While this book claims to focus on Spanish Mediterranean cuisine, it feels more like a disjointed blog attempting to push various beliefs under the guise of science. The writing comes across as superficial, with little evidence of genuine research backing the author's claims. Instead of diving into the joys of Mediterranean cooking, the narrative becomes bogged down in dubious diet advice and unfounded assertions.

Out of its excessive 470 pages, readers must wade through 180 pages of rambling before reaching any recipes—only to find themselves back in another cycle of rambling afterward. While Spanish Mediterranean cooking is indeed delicious, this book offers little new or valuable insight. It’s more noise than substance, with recipes scattered like afterthoughts.

Well I've said it before and I'll say it again – I'm the kind of cookbook reader hoping for decent photos of most dishes as something to aspire to, and less of the yack about how the recipes were passed down when the author was overtaken by a goatherd in her nineties doing one of her thrice-daily walks up a mountain, so must be good for you. I certainly wouldn't have turned to this if I had known this author's past work includes two volumes that make claims about diet and cancer that – well, I just wouldn't have.

This does all the things I wouldn't want it to – crams as few colour images as possible into a separate, almost pull-out section, regardless of any dishes. The first mahoosive chunk is a justification of the science behind the Mediterranean diet, and travel writing, and interviews and more, without really giving us many recipes in a structured format, bar a few given almost in passing – and what there are are sans quantities and written as paragraphs and not the stricter, bullet-point styled directions.

No, the actual recipe sections start on page 180, believe it or not, with tapas/pintxos. After a bit (and the colour images) it's breakfasts, where the first dish is a Piperrada Vasca – but it might as well be called a Basque shakshuka, as that's more or less what it is. So seeing as there's a law about including that dish somewhere in every cookbook now, perhaps this is a standard cookbook? No. It seems to make "sauce with" a verb, for one. It uses every American word (rutabaga) and not the English (swede). And it tells us to wash our poultry, which is bonkers.

And then, with 180pp to go, we've said goodbye to the recipes – or rather, we have just a couple more, embedded in essays or lists of travel agencies and wineries and bloggers. So buyer be as aware as a very aware thing, for this looks huge and stuffed with recipes, and is not (the specific sauces section has three; from all the countries concerned (Spain, Andorra, Portugal, France) the main part offers four soups).

If you want an enthusiastic and well-written look at the Iberian diet and why it seems so health-driven, this offers that. I am sure all the scientific papers cited are the definitive thing, and never once an author cleverly making the data say what they want the data to say, and never even close to the reproducibility crisis. If you want a definitive-seeming guide to hundreds of dishes, this is not it, for all its dimensions and page count. And while I nibbled on my dulce de membrillo (mentioned here several times), bought last spring from Roses (mentioned here), I never once found a dish that grabbed me to copy for future reference. Unfortunate – one and a half stars.

While this book was way more than just a cookbook filled with recipes, I wouldn't recommend this book to a beginner.

It certainly teaches you more about the Iberian cuisine, without precise measurements, but it talks more about "feeling".

Personally I prefer clear recipes for foods I try for the first time and lots of photos. That's why I prefer new books compared to the older ones. However. I want to say that I almost never measure ingredients for traditional foods I prepare, so I 100% understand where the author is coming from and I can say for sure that this book is great if you want to learn about this culture, but be prepared for trial and error. However, I feel like it's a great way to elevate you skills, and be a bit more than just a basic household cook, go for it, it can teach you a lot.

In conclusion, personally, I didn't find this to be the right cookbook for me, but I can be a great resource, depending on what you want to learn.

This is a fantastic cookbook! It tells a lot about various ingredients and is phenomenally written and researched. There are recipes throughout the book that sound delicious. If you enjoy cooking, I would highly recommend this! Special Thank You to Robin Keuneke, Bay Of Roses Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

This unusual cookbook is heavy on the background and journey of cooking rather than the recipes themselves. I recommend it to anyone who might be interested in changing eating habits.

Full of the history of Spanish Mediterranean cooking, this is an alluring mix of recipes including tapas, fish and many grains. Well worth reading and using in your kitchen. Recommended.

