land fast enough.This book is one of those beautifully-written books that you hope never ends. The author's descriptions of Spain, and particularly of his experiences with food, are among the best I have ever read in any food/travel book. Take, for instance, Goulding's description of how to taste jamón iberico de bellota, which is spectacularly good cured ham that comes from special pigs whose diet consists largely of acorns: "... place the slice [of jamón] on your tongue like a communion wafer and wait for it to convert you. First you taste the salt, then the pork, then the fermentation, and finally some deep primal flavor will rise up and scratch at your throat and leave behind a ghost that will haunt your palate for a lietime."If you have had true jamón iberico, you know how beautifully accurate that description is. But either way, if you don't want to read this book - or have that kind of experienc - after reading that, then this book, and the gastronomic adventures within, are probably not for you and you should just stick to the local branches of McDonald's when you travel.I really loved this book.Might I be biased because I share the author's love of Spain? Possibly, but I actually think I might be a harsher critic precisely because of that.

This cookbook was bought as a gift, but I may have snuck inside to take some pics for myself before wrapping it up.

Enjoyable and informative book about people, countryside and food in Spain.I highly recommend this book I you want to learn more about the truly Spain.

Great read with a surprise influence by Anthony Bourdain. Love the walk through various dishes and the motivation behind the meals.

Before you go to Spain- and a fun, warm, educational read even if not!

I was expecting this to be a cookbook. I saw a great deal for it, saw that it had to do with Spanish cuisine, and figured I’d take a chance to feel some comfort.What I got was a written, guided, culinary tour and history of Spain through the eyes of a traveler. It was like reading a travel diary. I was sad that there were no recipes, but that’s because I didn’t research the book.It was easy and fun to read. If you’re curious about Spanish culture or food, check this book out.

If you are expecting a TripAdvisor review, you will be pleasantly surprised. This is a much more engrossing read by a much more accomplished author who gives us an intimate look at both the culinary heritages and forefronts of the various regions of his adopted homeland. Specific restaurants are mentioned only within the context of the story. There is no "star rating." That being said, this book is an absolute must read if you are planning a culinary (or any) excursion through Spain.

This is good background for anyone interested in learning more about the main currents of Spanish traditional cuisine, or for foodies who may be planning a trip to Spain. But don't expect a comprehensive approach; it's more a pastiche of vignettes, organized by specific cities … Barcelona, Cadiz, Madrid, etc., each of which deals with a food product characteristic of the area. Most interesting are sections devoted to describing the bluefin tuna industry, both local and global; the gathering of "barnacles" from Spain's west coast, or the process of raising hogs and turning them into the famous Serrano ham - this is the "pig" of the title, though the author never gets around to any similar focus on "olive" or "grape." What prevents it from having four, or even five, stars is having to plow through considerable verbiage devoted to the writer's favorite subject - himself! Do we care about how he wooed his Spanish wife, or the route he took to become a writer? Some may ...

À lire absolument pour préparer un voyage en Espagne

Recipient said she loved the book and the illustrations.Especially enjoyed being able to wallow in amazing Spanish produce- without any requirement to be in the kitchen, or cooking.

This book is very well produced: typesetting, binding, photo's, all first class. Good format too.However, it is thin on substance and content. The style of writing and the structure make the book rather superficial.It contains hardly any information that is not already available elsewhere.The many narrative and partly autobiographical sections are poorly written. The so called ideas of the author and his private ramblings often get in the way of the content. As regards language and tone, it makes Lonely Planet sound intellectual and academic.The Japan book by the same author is better. This Spanish book might have been produced with too much haste.

Wonderful book. It is a must.Gives a great view of the relation between culture and food, wich is so important to understand a country and we forget sometimes.As a local, I'm so happy to read such realistic things about my city, Barcelona and Catalan culture, and from Galicia, where my mother's family is coming from.

It was delivered within two days .I really enjoy the informative book .I have been to SoIn four ti es and still learning so much