A CHEF'S TOUR OF ANDALUCIA

Celebrated Spanish chef José Pizarro has been visiting Andalucía in southern Spain since he was a small boy. Julie Sheppard joins him in the region to discover his food and wine inspirations

- Julie Sheppard

The citrus scent of orange trees, the sounds of flamenco guitar, the stunning sights of a region that encompasses rugged mountains and more than 800km of coastline... With such a feast for the senses, it’s little wonder that Andalucía in southern Spain has inspired countless artists and artisans over the years.

One of those is chef José Pizarro, whose latest book, Andalusia: Recipes from Seville and beyond (Hardie Grant, 2019), celebrates the vibrant food of the region. ‘Andalucían cuisine is dictated by the fish in the sea, the animals in the fields and the wilds of the mountains, and the fruit and vegetables grown in orchards and gardens,’ explains Pizarro in the book’s introduction.

Regional character

This wealth of local ingredients has been combined with exotic Moorish influences – Moors ruled the region for more than 500 years after they invaded in 711 – and a unique wine culture to create a distinctive style of Spanish cuisine. Taking in eight provinces, the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, the beaches of the Costa del Sol and the cities of Seville, Granada, Córdoba, Jerez and Cádiz, you’ll also find breathtaking regional diversity in the dishes.

Although he grew up on his parents’ farm in Extremadura, northwest of Andalucía, Pizarro was exposed to this culture from an early age. ‘I spent all of my holidays with my auntie and uncle in Cádiz,’ he explains. Moving to London in 1999, he became head chef at Eyre Brothers and helped to set up Brindisa, before opening his own eateries – José and Pizarro – in 2011.