Life in Spain through the eyes of a tourist

Like most of the Spanish dishes, gazpacho can be cooked as well in several ways. Warm or cold, soup, salad or even stew, gazpacho is generally made from tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic, a little olive oil, wine vinegar, salt and sometimes (rarely) ham.

My favorite gazpacho is a soup made of tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and salt, all blended, served with croutons, ice cubes and an addition of fresh chopped tomatoes, onions and cucumber. Perfect for a late lunch in Andalusia!

Many say that Crema Catalana is the same with the French Crème Brule, but there still are some tiny differences between the two fabulous desserts. For example, crème Brule is baked in a Bain-marie and is usually served warm, while the Catalan cream is always served cold and it has a custard infused with lemon rind and cinnamon, instead of vanilla, being much more refreshing than its stylish French sister.
I like them both, I love vanilla, but for a hot summer day, nothing compares with a Crema Catalana in Barcelona!

I am usually quite reticent when it comes to seafood but, believe me, gambas ajillo in Spain are simply delicious! Whether served as tapas or as a main dish, garlic prawns are very quick and easy to prepare: take some fresh prawns, cook them in a little olive oil with garlic and chili flakes and in about 10 minutes you’ll have one of the tastiest meals on your table. Buen provecho!

Queso Manchego, also named The Cheese of Don Quixote due to the fact that Cervantes mentioned it in the legendary “Don Quixote of la Mancha” is a very tasteful cheese made of sheep’s milk. The original Queso Manchego is exclusively prepared in La Mancha region from a specific sheep’s breed called “Manchega” but it can also be consumed all over Spain. I was lucky to try it in Madrid and I can say that its intense flavor has totally impressed me from the very first moment. Amazing!

I’ve always thought allioli or aioli is a Spanish mayonnaise with lots of garlic. The truth is allioli is neither Spanish, nor French and not even Italian, it is actually originally for the Middle East, according to Jamie Oliver and I have no choice but to believe him.
Anyway, I first ate it in Spain and for me it’s a Spanish sauce, a very addictive and tricky one. With such a simple recipe, allioli should be very easy to prepare. Well, it isn’t, at least for me, that’s why I prefer to eat it in Spain with just about anything: tortilla, fish, baked potatoes, anything but sweet. Oh, Spain I miss you so much!

I would say that one thing that I mostly loved in Spain were those crowded long bars above which were hanging, instead of chandeliers, some huge chunks of “hamon”. So surprising at first sight and yet so original and pleasant! It was wonderful to have a drink while the bartender was cutting me a slice of the incredible ham. A great authentic experience that everyone should try while in Spain!

If you happen to spend your vacation in Marbella or anywhere in Andalusia you should try the grilled fresh fish on the beach.
Do not bother to find a restaurant; the Andalusian beaches are equipped with some ingenious boats filled with sand where the fishermen themselves cook some of the most delicious sardines on the burning coals. A nice meal, healthy and cheap, just perfect for a hot summer day on the beach!

In the end, I have to mention that each meal I served in Spain, in any area of the country and any of its islands, began with a traditional introduction – usually bread (toasted or not, black or white), a bowl of green marinated olives (sometimes accompanied by marinated little onions), and the well-known aioli (sometimes replaced with butter). These being said, I hope my article will help you to flavor a bit your Spanish experience!

It’s almost impossible to emulate the gastronomical variety of Spain. There are so many regions, each with their own specialties that tourists will find themselves overwhelmed by thousands of fragrances and tastes.

Spain is famous for many things such as flamenco, football, its beautiful coastlines, the long lazy sunny days, the excellent nightlife, the usual siestas, the locals’ incredible long names, the islands and the fact that Spanish language is one of the most widely spoken language on Earth after Mandarin Chinese, but this vibrant area of Iberian Peninsula is also very well-known for its delicious food.

You are not allowed to visit Spain without experiencing the famous Tapas! It’s like visiting Paris without seeing the Tour Eiffel or like ordering an American coffee in Italy.

First of all, tapas are not a particular food; they are a sort of little meals that Spaniards eat anytime of the day or night, anywhere. I won’t make a general presentation of tapas because you can find it anywhere on the internet, and it will probably take me few hours to share my own personal tapas experience, I will just tell you some interesting facts about this Spanish way of eat.

Tapas are part of the Spanish culture and for a better understanding of this fact you should know that in Spain there is also a verb “tapear”, which means “eating tapas”. Beyond all this fuss, these little meals are not always free. While cities like Madrid and even Barcelona provide tourists these little pleasures free of any costs every time you order a drink in a bar or a pub, there still are areas such as the Basque Country or Andalusia where you probably won’t get any free tapas.

The best tapas I’ve ever had were in Madrid, in their popular tapas bars where you don’t even have to pay for your lunch or dinner, because every time you order a bear, you’ll get a nice plate with mini sandwiches, almonds, squids or any other snacks, but never the same dish, which is absolutely great.

On the other hand, the tastiest tapas I’ve tried consisted in a platter of blue cheese on a beach in Mallorca, for which I paid but it definitely worth every penny.

First time in my life when I’ve tasted tortilla I was on a ferryboat, on my way to Ibiza. I remember it was a big “bocadillo con tortilla”, a tortilla sandwich. I liked it so much that I could not resist and ate three of them.

Later, I’ve discovered that there are actually many forms of tortilla, some of them with a thicker texture and other thinner and soft, but this Spanish omelette always consists of potatoes, eggs, onion, salt and pepper, being the most common dish in the country.
Although, they say tortilla is very easy to prepare, I’ve always had a problem in cooking it, never managed to bake it properly in the middle, I wonder why.

Paella is a traditional rice dish originating in Valencia. In Spain there are three well-known types of paella: Paella Valenciana (white rice, vegetables, chicken, duck and rabbit meat, land snails, beans and spices), Seafood Paella (rice, seafood and seasoning) and Paella Mixta, which is actually a free-style mixture usually made of rice, chicken, seafood including clams, vegetables, olive oil, saffron, and other spices.

I love paella mixta, especially served directly from paellera as a romantic dinner on the beach, in a late summer evening accompanied by a cold glass of sangria and… the breeze.

Part two coming soon!