Barcelona is one of Spain’s most visited cities. With a culture and language unique from the rest of the country, the metropolis attracts many who are involved in some type of culinary pursuit. Song and Riera richly document the origins of Catalan cooking in this book, delving as far back as the Middle Ages up to the present. They also focus on the rise of such celebrated chefs as Ferran Adrià of the restaurant elBulli, soon to reopen as elBulli 1846. Digging deep into the history of medieval Spain, they examine Muslim influence on both Spanish food and culture, and also how French gastronomy shaped Spanish cuisine. A section on Barcelona's restaurants is included, with a glimpse at their histories and how they contribute to the overall gastronomic landscape of the city. A final chapter provides a sample of traditional Catalan dishes, along with building blocks of this style of cooking, such as allioli or garlic-olive oil sauce. Recipes include rabbit with chocolate sauce, rice with artichokes, and panellets, or Catalan marzipan sweets.