Matt Goulding knows a thing or two about Spanish cuisine: he has loved the country and its wildly varied culinary offerings since his first visit to Barcelona as a wide-eyed high school student. After a brief career as a chef and a slightly longer one as a journalist, Goulding is now happily ensconced in Barcelona, savoring its jamón and churros with his Catalan wife, Laura. In the follow-up to Rice, Noodle, Fish, his exploration of Japanese food culture, Goulding takes readers on a mouthwatering, deeply personal tour through Spain's regional cuisines. Grape, Olive, Pig follows Goulding's peregrinations, diving into the essential dishes of a country with strong opinions about food.
Goulding divides his account into nine chapters, each covering a city (Barcelona, Valencia, Cádiz) or a region (Galicia, Asturias, the Basque country) with its own memorable culinary culture. He highlights chefs, restaurants and dishes from every part of the Spanish plate, from the ultramodern molecular gastronomy of Ferran Adrià to the homely but satisfying tapas bars of Madrid. Color photos depict the dishes (saffron-infused paella, mouthwatering cheeses and charcuterie) and people (the farmers, fishermen and chefs who raise, catch and transform the raw ingredients) that so fascinate Goulding. He also touches on village markets, climate change, gender roles in food production and many more facets of Spain's food culture.
Thoughtful, informed and totally unpretentious, Grape, Olive, Pig is a delicious field guide to the tables and markets of a fascinating land. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams