Kimberley Silverthorne
Bio
Freelance writer based in the UK after 20 years in Spain. I write about the fascinating festivals and culinary delights of Spain at Food and Fiesta and the woes of food education around the world (among other things) at A Plot to Hatch.
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Stories (20)
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THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SPANISH HABSBURGS
The reigns in Spain are anything but plain. I know that trite play on words from the famous song has been done to death, but it sums up the royals rather well, especially for the House of Habsburg whose reign in Spain ended in pain. Sorry, I will stop that now. This is the story of incest and ambition, of a family so intent on creating a powerful empire, they ended up destroying it.
By Kimberley Silverthorne12 months ago in History
10 Fun Reasons to Celebrate the Holiday Season in Spain.
Many countries can claim their own weird and wonderful Christmas traditions and favourite foods that owe their origins to a combination of unique folklore and established religions. Spain, of course, is no exception. December is a fun month that melds all the national, religious, and ancient pagan traditions and serves them with a giant heaping of finger-licking food and the all-important family gatherings.
By Kimberley Silverthorneabout a year ago in Feast
Forgotten Trades of Rural Spain
Driving through much of rural Spain today, it’s hard to picture what it looked like before the mid-20th century. The silent streets, main squares, local fountains and fields have little left to show for their industrious past beyond the lined worn faces of the old men assembled on stone benches watching the cars pass through their village. Tourists on their way to a hiking route may stop, take a photo or two, maybe pop into the local museum, but the scythes, threshing sledges and washing boards hanging on the wall are only a superficial reminder of its rich historic traditions.
By Kimberley Silverthorneabout a year ago in History
BUSH TUCKER AND THE FIRST SETTLERS
The first settlers landed in Australia in 1788 and were met with an awe-inspiring and rather frightening cacophony of birdsong, cloying heat and giant hopping rats the size of a small man. They also arrived with 7 horses, 29 sheep, 74 pigs, 5 rabbits, 18 turkeys, 29 geese, 35 ducks and 209 fowls hoping to turn New Holland, as this strange new land was known, into another Britain, unaware of what edible bounties the land offered.
By Kimberley Silverthorneabout a year ago in Feast
THE LEGACY OF MOORISH SPAIN
The Queen of Castille sits regally on a somewhat bewildered-looking white steed, crown perched prominently on her head. Her eyes are drawn to the ochre-coloured castle gleaming brightly in late November sunlight on a distant hill. Her husband, the King of Aragon, leans forward on his horse with his hand out ready to accept the hefty keys reluctantly proffered by the last Nasrid ruler of the final bastion of Moorish rule in Al Andalus, Boabdil. Though spared the humiliation of kissing the monarch’s hand, the Moor's eyes seem to be silently pleading, “Remember what you promised.”
By Kimberley Silverthorneabout a year ago in History
THE ABANDONED VILLAGES OF SPAIN
The first time I ever saw an abandoned village was in Spain and I was gob smacked. I was struck by its eerie beauty, its aura of secrets. My partner had taken me to see La Revilla, one of the abandoned villages near his childhood home in the province of Soria and my first impression was the stunning colours.
By Kimberley Silverthorneabout a year ago in Wander
Kodak Film and Saveloys
Those who didn’t grow up in Australia during the 70s and 80s may not be familiar with the words: ‘Winfield’ (a brand of cigarettes) ‘dingo’ (a type of wild dog) ‘fag’ (cigarette) ‘saveloy’ (a deep-fried battered sausage, also known as a ‘battered sav’).
By Kimberley Silverthorneabout a year ago in Poets
Sumptuous Seafood of the Rias Baixas
When God finished creating the world, he relaxed on the seventh day, resting his hand upon the top north-west of Spain, leaving five indentations for the sea to fill. Thus the Rías Baixas — the lower estuaries of Galicia — were established, or the “Handprint of God” according to Galician legend.
By Kimberley Silverthorneabout a year ago in Feast
The Spanish Civil War Viewed Through Art and Literature
We often look back at history and its more unfortunate major world events and think we could never make those same mistakes again. But if the global rise of fascism in the 21st century and the war in Ukraine has taught us anything, it’s that we are slow learners. I was reminded of this recently while watching Luis Buñuel’s ‘España 1936’ with its images of a bombed Madrid, bloodied broken children lying in the street, young boys helping to dig up the pavestones in the road to build the walls they hoped would keep out the fascists. There’s a banner stretched across the road that reads, ‘THEY WILL NOT ENTER — Madrid will be the tomb of fascism’.
By Kimberley Silverthorneabout a year ago in Art
Chestnuts, Olives, Apples, and Orujo
The season of summer parades, outdoor concerts, and tomato and wine fights are over as the days become crisper and shorter and the leaves turn to gold. The olives hang ready and ripe on their trees, the grapes have been crushed, and the saffron harvested. Light rains are dampening the forest floors, stirring the undergrowth as fungus emerges from the rotting leaves in a variety of shapes and colours.
By Kimberley Silverthorneabout a year ago in Feast
