Over the Bank Holiday weekend I spent some time with friends who had just returned from a wonderful holiday in Madrid.  It was amazing to hear about this magnificent place, full of history, and beautiful architecture.  As always with me, the conversation very quickly turned to food and I was intrigued by their stories of the Madrid ‘street food.’

Madrid, Spain skyline at Santa Maria la Real de La Almudena Cathedral and the Royal Palace.

Apart from in the big cities and at markets and festivals, street food isn’t something that I have come across in Spain, especially as we all know the way that sitting down to enjoy leisurely meals is savoured in this wonderful country, and large meals are very important.

Although, as my friends strolled around the city, they saw queues and queues of people, waiting to try some mysterious delicacy and they just had to find out what it was.

The queues were for some very delicious looking Cod Fritters, which were chunks of cod that had been soaked in salt, then deep fried in batter and served piping hot with a pot of aioli.  According to my friends, they were absolutely delicious, (they sound it too!) no wonder there were endless queues.

After hearing about the gorgeous food in Madrid, I started thinking about the ‘signature’ dishes for the various regions and locations in Spain.  Did you know that the most famous of all Spanish dishes, Paella, originated from a coastal lagoon in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain, in the mid nineteenth century?

The very traditional Paella

The region of Murcia is known as the ‘garden market’ of Europe, and is famous for its wonderful fruit and vegetables. The area is also renowned for its rice, which is often prepared in many different ways, but with “caldero” (a typical coastal dish made by cooking rice in fish stock) being the most well-loved and celebrated of them all.

A much loved and very famous Catalan dish, served in Barcelona is ‘Fideua’ which is similar to Paella, cooked with prawns, crayfish, chicken, peppers and tomatoes, but instead of rice, this dish is made with noodles. 

Tapas

Whilst in Madrid, many of the traditional dishes include chick-peas also known as ‘garbanzo beans.’ One famous dish is the Potaje de Garbanzos, which is chick pea and spinach soup, often served as a tapas dish.

We must not forget dessert! How could we? 

There are many options, but I must mention the ever so famous Churros which are always top of the list, they are gorgeous sugary dough sticks served with a thick and creamy hot chocolate sauce.  There is also Creme Caramel and Creme Brulee, two other very famous desserts that are served all over Spain, but both originate from Catalonia.

Image via Pinterest – http://simply-delicious-food.com/2011/10/16/churros-with-chocolate-dipping-sauce/

One thing is for sure; in Spain the food is savoured and enjoyed, so it is very important that it is always delicious. When you are in Spain, try the local delicacy, even if it sounds a little unusual, as what you are sampling is part of that regions history. 

In this beautiful part of the world, food is not just fuel; it is a very special part of life.

¡Buen apetito!

Joanne, Your Place in Spain