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Key Facts

  • The phrase 'the kitchen of a country is its landscape' became a slogan based on ideas of Josep Pla.
  • Josep Pla is identified as a writer from Palafrugell.
  • Pla's writings focused on the refinements of simple cuisine and memories of agricultural labor.
  • The text evokes specific rural imagery including esparto bundles, plowing with mules, and hidden coves.

Quick Summary

The approach to living has changed greatly since the concept that 'the kitchen of a country is its landscape' gained traction. This statement has been transformed into a slogan based on the ideas of Josep Pla. The writer from Palafrugell traveled through his own nostalgias to reveal the refinements of simple cuisine from his memory. He dedicated pages to the subject of eating, using his pen much like a spoon to confront a light and substantial fish soup. His goal was to recover vivencias entalladas, or deeply etched experiences, created by the heat of melancholy's embers. These memories are invoked by the recollection of serones de esparto (esparto grass bundles), resting between boats, the cadence of agricultural labor, and tavern songs. These episodes bring back the sensation of warm summer air and the slow pace of plowing behind a mula (mule). They also recall diving into the waters of a hidden cove within a rugged nature that extends into the sea. Ultimately, the text suggests that cuisine relies on a tradition that rests in memory, offering flavors that open the door to past experiences.

The Evolution of a Culinary Slogan

The way people live has varied significantly since the idea prospered that "la cocina de un país es su paisaje" (the kitchen of a country is its landscape) placed in the cauldron. This phrase has been transformed into a slogan derived from the concepts of Josep Pla. He traveled through his own nostalgias to strip away the refinements of the simple cuisine found in his memory. Pla dedicated specific pages to the matters of eating, writing texts where he retraced the steps of time in which his culinary recollections were forged. The writer approached the act of writing with the same intimacy as taking a spoon to face a light and substantial fish soup. This culinary imagery included ñoras (dried peppers) and añoranzas (yearnings), serving as a method to recover vivencias deeply etched by the heat of melancholy's embers. The text highlights that the writer's style was as essential as the ingredients he described.

Recollections of Rural Life 🌿

The memories evoked by Josep Pla transport the reader to a specific time and place. He recalled the serones de esparto (esparto grass bundles) and the act of sesteo (resting/siesta) between the boats. The rhythm of life was defined by the cadence of agricultural labor and the sounds of tavern songs. These specific episodes revive the physical sensations of the past. One feels the caress of the warm summer air against the skin. The text describes the slow, deliberate manners of the labranza (plowing) performed with an arado (plow) pulled behind a mula. It also recalls the sudden zambullida (dive) into the refreshing waters of a recóndita cala (hidden cove). This setting is framed by a nature that is agreste (rugged/wild) and extends directly into the sea.

The Connection Between Taste and Time

The summary of this culinary philosophy suggests that the kitchen draws from a tradition that rests specifically in the recuerdo (memory). It delivers flavors that effectively open a door to experiences from the past. These sensory experiences are powerful enough to invoke the return of a "dichosa" (happy) era. The act of eating becomes a vehicle for time travel, connecting the present diner with the history of the land and the writer's personal history. The nostalgia found in the cauldron is not just about food, but about the recovery of a lifestyle and a connection to the earth. The text implies that the true flavor of a dish is inseparable from the memories it triggers.

"la cocina de un país es su paisaje puesto en la cazuela"

— Josep Pla