The revival of Andalusian popular cooking

Writing is a powerful tool for passing on knowledge: this was true even long before the invention of paper. Recording and archiving the present safeguards memories for the future, ensuring they are not lost with the passing of time.

Written texts help with cultural interface and understanding, show how cities developed in the past, and how social movements that have shaped history were formed.

Recipe books have played an important role in ensuring the survival of traditional stews, lovingly cooked by great- and great-great-grandmothers on their stoves. They are living encyclopedias that use the art of cookery to reflect the socio-economic changes that have taken place over the years and how those changes affected families' needs and the options that were available to them.

But they are so much more than that. A recipe is a reflection of the land, of the locally available natural resources, and of the influences of neighboring regions. This explains, for example, why so many popular Galician dishes contain turnip tops, or why cured tuna is a traditional Andalusian dish.

We have evidence of culinary recipes through tesserae that have come down to us from Mesopotamia, but De re coquinaria has been considered the first western cooking manual, attributed to the Roman cook Marco Gavio Apicio who lived in the 1st century. De Re Coquinaria is believed to be the first Western cookbook. It is attributed to the Roman cook, Marcus Gavius Apicius, who lived during the 1st century CE.

His book is a compendium of 500 recipes that paint a picture of opulent Roman cuisine, including instructions on technique and countless ingredients that reflect Mediterranean.

Cookery books have evolved over time, and it was not until the 20th century that the format we are familiar with today emerged, with lists of ingredients and step-by-step instructions. The end of the 1990s saw the emergence of a movement in Spain that focused on popular cookery.

Several groups appeared on the scene, promoting local, homemade recipes; cookery programs found their way onto our TV screens; and magazines were full of cooking tips and advice. However, at the same time, lifestyles were changing, and home cooking began to die out. This led to a boom in recipe books, which we have to thank for the fact that we still remember our grandmothers' traditional stews.

Several groups appeared on the scene, promoting local, homemade recipes; cookery programs found their way onto our TV screens; and magazines were full of cooking tips and advice. However, at the same time, lifestyles were changing, and home cooking began to die out. This led to a boom in recipe books, which we have to thank for the fact that we still remember our grandmothers' traditional stews.

Her job has taken her all over the province, where she has discovered the delicious—and largely unknown—gastronomy of the region's hidden corners. "Now there are some wonderful restaurants, but at that time, in the 1970s and 1980s, there was nothing. If you wanted to go out to eat, you had to go near to the city of Huelva or order something. That was when I noticed that the food was delicious, because Huelva's local food produce is incredible."

Her archivist's instinct led her to present a project (together with her colleague, Bernardo Romero) to the city council's leaders. The aim of the project was to showcase and protect Huelva's traditional cuisine, which she had encountered on her travels. They were given full support and set to work immediately. How did they collate all the recipes? "We organized a competition; we were interested in the traditional cookery of homemakers."

This was in the late 1980s. "It took me two years to write the book. There were recipes that I had to make at home because I didn't really understand them—there were over 1,000!" explains Remedios, fondly remembering her work. The first edition of The Cuisine of Huelva (La cocina de Huelva) was published in 1990. One thousand copies were printed, and they sold out in under a month. They printed another 2,000, then 5,000, and the book continued to sell out.

In total, eight editions of the book were published, with the last one released in 2016. "It was a total hit; nothing had been published previously on the region's cuisine. It acted as a catalyst for several other books to be published, with the aim of protecting Huelva's culinary tradition. That was our goal, and we achieved it." In the 3rd edition, 100 recipes from the initial collection were changed, and some recipes from a 19th-century recipe book were added. "People would ring me and say that they had some recipes from their great-grandmother, if I was interested. Of course I was! I photocopied them and sent them back."

That was how she was able to keep adding to the book, which is a reflection of all the cultures that have settled in Huelva: a tradition that has stood the test of time. The book also shows that Huelva's gastronomy "is so much more than just cuttlefish and prawns." The recipe book includes gurumelos ("a delicious mushroom from the region of Andévalo"), culantro ("a herb used in several stews, which is not related in any way at all to cilantro"), and tollos (dried dogfish) in tomato, which is possibly "the region's most characteristic, yet humble, dish."

The great Basque chef Juan Mari Arzak has a copy in his office, but it wasn't Remedios who told us about it. We spotted it in a photo printed in an El País newspaper supplement. "My book was there. The whole of Huelva rang me!" she said excitedly. Remedios retired in 2011 and, although she is no longer working, her energy shines through in every word that she utters. Chatty and energetic, she says that she has enjoyed every minute and feels very flattered: "I think we have done a really important job." We completely agree, Remedios. Thank you.

In 1993, Antonia Heredia Herrera, archivist and theorist, and Mercedes Reguera Ramírez co-authored a book entitled Recipes from Sevillian Cookery (Recetas de cocina sevillana), published by Seville's Provincial Council's Archives and Publication Service. The book was a compendium of recipes from all over the region, compiled from recipes sent in by ordinary people. The recipes reflected what those individuals ate at home and the knowledge that had been passed down from their ancestors. It also included a notebook for readers to make their own archive of recipes, passed down from generation to generation.

It is an essential work for understanding Sevillian gastronomy, as evidenced by the fact that two new editions, published in 1998 and 2008, sold out completely. Some years later, Mercedes Reguera became involved with New Recipes from Sevillian Cookery (Nuevas recetas de cocina sevillana), once again prompted by the city council. According to the author, the book "is a tribute to the simplicity and everyday experience of home cooking."

A few years later, in 1999, the authorities in Granada decided to showcase the traditional home cooking of their region. They did so by publishing Recipes from Granadan cookery, coordinated by Marina Guillén and Carlos Gollonet. To gather the content for the book, they held a public competition in which they asked people to send in the recipes for dishes that they still cooked. After the panel had judged them all, they selected 450 of the more than 600 entries that had been submitted.

The result?  A book of "old recipes that had survived to the present day, just as they were made years or even centuries ago, adapted to current practices and customs. There were also recipes that used traditional products from the region, with innovative, personal touches." A second edition was later published, entitled New Recipes from Granadan Cookery (Nuevas recetas de cocina granadina) following a second competition that attracted a broad range of entrants, from housewives and food lovers to professionals and well-known restaurateurs.

Their passion for cooking put them in contact with a number of different events organized by a homemakers' association, as well as some summer workshops. This shared interest soon led them to organize a meeting in which people could taste dishes, discuss cookery, and exchange recipes. That meeting—held in the living room of a house in the neighborhood of La Laguna—was to be the first of many. "We wrote our recipes in old, time-worn notebooks." (El Almirez)

They drafted some statutes, appointed a chair, and set up monthly meetings. At the time, between housework, jobs, and caring for their children, they had a lot to juggle. However, their will to succeed made it possible to overcome any difficulties, and they jumped at the chance to take on new projects. In 2001, they published their first book: The El Almirez Pastry Store (La Dulcería de El Almirez). Later came Lo Mejor de El Almirez ("The Best of El Almirez"), a collection of their best dishes, cooked over the ten years of the group's existence.

In 2011, they launched themselves online and since then have kept a blog in which they share their culinary expertise and experiences with businesses and shops, and sing the praises of local produce and local businesses. They have also participated in discussion groups, judged competitions, and taken part in conferences in countries such as Estonia and Spain's neighboring Portugal.

The work they have done to reclaim the traditional gastronomy of Cádiz has been invaluable. Today—over twenty years later—they enjoy their work as much as they did when they were starting out and now have more time to devote to their great passion, which they also share on social media.