The Spanish Canon
One hundred and thirty-six entries
Olive Oil
Three entries
Spain produces oil from several distinct olive varieties, each with its own intensity and character. Picual covers more than 20% of all olive cultivation globally and accounts for more than half of Spain's olive oil output. Arbequina yields an oil of remarkable delicacy, while Hojiblanca occupies a middle register of balanced fruitiness and moderate bitterness.
The pantry of Spain rests on a small number of preparations that recur across every regional kitchen: slowly cooked flavour bases, emulsified condiments built from oil and garlic, and smoked or dried peppers ground into powders that colour and season almost everything else. From these foundations the chapter moves to the cured and fermented goods — charcuterie, aged and raw-milk cheeses — and then to the preserved and roasted vegetables that arrive at table as dishes in their own right.