The Food in Spain was spectacular, and as always it is one of the most major points of my life and my vacations so I have covered some of the native Spanish foods I indulged upon in Barcelona.
Tapas, comes from the Spanish verb Tapar meaning ‘to cover’. Originally bread was used by bar tenders to cover the Sherry of their guests to keep out fruit flies from the sweet drink. Some began using salty sausage such as chorizo to cover the drinks to make the patrons thirstier and increase drink sales. From here bars got more and more creative with the snacks and soon became just as or more important that the Sherry itself. From this tradition Tapas were born. It is a style of eating meant to promote socializing.
People either get up and circulate eating straight from the bar, or a group at a table can order a variety of hot tapas and share them. The sharing is more communal and people are not concentrating on their own complete meal. In Spain this is very popular and I have to say delicious. Some popular Tapas are Chorizo sausage, a variety of Spanish hams, a regional specialty called pan au tomate (bread smeared with fresh tomato and olive oil), fried green chili peppers, ham croquettes, patatas bravas (fried potatoes with garlic aioli and pepper sauce), mushroom veal, fried camembert with caramelized onions in red wine, and the list goes on and on. All I can say is I am INFATUATED <3
Fried Peppers, Aubergine, and Goat Cheese Pan au Tomate, Quince Jelly and Goat Cheese Salad, Among Others Fried Green Peppers and Patatas Bravas Fried Camembert with Caramelized Onions in Red Wine
Other specialties I encountered were Paella, a stew with rice or noodles that are boiled down to the consistency of a saucy stir-fry. Depending on the region the paella has seafood, meat, vegetables, and different tomato, vegetable, or saffron based sauces.
Churros and chocolate, were also popular, and horchata. Horchata is a drink of boiled rice (sometime tiger nut) with vanilla, sugar and cinnamon and has a milky consistency although it does not contain milk. The rice is removed and the liquid is served cold. Speaking of being hot and serving cold Gazpacho is a spicy tomato soup that is served cold in Spain, there are now some variations with fruits and peppers which are great. The original and still one of the best is the Tomato
And last I can’t forget our drink of choice! The Red wine based fruit punch that is SANGRIA! A Spanish staple especially at restaurants is a refreshing cocktail available by the jug, or other giant glasses is great to share and wash down all the tasty food.
Hope you are hungry!
No comments:
Post a Comment