Noor

An excellent way to celebrate a well-deserved second Michelin star, and a resounding endorsement from both the critics and the public, is to put the reasons for this success in black on white. This is what the brilliant chef Paco Morales has done. His first book, in which he uncovers the secrets of NOOR - a gastrocultural project that, far beyond its status as a restaurant, delves into the culinary traditions of al-Andalus - has been published by Montagud Editores. Over 320 pages, the book not only brings together 65 recipes that recreate Hispano-Muslim cuisine from a rabidly contemporary perspective... It also presents a detailed historical contextualisation of what and how people ate at the time, as well as dozens of indispensable techniques photographed step by step.

On 17 March 2016, Paco Morales 'lifted the shutter' on NOOR Restaurant with several objectives in mind. One of them was to build a gastrocultural project that, service by service, would reinterpret and pay homage to a crucial period in the history of Spain: the Andalusian era. Another was to turn his native Cordoba into a must-visit place for seasoned gastronomes, inquisitive gourmets and lovers of good food. All with the utmost excellence as the omnipresent watchword.

In less than four years, it has more than achieved it. This is practically unanimously endorsed by both his customers and the gastronomic critics. "He has been able to create a cuisine, something that is within the reach of very few. A personal, personal line, different from anything known, in which he combines avant-garde and tradition in equal parts", says Carlos Maribona, gastronomic journalist of the ABC newspaper. His are "contemporary recipes in which he demonstrates his talent for combining flavour, creativity and aesthetics. In his work, which is very personal, he is both rigorous and transgressive at the same time", says José Carlos Capel, food critic for El País. The inspectors of the Michelin Guide have joined in: in little more than three years, they have awarded the establishment two stars, recognising its "journey to the historic al-Andalus from 21st century gastronomic concepts".

The chef, rigorous and perfectionist like few others, celebrates this success as it deserves: by setting down his reasons in black on white under the editorial direction of Jãvi Antoja...