This book is part health book, part travel memoir and very much a cookbook. It is written like old vintage cookbooks rather than modern ones though, without precise measurements, detailed instructions and photos. The writing is beautiful, really giving you a sense of place and people of the region in Spain, but also passing on so much great information about the health benefits of these foods and what studies have shown about how they drastically reduce cancer risk and do so much more. This would make a great gift for a foodie friend or lover of Spain or travel.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.

'Part cookbook, part health book, part love letter to Spain and culinary travel memoir'. That sums it up really and that is a good thing as I really enjoyed every aspect of this book. It is interesting, informative, fun and I get to try out the recipes for myself.

An interesting, well laid out and easy to read book and cookbook. Something new for me and I look forward to trying out some new recipes soon.

Thank you NetGalley and Bay Of Roses Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

UPDATE: I was emailed a pdf of The Iberian Table that is readable! I'm so glad! It is well laid out, the graphics are appealing, and the writing was engaging. Tips are included throughout that help with recipes or cooking ideas. The recipes are doable for a home cook. It's definitely a book that I will include in my cookbook collection.

The electronic version of this book was not ready to be viewed - even by early readers. The format was way off and off-putting. I tried to adjust my device to make the most of it and just couldn't do it. I tried to skip straight to the recipes for some eye strain respite and that didn't work either. The shoddy coding/formatting made this unreadable. I hope that the print version is better but I can't say that I care.

The Iberian Table is an introduction to the Spanish Mediterranean diet and includes over 100 recipes. The book is divided into two parts with part one focusing on an introduction and benefits of a Spanish Mediterranean diet and part two focusing on pantry staples and recipes for tapas, breakfast, soups, salads, vegetable dishes, grains and pastas, fish, meat, poultry, sauces, and dessert. The book ends with an appendix of a cheese chart, several more beneficial ingredients with recipes, and suggested menus.
Part one has recipes scattered throughout for extra-virgin olive oil, sofrito (tomatoes, onion, and garlic), fresh produce, seafood, and meat. Most of these recipes could be formatted better because they are written in paragraph format, so you have to read the paragraph to see what ingredients to use.
The recipes in part two are written in a more traditional format with the ingredients listed at the start, but the method is again written in paragraph format, so it is harder to follow than numbered steps. After the tapas section, there is a random break with 10 photographs of grapes and Spanish Mediterranean dishes. These are the only photos of dishes in the whole book. I would have loved it if there were more photos of the dishes and they were placed with the recipe of that dish. Since I am unfamiliar with the Spanish Mediterranean diet, it would be great to see more photos of the dishes.
If you are interested in a Spanish Mediterranean diet, The Iberian Table could be interesting because it goes in-depth about the benefits of the diet and specific ingredients, but the formatting is terrible and there is a lack of recipe photos.

This book was ok. Not what I really would buy but it was interesting.

I don’t know anyone who would like this one but I do recommend

The Iberian Table focuses on the benefits of a Mediterranean diet and recipes perfect for a Mediterranean diet.

The book is very in depth about the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet. The book discusses important single ingredient for example the benefits of extra virgin olive oil.

Each recipe has ingredients and methods. Personally the recipes aren’t my favorite way to lay them out. The methods are very condensed rather than having each ingredient being more spaced out. The directions are clear and easy to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Iberian Table" by Robin Keuneke is a delightful blend of cookbook, health guide, and cultural exploration. With over 100 accessible recipes inspired by Spain's Mediterranean diet, Keuneke makes healthy cooking both easy and enjoyable for home cooks. The book also features insightful interviews with Michelin Star chefs, adding depth to this culinary journey. Perfect for anyone interested in delicious, nutritious food, this book is a must-have for your kitchen. Get it and experience the flavors and health benefits of the Iberian Peninsula!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

The book is subtitled “Healthy Cooking Secrets from the Land of Longevity” and provides details on the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet. The book is a combination of cooking guidelines for using the components of a Mediterranean diet, as well as the health information behind the ingredients. Keuneke’s focus is on the regional Iberian diet, and she takes us on a tour through La Boqueria Market, strolling past fresh ingredients and how, and why, to make them a part of your daily life.

Note: My device was having issues, and I was only able to make it about a third of the way through this book. Therefore, there may be much more to the book that would have changed my reading journey.