“Passion and Love are the fundamental
ingredients in the recipe of life.” Manuela Requena.
Image a scenario wherein you have lost your
sense of smell and of taste. Would it not be terrible! Imagine not being able
to smell the morning cup of coffee or taste the deliciousness of your most favored dish? Unfortunately this is exactly what the lead protagonist of Sangria – Rose; suffers from. No amount of visits to the Otolaryngology clinics
have provided her answers and so she lives her life without knowing the simple
pleasures that we so often take for granted.
The book is simple and straightforward. It
is a story about a young woman with no sense of smell or taste and how one fine
day a chance encounter slowly changes her life. This book is a lovely combination
of a story of loss, of love and family ties and also a mini recipe book. This
is probably the first ever book on cookery clubbed with fiction. An interesting
combination, I must add!
When Rose gets an opportunity to cook for
her friends and family she sets off to the market to buy her groceries. There
she meets Isabel, a mysterious gypsy at a Australian vegetable market who
introduces Rose to the fabulous world of herbs and spices (I call it fabulous
because I love cooking and love fresh herbs and aromatic spices). Her take on herbs and other ingredients leaves magical spell on Rose as well as the reader.
She shares some simple recipes with Rose and advises her to cook the dishes
with love.
One paragraph that stuck with me after
reading the book is where Isabel gives Rose a simple but profound advice.
“Rose, these recipes will help you with your evening but it is you that will
make the evening a success. These recipes are only words on paper. What makes
them come alive is the love that you put into them, without that, they are
tasteless. It is the essence of Rose that makes it a success, your essence.”
How true is that! A simple dal chawal cooked by any mother is the
most delicious meal ever for any child; because a mother flavours her food with
her essence, her love and her blessings.
Sangria a recipe for love is another simple
yet beautiful book from the Undercover Utopia Publishing house.
#bookreview #cookbook #fiction #sangria #ManuelaRequena #recipe
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