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Poultry and Game
Published 2005
Top left: Festive stenciled tables and chairs stand at the ready; Top right: A proud display of plumage decorates these beautifully crafted tiles; Bottom left: Dried fruits and nuts are often deliciously paired with poultry, especially in Catalonia. Bottom right: A Valencian chef, sleeves rolled up, readies himself for dinner service.
Aves (poultry) has historically occupied an important place at the Spanish table. Medieval and Renaissance cookbooks abound in chicken recipes, many of which would startle modern palates with their extravagant use of sugar and spice. “Confections” such as manjar blanco of chicken breast mixed with almond milk, sugar, and rose water; or chicken mirrauste, in a thick, sweet sauce of nuts, lemon, ginger, and wine were clearly of Arabic inspiration. White chicken meat even found its way into marzipan! And hens figured prominently in recipes for the sick.