Delallama, Asturian publishing house, will reissue the second volume of the work of María Luisa García
A classic among the classics will see its existence renewed. The second volume of “The Art of Cooking”, a fetish work of Asturian cuisine, will be reissued by Delallama, Asturian editorial that already did the same with the first part, almost a year ago.
In 1982, María Luisa García published the second part of “The Art of Cooking”, completing the work that she had begun in 1970. This compendium would become, a la poste, in one of the most recurring works for Asturian gastronomy. It was a turning point in the life of the author, going from giving cooking courses to becoming the culinary reference in the region. “The art of cooking” reached 31 editions of its first volume and, adding other titles such as “Typical dishes of Asturias” or “The art of confectionery”, it sold more than 500,000 copies.
The Asturian publisher Delallama has reissued the second volume preserving the image, text and layout of the original issue, just like he did with the first part of the book. The request of María Luisa’s family was that the content of the book be kept exactly the same, since they consider that the recipes are a historical testimony of the time. The author’s nephew, Ignacio Alonso, explained to SER Gijón that the book contains “valuable references” that allude to the time in which it was written, such as expressions that link the recipes to the history of kitchens in the 1960s, when in Asturias coal was still used. One of them is, for example, “the pot is removed from the plate after a quarter of an hour.”
An accessible, simple, “market” kitchen
The second volume of “The Art of Cooking” not only focuses on Asturian gastronomy, but also covers the traditional Spanish recipes of the time, including some foreign contributions. In addition, many recipes are adapted to the traditional style of food, “more focused on the caloric load”, as Ignacio Alonso affirms.
María Luisa García was not only in charge of writing his works, but also she managed all the editions on her own and distributed them herself at the Asturias Trade Fair for years. Thanks to his work, his books became very popular in the Asturian community. Her nephew has stated that she never imagined the great success that her books would have. “She could not even suspect the success that she was going to have,” commented her nephew.
Maria Luisa Garcia was also Honorary President of the Club de Guisanderas de Asturias. His notoriety was so great that he came to cook for the pope during his visit to the Principality and his recipes were published in LIFE magazine, at “the peak of this international projection.”
Alonso also recalled that the second part of “The Art of Cooking” was prepared in a “systematic and precise” way, with sheets, typed tests and notes on the recipes, which gave it an almost university approach. The language used is simple, without referring to instruments or techniques little known in the domestic world. María Luisa used very accessible ingredients, in what is known as “market cuisine”. The reissue of the second part of the work will be presented at the La Pilarica Bookstore in Mieres on March 10.
