Without a doubt, our tourist will not die of hunger anywhere; in the worst case, there is always and everywhere ubiquitous fast food, but then there is no need to talk about how you have come to know and understand Spain. Joining the orderly ranks of the natives, who every evening, with the whole family, move smoothly from bar to restaurant for a hearty dinner, and then to a pastry shop to have coffee with cakes — that is a worthy conclusion to a tourist day rich in impressions. So let’s leave hamburgers for a rainy day. For now, let’s try not to miss the opportunity to taste at least those dishes without which impressions of Spain cannot be complete.
Let’s start with appetizers. To avoid making a mistake, the simplest thing is to visit a tasca (taska) — a special bar where only tapas (tapas) appetizers and drinks are served. These are very democratic establishments adored by Spaniards; here behind one counter you can meet a peasant and a banker, a businesswoman and a housewife. Anything can serve as tapas: olives, salted lupine seeds, a few slices of ham, a couple of fried shrimp, and certainly a variety of local cheeses. We will not talk about wines here; that is a topic not for an article but for a whole book (dig through your suitcase — there is sure to be a culinary guide to Spain).
We will not deviate from our habits, which means the first course should be soup. We would, of course, prefer something typically Spanish, for example thick puréed soups made with egg yolks or seafood. Or maybe you will prefer Andalusian fish soup with white wine, or the famous cocido madrileño (many ingredients in one pot), which replaces an entire meal and is served in three “rounds.” Or puchero — a vegetable soup with peas, sausage, meat, and dumplings. And in hot weather, it is good to eat gazpacho — a cold bread soup with garlic...
While choosing a main course, you can combine the prosaic act of eating with Spanish romance. If you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, you will be able to taste the meat of a bull killed at a bullfight. Its taste differs from ordinary meat — it is tougher and slightly bitter. As a rule, it is stewed and served with a bean garnish. This dish is called carne de lidia (karne de lidia). The tail of such a bull, rabo de toro (rabo de toro), is also considered a delicacy. For sensitive souls who do not accept violence, we can advise choosing something from seafood, for example skate in almond sauce or langoustine with sweet pepper.
Have you enjoyed the exotic? Then it is time to move on to dessert. For this, it is better to visit one of the numerous specialized establishments. In a churreria (churreria) you will be offered a Spanish counterpart of our doughnuts with thick hot chocolate; in a heladeria (eladeria) — luxurious ice cream, often Italian, which is famous throughout the world. And in the pastry shop pasteleria (pasteleria) you can have a cup of tea or coffee, try fresh local pastries and other typically Spanish delicacies — turron (turron) — halva or nougat made from honey, almonds, and egg whites, sugar-coated almonds, Catalan cream made from milk, egg yolks, and cinnamon, fruit salad. Spaniards are also very proud of a dish called arroz con leche (arros con leche). Be careful — it may appeal only to lovers of rice porridge with milk, because that is exactly what it is, with sugar and cinnamon. Regardless of whether you like rice porridge or not and no matter how you feel about your figure, it is worth ordering a cup of coffee for dessert. Spaniards are great connoisseurs of this drink and know how to prepare it.
If, despite all the above, you still think that food is not the main thing and have firmly decided to eat fast food, then some difficulties await you here. Starting from the meager selection (Spanish sandwiches with salad, bocadillos (bocadillos), and the ubiquitous Big Mac) and ending with the contempt of local residents, who are sure that food cannot and should not be fast.
Before the trip, it is worth practicing in your own kitchen and preparing the most famous Spanish dish — paella. This is useful for those who have not yet decided whether to go to Spain, and for those who are going but are afraid of any culinary exotica. We will warn you right away: this task is labor-intensive and troublesome, but the result is worth the effort. Advice to fans of semi-finished products: do not believe the label — what is sold in bags in frozen form is not paella at all, it is rice with additives. So, let’s cook real paella.
We will need:
a special frying pan, deep, with two handles (if you don’t have one, you can take a couple of ordinary ones); 1 chicken (we will not get involved with seafood and octopus ink yet); 100 g of rice; a little saffron; 3 cups of chicken broth; a quarter cup of olive oil; a couple of peeled and chopped tomatoes (you can use tomato paste, but the effect is not the same); sweet pepper cut into strips (red, to make it beautiful); five cloves of garlic; half an onion; half a glass of canned white beans and the same amount of green beans; 250 g of chopped asparagus and, of course, salt.
Place a skillet over heat and pour olive oil into it. Wait until it heats up, and fry the chicken pieces until they are nicely browned. Then remove the chicken, and in its place, add the garlic cloves and strips of pepper for about ten minutes. Now remove them as well. Fry the asparagus and green beans, and after them, the onion. After five minutes, start returning the ingredients to the pan, first the tomatoes, pepper, and garlic. Simmer until they reach a puree consistency. Place the rice on top (raw, not cooked!), pour chicken broth over it, and when it comes to a boil, arrange the fried ingredients on top and add saffron. Do not stir under any circumstances; only use a spoon to distribute the broth over the surface of the paella. If you want to feel like a true Spanish cook, gently shake the pan a few times during cooking. When the rice has absorbed most of the broth, reduce the heat to minimum. After a few minutes, taste the rice; it should be soft but not overcooked. Now cover the pan with a lid and let it rest for about five minutes in a warm place. Paella is traditionally served in the same pan in which it was cooked, but if that seems unacceptable to you, divide it among plates.
After such a culinary feat, you will undoubtedly have no doubts about the need to visit Spain, if only to enjoy this wonder for at least a few days. And in order to navigate the entire diversity of Spanish culinary delights and traditions and not miss anything interesting, take with you a book published by the Moscow publishing house «Живой язык» - «Испания. Кулинарный путеводитель». And you will never think about fast food again.