THE ORIGINS
Dorotea Arrigorriaga Larrazabal
The original writer of the recipes that appear in “Recipes and Floripondios” is Dorotea Arrigorriaga Larrazabal (1854-1955). Born in Getxo, Vizcaya, she had three sons and a daughter, Juana Zabala Arrigorriaga; to which she bequeathed her recipe book as was customary at the time.
Interior of Dorotea's Recipe Book
Said recipe book was designed and written in 1879 by Dorotea to convey to her service how all the dishes served at her house should be prepared. Like many women in the Basque Country, she was a great lover of good food and the one who directed with care the opinions that had to be followed in her kitchen, the rules of cleanliness, as well as the protocol and presentation when serving the dishes.
Dorotea, knew how to pick up the culinary tradition of her mother, adding her personal touch. Her recipes are endowed with grace in the way of expressing quantities and cooking times. Its cursive and exquisite handwriting is a true reflection of the dishes it describes. The language she uses is frank, concise and plain; so that it can be understood by anyone with a taste for good food.
Coal cooker of the time
This recipe book, in addition to being a great legacy that was passed down from generation to generation, is an invaluable sample of customs on the culinary tradition existing in the wealthy Basque households of the last quarter of the 19th century.
Self portrait by Clemente Gray, 1978. Oil on canvas.
In 1977, Clemente Garay lived in Miami (USA), when on the occasion of the opening of his Spanish cuisine restaurant, he received a visit from his mother. She carried Dorotea's recipe book with her. Dorotea's daughter, Juana Zabala, single and childless, had given it to her as her favorite niece. Dorotea's cookbook is kept in a box until Clemente rescues it from oblivion in 2020 to create Recipes and Floripondios.