Calendar of Events
Note: Meetings are usually held on the second Sunday of each month, September through May, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Currently we are meeting via Zoom, but in-person meetings are held at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, Maryland, and occasionally at other venues. The meetings are open to anyone. However, certain meetings may require a fee.
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“Circumnavigating Spain: An Exploration of Her Regional Cuisines”
May 1, 2022 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
TALK DESCRIPTION:
Over the centuries, Spanish cuisine has been influenced by foreign invaders, friendly visitors, and her colonial history. In the course of CiCi’s presentation, we will travel 2,000 miles around the country and visit six culinary regions:
• Central Spain and Madrid, where roasted meats and tortilla Español predominate.
• The Pyrenees, where a stew, Chilindron, is king.
• The Basque region in the north with seafood and sauces influenced by neighboring France.
• Cataluña, which includes Barcelona, with casseroles from mar i muntanya (sea and
mountains)
• The eastern rice-growing region, including Valencia, where paella originated.
• Andalucía, the homeland of gazpacho and claimed by many as the origin of tapas, usually paired with the region’s sherry.
Staple ingredients in the Spanish repertoire include the ubiquitous olive oil (Spain is the world’s largest producer), peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onion, olives, anchovies, ham, sherry vinegar, herbs and spices (especially saffron and paprika), chorizo (not the spicy Mexican version), and regional cheeses. Catalunya’s foremost food writer, Josep Pla, wrote, “A country’s cuisine is its landscape in a pot.” This presentation will bring that landscape and cuisine vividly to life.
BIO: Food historian and travel writer CiCi Williamson is the author of six cookbooks and more than 1,500 articles in newspapers and magazines. Her most recent book is The Best of Virginia Farms Cookbook and Tourbook. She hosted an award-winning Virginia PBS-TV series based on the book. For 23 years, she wrote a syndicated weekly food column in 160 newspapers across the country and has appeared on ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” and numerous other network and cable TV shows.
CiCi is a charter member and past president of CHoW and has designed its newsletter for 15 years. She has served as president of the prestigious 2,500 member Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI), president of LDEI’s Washington, D.C. Chapter, and is current president of the McLean (Virginia) Newcomers and Neighbors Club. She lectures on many food and travel topics.
Before retiring from her government position, CiCi was a food safety specialist for 26 years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline. CiCi has a B.S. in Home Economics from the
University of Maryland.