When in 2005, chef Quique Dacosta published Contemporary Rice (Montagud Editores), introduced into bookstores one of those manuals for professionals that went beyond the recipe book, a book that dissected the origin, the grain, the farmer, the cultivation process to finally reach the table of a Michelin star.
From then until today, there has been a long path of research in the world of rice, a search for new techniques, a look at this horizon where the roots, the field, the Albufera, come together with the inspiration and creativity of the chef-students. So, basically, the very personal project of the chef and cooking teacher, Luis Arrufat, has just been born: Rice. Technique and essence.
The book, with a prologue by Quique Dacosta himself and by chef José Andrés, is the obvious continuation of this careful analysis that the chef from Denia undertook, “at the end of the book”, writes Quique Dacosta in the prologue, “we had the clear feeling that the project was beginning and that it would fall into the hands of all the cooks who wanted to approach the world of rice with a restless and evolving mentality, and with the intention of exploring the paths as far as we can. bring the world of rice.
And these hands were those of Luis Arrufat, the nutritionist Teresa de Juan and the photographer Bernat Alberdi. The three created a very personal, analytical and deep project, necessary to understand not only the processes, marketing and uses of rice, but also to understand the cultural and emotional side of the ingredient. “Quique Dacosta, as a professional and as a person, is a reference for me,” says Luis Arrufat. “His book was my inspiration, but many years have passed since its publication and the curiosities of professionals have changed. During my years as a trainer, my students asked me a series of questions that were not included in any book. That is why I decided to write this, to respond to professionals and enthusiasts. Working on nutrition, the physicochemical part, fermentations and all those subjects that I had not found in another publication”, he analyzes.
We cannot say that it is a recipe book, even if there is one, but rather it is a publication of techniques, of analysis of herbs, of questioning and trying to explain, from a scientific point of view, why: Why does basmati type rice not suit me? risotto? What is the difference between rice varieties? Why does a good sofrito or broth make rice different? What is the difference between stock, fish stock and rock fish stock?
In short, it is an essential master class for scholars, culinary professionals or true rice lovers.
The book begins with a recollection of the chef’s origins, family and early years in professional kitchens around the world; then, his first projects and his arrival at the culinary university; So, with everything he has learned, he goes to Albufera to present those who allow rice to enter our kitchens and then leaves with a series of recipes where he tries to give dignity to the ingredient. “I want to tell the reader that behind the packet of rice that arrives in your kitchen lies the hard work of farmers who have been treating the land for centuries, fighting against the elements, updating ancestral techniques,” the author writes.
It must be said that the value of this work, in addition to its content, lies in the care taken in the choice of papers, with different weights, typologies and textures. “We were looking for a paper that had touch, that transmitted,” admits Luis Arrufat, “and that’s how we found rice paper. If you caress it, it gives you other sensations. You feel the work of the farmer, what is hidden behind the harvest of this grain.” Alongside the editing, I would like to highlight the wonderful work of Bernat Alberdi: a commitment to everyday and rural photography, and a fantastic mastery of light in the final dishes of the final cookbook.
Just by seeing it and touching it you know it’s not a cheap or commercial book, perhaps that’s why they opted for self-publishing. Let’s make no mistake, in the world of publishing, rice books proliferate, because people love them and therefore they sell. Some of them are, deservedly, the best-selling, like Paella by Alberto Herráiz (RBA); others convey feelings and creative goodwill like Paella by Omar Allibhoy (Cinco Tintas) and several try to give a different touch to the ways of preparing rice at home, such as the latest book published by Planeta Gastro with the signature of chef Paco Pérez, but with the writing of Salvador García-Arbós and photography by Francesc Guillamet.
The book which bears the title Rice at homeis a potted recipe book that invites responsible consumption of seasonal products and to opt for rice for dessert, beyond the traditional rice pudding. It is worth noting the part documented at the beginning of the book, which dispels doubts about how to make a good broth, the cooking processes or the ways of making different types of stir-fries, because “it should be clarified that, in the same way that there is not a single rice, neither is there a single stir-fry. Each rice has its stir-fry”. Let us add: each rice has its process, its technique and its essence.
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