Food Education: Manuel Vázquez Montalbán and the Invention of Contemporary Spanish Cuisine / L’educazione alimentare: Manuel Vázquez Montalbán e l’invenzione della cucina spagnola contemporanea

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Published

2020-10-06

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13138/2039-2362/2334

Authors

  • Galina Bakhtiarova Western Connecticut State University

Abstract

Drawing on Manuel Vázquez Montalbán’s perception of the cuisine as a metaphor for culture, this essay examines the inclusion of multiple food references and the discussion of dishes from many regions of Spain in the detective novels of the Pepe Carvalho series. Published at the time of the transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in the 1970s, these novels initiated a new understanding of Spanish cuisine as an intrinsic part of culture in the Spanish collective imaginary. Currently, multiple TV shows, a boost of gastronomical and wine tourism, an abundance of regional food fairs and inclusion of food and cuisine in the local and regional festivities are indebted to the culinary education that Manuel Vázquez Montalbán started with the detective stories about Pepe Carvalho.

Attingendo alla percezione della cucina di Manuel Vázquez Montalbán come metafora della cultura, questo saggio esamina l'inclusione di molteplici riferimenti alimentari e la discussione di piatti di molte regioni della Spagna nei romanzi polizieschi della serie Pepe Carvalho. Pubblicati al momento della transizione verso la democrazia dopo la morte del dittatore Francisco Franco negli anni '70, questi romanzi iniziarono una nuova comprensione della cucina spagnola come parte intrinseca della cultura nell'immaginario collettivo spagnolo. Attualmente, numerosi programmi TV, una spinta del turismo enogastronomico, un'abbondanza di fiere alimentari regionali e l'inclusione di cibo e cucina nelle feste locali e regionali sono in debito con l'educazione culinaria che Manuel Vázquez Montalbán ha iniziato con le storie poliziesche su Pepe Carvalho.

References

Adrià F. (2003). Un intelectual de la cocina. «El País», 20 October, <http://www.xtec.cat/~jducros/Manuel%20Vazquez%20Montalban.html>, 23.02.2020.

Gil W. (2011). The (Ab)use of Politics and Eroticism in the Culture of the Spanish Transition to Democracy (1975-1982). Ph.D. Dissertation (FIU: 2011). <https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/477>, 23.02.2020.

Luzán J. (1979). Encarna soy yo: Entrevista con Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. «La Calle», 23 October. <http://www.vespito.net/mvm/mares2.html>, 23.02.2020.

Ragué M. La aventura oriental de un detective gourmet. <http://www.vespito.net/mvm/pajbang2.html>, 23.02.2020.

Tyras G. (2003). La narrativa de Manuel Vázquez Montalbán entre memoria y compromiso. <http://www.vespito.net/mvm/tyras01.html>, 23.02.2020.

Vázquez Montalbán M. (2005). Los mares del Sur. Barcelona: Planeta.

Vázquez Montalbán M. (2004). Las recetas de Carvalho. Barcelona: Planeta.

Author Biography

Galina Bakhtiarova, Western Connecticut State University

Professor Galina Bakhtiarova holds her Bachelor’s degree in English and Spanish and Master’s in translation from Moscow Linguistic University, and Master’s and Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.  At WestConn, she teaches classes in Spanish language, literature and culture and leads a study program to Spain each summer. Her dissertation and unpublished manuscript explore the complex relationship between Spanish, Catalan and Caribbean culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries through music, literature, and cinema.

How to Cite

Bakhtiarova, G. (2020). Food Education: Manuel Vázquez Montalbán and the Invention of Contemporary Spanish Cuisine / L’educazione alimentare: Manuel Vázquez Montalbán e l’invenzione della cucina spagnola contemporanea. Il Capitale Culturale. Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage, (10), 73–83. https://doi.org/10.13138/2039-2362/2334