18 Sep “Tapas kinderleicht-Tapas facilísimas” and her vibrant watercolors.
Introducing SILJA SCHMID, her book “Tapas kinderleicht-Tapas facilísimas” and her vibrant watercolors.
During the next few weeks Silja’s watercolors will be on display and for sale in our Hotel.
We met Silja around 2019 when through her agency https://www.andalusiennet.de/ she was organizing tailor-made trips for German clients who wanted to discover the essence of Andalusia beyond the clichés.
From the first moment we realized that her philosophy of personalized and authentic trips coincided with the way we at Palacio de los Navas understand tourism and travel.
Here we leave you a short interview so you can get to know her better:
PALACIO DE LOS NAVAS; What was your first contact with Andalusia?
SILJA; I got to know Andalusia and Seville after my professional training and during my studies of business and commercial Spanish, and as a hostess in the German Pavilion of the EXPO ́92.
PN; What sparked your interest in Andalusian cuisine?
SILJA; At that time I always lived with Spanish families and “my host mothers” cooked for all the neighbors, and I was soon fascinated by the dishes prepared with olive oil. In addition, they always had the refreshing gazpacho in the fridge which at first seemed strange to me, until I felt how valuable this cold dish rich in vitamins is in the summer heat of Seville. During this time, at the age of 24, I became more and more interested in these varied dishes and their preparation.
preparation.
PN; And what made you think of creating a bilingual Spanish-German recipe book ?
SILJA, An eleven-year-old boy in Seville explained to me how to bake a sponge cake with olive oil. He used the unit of measurement of a yoghurt pot.
I thought it was lovely! Unfortunately, after a while I forgot how many tubs of flour, sugar and olive oil to add, so I thought that a collection of simple recipes would be useful and I wrote down more recipes.
simple recipes would be useful and I wrote down more and more recipes. Of course, my recipe book contains the instructions for the Sevillian eleven year old’s sponge cake, measured with the yogurt tubs.
PN; The book is illustrated with reproductions of your watercolors. When did you start painting and why did you choose the watercolor technique?
SILJA; After graduating, I worked in the energy and shipping industry, as well as twelve years as a freelancer in tourism with Andalusia. During all this time, I discovered watercolor painting because of its spontaneity and lightness, which fascinates me to this day. The recipes are illustrated with watercolors, the vivid and bright colors represent for me the joy I could feel in my travels and life in Andalusia.
For me, preparing an Andalusian meal is always a journey to the origin and history of this fascinating region, its people and its nature.
I have reported this feeling.