What to eat in Spain

Cuisine is an important cultural aspect of every nation. In this post I am gonna present the most common dishes in Spain. I prefer to use Spanish names as I believe no translation can actually capture a full meaning of particular food.

Tostadas

Let´s start with simple one, with "tostada" which does not even need translation. Tostado, tostada, toast are pretty well- known terms all around the world. Toasts in Spain are generally served for breakfast, or as a snack. I used to enjoy them the most for breakfast in the Uni´s canteen. My absolute top: Tostada con mantequilla y marmelada con café con leche (butter & jam toast with coffee with milk). From what I observed in the canteen Tomato tostada (tomato toast) was the one that gained the most popularity. It is basically one or two slices of toasted bread with kind of tomato dip, which is basically tomato pulp with salt and pepper. It usually comes with olive oil as well. It is super easy, super delicious. Another variety worth trying is Tostada de jamón y queso (ham & cheese toast).

Picture 1. Typical Spanish breakfast: Tostada de jamón y queso. Tostada con mantequilla y marmelada. Zumo de naranja (fresh orange juice). Café con leche. Yummy!

Bocadillos, montaditos

Both of these terms refer to baguette or sandwich snacks. They can be practically filled with anything; just to mention a few: ham, cheese, vegetables, tuna, tortilla de patatas (kind of potato omelette). For me bocadito means a big baguette I would have as a snack at Uni´s canteen and montaditos are little baguettes we would eat at Cervecería 100 Montaditos with friends ("100 Montaditos" read as "cien montaditos"). "100 Montaditos" is the name of famous Spanish restaurant chain that you can find in almost every city, if not in every. Their montaditos come in 100 different varities, fillings of which can be either savoury or sweet. We would have it with sangría or tinto de verano, both red wine-based drinks, usually served with lemons or oranges and ice.

Picture 2. Example of 100 Montaditos dinner.

Picture 3. My favourite dessert: Oreo cookies & whipped cream montadito.

Tabla de ibéricos

Jamón ibérico is a type of ham made from black Iberian pigs and is commonly produced in Spain and Portugal. During my first days in Spain I was surprised to see these huge pieces of ham hanging in shops. They looked to me like legs of some animal. Only when I tried it I understood the significance of this product. It´s delicious and good quality ham. In restaurants you can order "tabla de ibéricos" which is a plate of finely cut Iberian ham and other types of ham or sausages. It usually comes with cheese as well.

Picture 4. Tabla de ibéricos.

Tapas

Word "tapas" refers to various hot and cold snacks, but unlike montaditos and bocadillos it is not necessarilly a baguette. Neither is it the name of any dish in particular as I originally thought. When we went for dinner I would usually order three different tapas. I always enjoyed tapas because it comes in small portions and as such it gives you the freedom to create combinations of flavours you want. My most favourite tapas is Ensaladilla rusa (mayo- potato salad), Patatas bravas (potatoes with spicy sauce), and Gambas al ajillo (garlic prawns).

Picture 5. Tapas dinner.

Paella

Being in Spain and not trying paella is like not being there at all. Paella is a Valencian dish, but it is popular all over Spain. It is risotto-kind dish that is cooked in a typical paella pan. You can have vegeterian, seafood, chicken, or mixed paella. One portion of paella is usually for two or three people. In a restaurant they generally won´t make paella for just one person. This food is best enjoyed when it is shared.

Picture 6. Paella Arroz negro (Black rice paella) and Paella vegetariana (Vegeterian paella). Both cooked and served in paella pan.

Churros

Churros is fried pastry in shape of either thin or thick sticks. It may be coated in sugar as well. You can have churros for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. They are normally eaten with hot chocolate or café con leche. For me it was always such a satisfying sweet treat, best enjoyed with my flatmate Aneta.

Picture 7. Churros with hot chocolate.

Tostadas, bocadillos, montaditos, jamón ibérico, tapas, paella and churros are for me the most remarkable representatives of Spanish cuisine. If you would like to prepare some of Spanish dishes yourself, in my next post you can find a few simple recipies.

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