Contents
Fernando Sánchez Gómez publishes La Cocina de la Crítica. History, Theory and Practice of Gastronomic Criticism as a Journalistic Genre, the first book published in Spain on gastronomic criticism.
This manual delves into the criteria of culinary analysis that govern contemporary gastronomic criticism and addresses the study and characterization of this journalistic genre from its founding in 1969 in the newspaper ABC until today, when the great media boom of gastronomy is being experienced. .
The book was presented last Monday, March 24, by Rafael Ansón, President of the Royal Academy of Gastronomy and Honorary President of the International Academy of Gastronomy, author of the first prologue of the book, and Fernando Huidobro, President of the Andalusian Academy of Gastronomy and Tourism and author of the second prologue.
The intermediate between the theoretical and practical part of the manual is signed by Enrique Bellver (SUR gastronomic critic) and the epilogue, Francisco López Canís (President of the Gourmets Group).
New line of research
Fernando @SanchezGomez, graduate and doctorate in Social Sciences and Communication from the University of the Basque Country, is the author of the first Doctoral Thesis on Gastronomic Journalism defended in Spain and unanimously qualified with outstanding.
With this academic study a new line of research is opened that includes, among others, subjects such as the history of gastronomic journalism in Spain and the analysis of language within this journalistic specialty.
Currently, the author collaborates with the daily SUR (Vocento) and Excelente, with opinion articles, chronicles, reviews and reports on gastronomy.
The work has been structured in seven chapters:
- “Literary origins of the current Gastronomic Criticism”, an approach to the origins of the tradition of gastronomic literature.
- “Definitions of Gastronomy and other related concepts”, which addresses the meaning of the main object of study of gastronomic criticism; also other words such as “gourmet”, “tasting menu” or “nouvelle cuisine”, in addition to the different cuisines that are the object of analysis by gastronomic critics.
- “Foundation of gastronomic criticism as a journalistic genre”, which investigates the origins of the genre in XNUMXth-century France and reviews pioneering critics, such as Grimod de la Reynière (the first food critic) and his successors.
- “History of gastronomic criticism in Spain”, an extensive chapter, refers, among other sections, to the first fixed section that is published in a newspaper under the heading “Gastronomic Criticism” and that, in 1969, the Count of the Andes (Savarin) began to sign in the ABC newspaper, also addressing the different historical stages that gastronomic critics have had in Spain, leading critics and also leading chefs. Restaurants such as Horcher, Jockey, Zalacaín, Arzak or elBulli, among others, are mentioned.
- “The Gastronomic Criticism as a journalistic genre”, defines its theory and concept, in addition to its main functions. As a curiosity, it includes the proposal of La Cofradía de la Buena Mesa and the thematic references of gastronomic criticism, to finish by referring to the new journalistic supports that have generated online gastronomic criticism.
- “Evaluation criteria in Gastronomic Criticism”, which refers to creativity, the importance of differentiating the type of restaurant and the raw material used, as well as the technique. There are references to the Manifesto of the New Basque Cuisine, the Decalogue of the New Spanish Cuisine or the Decalogue of Techno-emotional Cuisine, among others, in addition to the tribute paid to gastronomic guides, including Repsol (former Campsa).
- And finally, “Profile of the gastronomic critic”, dedicated to Journalistic Ethics and Deontology, even opening a debate on whether or not to preserve the identity of the critic. The book closes with the profile of the main gastronomic critics in Spain.