{"id":14818,"date":"2011-11-10T15:50:37","date_gmt":"2011-11-10T14:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteaway.pl\/en\/?p=14818"},"modified":"2018-06-06T10:20:52","modified_gmt":"2018-06-06T08:20:52","slug":"pimientos-boquerones-paella-short-summary-eat-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteaway.pl\/en\/2011\/11\/10\/pimientos-boquerones-paella-short-summary-eat-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Pimientos, boquerones and paella \u2014 a short summary of what to eat in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"

A short subjective guide on what to treat oneself to in the country of flamenco, corrida and sangria
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

NOTE! The order of dishes is random and doesn’t mean those on the top of the list are better than the bottom ones, e.g.\u00a0pintxos<\/em>\u00a0are better than\u00a0paella<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0boquerones en vinagre<\/em>
\n<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

– pintxos<\/em> <\/strong>\u2014 Basque version of the Spanish tapas<\/em>, small snacks that served before the main meal or constitute the main dish, which is accompanied by wine and a meeting with friends.<\/p>\n

\"Pintxos<\/a>

Pintxos in Parte Vieja, San Sebastian<\/p><\/div>\n

The best thing about pintxos<\/em>\u00a0is that they usually just stand on the bar and “ask” you to be eaten. That’s why it’s a good idea to take a walk in the Old Town of Bilbao or San Sebastian and visit a number of different bars on the way. Remember to choose spacious but crowded places serving a variety of pintxos<\/em>. They range from very simple (sandwiches with jamon serrano<\/em>, an omelette or\u00a0tortilla de patatas)<\/em>\u00a0to more sophisticated: sea food, fish, stuffed, grilled or pickled vegetables, various pastes or cheeses. The more colours and types of snacks you see on the bar, the better.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0 calamares <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 a bit like salad with goat’s cheese in France, in Spain\u00a0calamares<\/em>\u00a0are pretty much always a good choice. We were delighted with juicy and crunchy ones served in Castro-Urdiales, as well as small mouth-watering calmares\u00a0<\/em>in\u00a0Combarro. In the menu you will find them either as deep fried squid (calamares fritos<\/em>) or as calamares a la romana.<\/em>\u00a0The Spanish sometimes treat squid like ham or cheese \ud83d\ude42 \u00a0and so they go for bo<\/em>cadillo de calamares<\/em>, which is a squid sandwich.<\/p>\n

\"Calamares<\/a>

Calamares in Castro-Urdiales \u2014 amazing!<\/p><\/div>\n

– tortilla de patatas<\/em> <\/strong>\u2014 the most famous of all Spanish\u00a0tortillas: an omelette made with potatoes and eggs, and often also with onions. Sometimes you’ll see versions with chorizo, ham or peppers. It’s eaten individually or on a sandwich and it’s good both for breakfast and as a snack. Potatoes are what distinguishes Spanish tortilla from French omelettes.<\/p>\n

The story behind tortilli de patatas<\/em>, or maybe I should say the legend behind its origins, is also quite interesting. The very beginnings of the dish date back to the period of the Carlist Wars in the 19th century. They say that during the siege of Bilbao, a Carlist General Tomas de Zumalacarregui fed his army with this simple, quick to cook and nutritious tortilla. Another legend has it that during one of the battles in the field Zumalacarregui came to a house nearby and demanded a meal. The host only had eggs, potatoes and onions to offer and that’s how\u00a0tortilla de patatas\u00a0<\/em>was born. You can never say how much truth a legend hides but either way Mr Zumalacarregui did have a good taste.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0patatas bravas<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 small oven-baked potatoes served with spicy tomato and peppers sauce or with garlic and mayo\u00a0alioli\u00a0<\/em>sauce. A perfect\u00a0tapa<\/em>\u00a0with wine or beer.<\/p>\n

\"eurotrip21Combarro<\/a>

Pimientos del piquillo rellenos and calamares fritos again, this time in Combarro<\/p><\/div>\n

–\u00a0pimientos del piquillo rellenos<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 red peppers stuffed with tuna or cod, served in tomato sauce. Delicious!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

– pulpo a la gallega <\/em><\/strong>\u2014 octopus chunks in hot peppers, usually served on slices of oven-baked potatoes. Very good and filling \u2014 try it when you’re in Galicia<\/p>\n

– pimientos del padron<\/em><\/strong>\u2014 small green peppers grilled with salt, a very tasty and light snack.<\/p>\n

\"Pimientos<\/a>

Pimientos del padron and tortilla de patatas in the background<\/p><\/div>\n

– mejillones al vapor<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014\u00a0mussels; not as frequently served as squid but you might find them if you’re lucky.<\/p>\n

–\u00a0paella<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u2014 on of the “must eats” in Spain; a combination of rice with saffron (which gives it that characteristic yellow colour), sea food, meat and vegetables. In the past, as they say,\u00a0paella <\/em>was a mix of all the leftovers from the whole week \u2014 nowadays it is the number one in restaurants. It is almost always tasty and sometimes so delicious it makes you want to cry… as in a certain restaurant in\u00a0Barcelona in 2010 \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\"Paella<\/a>

Paella – Barcelona 2010<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

–\u00a0boquerones fritos<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0boquerones en vinagre<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>\u2014 small fish, served fried or in vinegar, a perfect starter or snack during a long sightseeing tour or a long walk in the Spanish sun. Maybe that’s why it is very popular in the south of the country.<\/p>\n

\"Boquerones<\/a>

Boquerones en vinagre<\/p><\/div>\n

And, last but not least, Spanish cheese<\/strong><\/em> and ham<\/strong><\/em> \u2014\u00a0queso manchego, jamon serrano<\/em>\u00a0and other delicacies. Taste best with fresh baguette sprinkled with olive oil, and tomato. Served with scrambled eggs with chorizo.<\/em>\u00a0That’s what I call a perfect breakfast!<\/p>\n

Oh my, I got hungry writing about all this. I have to do something about it now. Bon appetit!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A short subjective guide on what to treat oneself to in the country of flamenco, corrida and sangria NOTE! The order of dishes is random and doesn’t mean those on the top of the list are better than the bottom ones, e.g.\u00a0pintxos\u00a0are better than\u00a0paella\u00a0or\u00a0boquerones en vinagre – pintxos \u2014 Basque version of the Spanish tapas, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2985,2982,2984,2986,2981],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nA short summary of what to eat in Spain<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A short subjective guide on what to eat oneself in Spain, the country of flamenco, corrida and sangria.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"googlebot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"bingbot\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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