Spain has the Romans to thank for the basis of their cuisine, upon which other cultares, armies and importers have placed their own tastes. Following the Romans came the Visigoths, whose sorry legacy includes some simple architecture and nothing good to eat. But then came the Moors from North Africa. To the fields they brought the almond groves, oranges and other fruits. Sugar cane was an important Moorish import, and the reduction and distillation of sugar syrups led to the development of perfumes, liqueurs, and medicinal tinctures. Moorish trade provided artichokes, eggplants, spinach, rice the reintroduction of saffron and sophisticated agricultural techniques.  To the kitchen they brought the characteristic combination of finely chopped ingredients that eventually led to dishes like paella. They also introduced spiced casseroles, stews, nut sauces and fruit syrups.
The Spanish, having gradually adopted Moorish cuisine, soon met with another rich tradition, the highly developed imperial cookery of the Aztecs. Montezuma’s kitchens had developed complex nut sauces, and they made skilful use of such ingredients as chilli, chocolate and tomato. Spanish cooks readily adopted these foods into their own culinary canon, and a wonderful early fusion cuisine arose. An inspired cook could take the best of all, creating new flavours, For a simple example, taste a cup of Spanish chocolate: chocolate from the Aztecs, cinnamon from the Moors.  It’s the taste of crossroads.
All these ingredients have come together on the Iberian peninsula. And in the Iberian school of cookery they must maintain their natural integrity. They are be combined, mixed and matched, but they must not lose their essential character. For the sum of Spanish cuisine is in the nature of its parts. It is more in the bricks than in the final edifice, that we define the food of Cervantes and Gaudi. The greatest effort of the Spanish culture to nourish itself goes not into the making of sauces or complex preparations. It goes into the making of the raw materials. As you shall see throughout this book. It is in the methods of curing meats, secrets of making cheese, using the right type or rice, whether a fish is taken by net or hook. Spanish agriculture is dedicated to the production of raw materials of the highest quality and reputation. The elements of Spanish cookery are so firmly rooted in the soil and traditions of Spain that this cuisine simply will not travel. This cuisine is literally the taste of Spain itself. A good Spanish cook knows this, and knows that if the raw materials are not unduly interfered with, a good meal will he had.