THE DETECTIVE PEPE CARVALHO

Pepe Carvalho is a fictional character invented by the Spanish writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán (1939-2003), protagonist in more than twenty novels.

Vázquez Montalbán adapts successfully the genre of the Detective Story to Spain creating an odd detective: a former member of the Spanish Communist Party, former agent of CIA, born in Galicia but living and working in Barcelona, man of vast culture, cold as the same time as sensitive. The series actually begins with the second book Tattoo (Tatuaje). The first book, I killed Kennedy (Yo mate a Kennedy), is different, it’s not a detective story at all.  Among the others books it is worth mentioning The Southern Seas (Los mares del Sur, Planeta Prize and Prix International de Littérature Policière), The birds of Bangkok (Los pájaros de Bangkok) or Alexandria's Rose (La rosa de Alejandría). Some books have been adapted to screen, unfortunately, without success.

Through his novels the author shows the Spanish reality from the 60’s until the end of 20th century illustrating the change in the Spanish society from the General Franco’s dictatorship to the democracy and Spain’s joining to the European Union.

Two curious aspects in this character are: first, despite being a man with a vast culture, he usually lights his fireplace burning a book from his large library; second, Carvalho is a true gourmet (as Vázquez Montalbán himself). The author uses the first feature to express his opinions and tastes about Literature or to reflect about diverse themes.

In relation to food, detective Carvalho is a demanding food lover and in every book it’s shown not only what the characters eat, but even the recipe and how they cook while chatting. Carvalho’s assistant, Biscuter, lives in his office. He is a little man who helps Carvalho in his job and serves to him as a cook. As Carvalho has usually to travel to different places, even countries, the most diverse dishes (and reflections about them) appear in these books. Maybe the most mentioned food in many ways is rice (especially different forms of cooking paella). The importance of cooking in these books is such that two books gathers the fragments from the novels in which culinary quotes, explaining the recipe, appear: Carvalho’s recipes and Gastronomic Carvalho (Las recetas de Carvalho; Carvalho gastronómico). As an example:

[Carvalho cooks paella with his friend Fuster while talking about literature:]

He roared like a wounded by an invisible arrow.

–What is this?

–Onion.

–Onion at the paella? Where did you learn that? Onion softens the grain up.

–That’s foolishness. In my village people always add onion.

–In your village you do anything to attract attention. You can put onion to rice with fish or cod but done in the clay pot, just in the clay pot, do you understand?

[Rugió como herido por una invisible saeta.

–¿Qué es eso?

–Cebolla.

–¿Cebolla en la paella? ¿De dónde has sacado eso? La cebolla ablanda el grano.

–Eso es una majadería. En mi pueblo siempre ponen cebolla.

–En tu pueblo hacéis cualquier cosa para significaros. Se puede poner cebolla a un arroz de pescado o de bacalao hecho a la cazuela, a la cazuela, ¿entiendes?]

The Southern Seas

Questions:

1.    The private detective who loves cooking in the Spanish literature is:

a.    Don Quixote.

b.    Pepe Carvalho.

c.    Virginia Chamorro.

d.    Rick Castle.

2.    The private detective Pepe Carvalho burns a book to light…

a.    a cigarette.

b.    his cooker.

c.    his fireplace.

d.    a flambé steak.

3.    The books of Spanish private detective and gourmet Pepe Carvalho shows Spain in…

a.    the First World War.

b.    Spanish Civil War.

c.    XIX century.

d.    the end of XX century.

4.    In the book The birds of Bangkok the Spanish private detective Pepe Carvalho tastes…

a.    Japanese food.

b.    Russian food.

c.    Thai food.

d.    Indian food.

5.    What ingredient mustn’t you put in a typical Spanish paella, according the private detective Pepe Carvalho?

a.    Onion.

b.    Rice.

c.    Salt.

d.    Fish.

6.    Cookery is so important in his books than even there are two of them joining the recipes that you can find. Who is he?

a.    Larra.

b.    Don Quixote.

c.    Lázaro de Tormes.

d.    Pepe Carvalho.