Delving into each region's culinary styles and preferred ingredients, Claudia Roden serves up a delightful cornucopia of Spanish history, culture and delicious food in this plump, gorgeously illustrated collection. Pepa's Fish Soup, the chosen test recipe, brings seafood and comfort food together in one pot. While the stew is perfumed with delicate saffron, potatoes and firm whitefish give the concoction enough substance to hit the spot on a chilly evening. A Catalan picada, a paste of almonds ground with garlic, joins the mixture at the end of cooking to provide thickening and a hint of subtle nuttiness.
Any chef interested in the home cooking of other countries will surely appreciate Roden's lavish offering in The Food of Spain, and while you won't get a finder's fee, you can hope for a finder's flan! --Jaclyn Fulwood, graduate assistant, University of Oklahoma Libraries