This weekend we headed deep into the Alpujarras, a mountainous region south of Granada, to interview Chris Stewart, author of Driving Over Lemons, A Parrot in the Pepper Tree, and the Almond Blossom Appreciation Society. After a rather fine lunch overlooking his valley farm, we sat down to discuss topics including:
– The history of the Moors in Spain and the Alpujarras
– The Moorish influence on his lifestyle and farming techniques, including Moorish irrigation techniques
– Olive trees and olive farming around Jaen
– The similarities between the Alpujarra and Morocco
– The writing process
– Moroccan immigration in Spain and El Ejido (a town in Andalusia where many Moroccan immigrants end up working in intensive greenhouse farming).
– The African immigration problem facing Spain now, and the treatment of Moroccan immigrants in Andalusia
– … and finally, a great recipe for Gazpacho!
Hope you enjoy it! Discussion and questions are welcome in the forum.
Notes from Spain by Ben Curtis 