The Cuisines of Spain: Exploring Regional Home Cooking

From the array of its traditional tapas to the daring preparations of its new generation of chefs, Spain has captivated the world with its gastronomic riches. In The Cuisines of Spain, Teresa Barrenechea showcases her heritage through more than 250 recipes culled from her extensive repertoire, and from friends and fellow chefs across Spain. The famed rice dishes of Valencia, the piquant mojos of the Canary Islands, the hearty stews and braised meats of the interior–all of the classics are here in definitive form, as are many lesser-known but equally important and intriguing regional dishes.

Barrenechea weaves a captivating narrative of Spain’s diverse peoples, landscapes, and ingredients, revealing how the forces of geography, culture, and politics gave rise to the food traditions that we honor today. More than 100 photographs from Barcelona-based photojournalist Jeffrey Koehler take readers to the fields, markets, wharves, and kitchens of the provinces, and the renowned work of Christopher Hirsheimer puts Barrenechea’s recipes on brilliant display.

A celebration of home cooks past and present, The Cuisines of Spain is an enduring and intimate portrait of a great folk food tradition from one of the country’s most talented culinary ambassadors.

Born and raised in the Basque Country, TERESA BARRENECHEA moved to New York City as press attache to the Spanish delegation of the United Nations. In 1991, she opened what became regarded as the city’s top traditional Spanish restaurant, Marichu, followed by a second locale in 1994. During her thirteen years as chef-owner, Barrenechea wrote the acclaimed Basque Table, which was awarded the National Gastronomy Prize in Spain in 1998. She has taught numerous cooking classes in the United States and abroad, such as the French Culinary Institute and De Gustibus. She lives with her husband in Madrid.