In the Kitchens of Castile

Art critic Gijs van Hensbergen had long dreamed of mastering Castilian cuisine – the least known and most delicious in Europe, with its sucking pigs and milk-fed lambs, and its extraordinary variety of seafood. He left England and traveled to Segovia, the oldest and most beautiful city in Castile, with the idea of apprenticing himself to one of the major restaurant there. Soon he was working for twelve hours a day, in temperatures of over a hundred, but rapidly learning the traditions, not only of Castilian kitchens, but also of the architecture, the literature, even the agriculture of the region. We read about wild boar hunts, auctions conducted over church altars, twenty course banquets and the most exclusive wine grape in the world. Gijs describes it all with wit and exuberance. This book is essential for anyone interested in food, travel and the history of Spain Art critic Gijs van Hensbergen had long dreamed of mastering Castilian cuisine – the least known and most delicious in Europe, with its sucking pigs and milk-fed lambs, and its extraordinary variety of seafood. He left England and traveled to Segovia, the oldest and most beautiful city in Castile, with the idea of apprenticing himself to one of the major restaurant there. Soon he was working for twelve hours a day, in temperatures of over a hundred, but rapidly learning the traditions, not only of Castilian kitchens, but also of the architecture, the literature, even the agriculture of the region. We read about wild boar hunts, auctions conducted over church altars, twenty course banquets and the most exclusive wine grape in the world. Gijs describes it all with wit and exuberance. This book is essential for anyone interested in food, travel and the history of Spain.