This article brings information about Spanish cuisine and Catalan one and about social habits of Spaniards and Catalans during eating. There is also information about overall impressions of Spain and why the country is suitable for tourism. This is 4th of a 6-article series.
Immerse in a series of 6 articles about Spain:
- Spain, Barcelona and San Cugat (1),
- Zaragoza (Aragon), thieves and high-speed trains (2),
- Girona, Montserrat and a grilled pigeon (3),
- Spanish cuisine and overall impressions about Spain (this article),
- Spanish pronunciation and dictionary (5),
- Spaniards, Catalans, integration of foreigners and capitalism (6).
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Spanish and regional cuisine
Spanish cuisine has multiple regional variations due to consisting of multiple regions. It means the cuisine differs regionally. However, some dishes are the same for the whole Spain or found a way from one region to another.
Characteristic of Spanish cuisine are small snacks which complement social gatherings at public places. The exception is a main dish Paella.
Typical features/ingredients of Spanish cuisine are: olive oil, parsley, oregano, rosemary and thyme. Breakfast isn’t big. However, lunch can consist from 5 to 7 courses. Lunchtime lasts from 14:00-14:30 to 15:00-15:30 approximately. It is followed by sobremesa. It is a time when Spaniards talk socially after eating their lunch.
Dishes to choose from
Spaniard can begin a day with churros. They are bakery sticks similar to doughnuts. They are complemented with liquid chocolate. It can also be a tortilla española. It is an egg omelette consisting of potatoes, egg and chopped onions.
Tapas and Pinchos are small snacks. They are slices of a baguette covered/garnished with various types of food (ham, salmon, sauces, vegetables etc…)
There is escalivada. It is a Catalan dish. It consists of baked aubergine and paprikas and olive oil. It is very tasty and easily digestible.
Pa amb tomàquet are slices of bakery products (a baguette I guess) which are spread with tomato paste/cream (tomatoes, olive oil and salt). It is also a Catalan specialty.
Gazpacho is quite known cold tomato soup. Its taste is strongly tomato, quite distant from tomato soups served at school canteens. In canteens, it was more similar to a quest of: “Find a tomato in the soup (if exists)”. Gazpacho is served either in a bowl/plate or in a Tetra Pak packaging as milk.
Spanish croquettes belong to the group of small snacks as well. They consist of meat/cheese/mushrooms as a filling. The croquettes are wrapped in a dough made out of flour/potatoes mixed with a béchamel sauce or a brown sauce. Afterwards they are fried in oil.
Patatas Bravas are chopped cubes of potatoes served with a spicy sauce. It is very similar to French fries. The only difference is the shape (cubes vs elongated sticks). You can come across various variations at restaurants. One of them is patatas 4 quesos, which are baked slices of potatoes with 4 types of cheese and slices of a baguette.
Butifarra and gambas al ajillo are appetizers.
Butifarra is a Catalan specialty. It is a pork sausage based on an Ancient Roman recipe served with a garnish. In my case, the garish was mushrooms.
Gambas al ajillo are prawns dipped in an oil spa with garlic. Very tasty.
I tried paella as a main course. It consists of rice mixed with seafood, meat, vegetables and spices. The portion is usually for two persons as it is prepared in a big pan.
There are among desserts tarta de Santiago or Catalan crema catalana.
Crema catalana is an egg/pudding cream which is covered with sugar. The sugar is caramelized with help of a torch.
Tarta de Santiago is a rich cake made out of ground almonds, eggs, sugar and so on.
There is not only one lingua franca
Even though it is possible to state that English is the only worldwide international language usable in all countries, there is something else to discuss. The world is separated into multiple language zones in fact. Each language sphere has their own lingua franca. Spanish, French, Russian and Arabic are among them. Depending on which part of the world you travel to, you may utilize one of the mentioned languages.
Being praised all the time
I was very pleased the way Spaniards describe reality. I spent in Spain 7 days and heard only praises and a positive view on the world. I was told I am clever, funny, have a good body shape and great level of English. It kept occurring during my whole stay. It was also pleasant that when you start a chat with a random stranger, they don’t push away their luggage (Because you are determined to steal it). I think this attitude is great for a human soul. It is better than constant negativity and wariness.
I also noticed Spaniards treat their children very well. I didn’t see one occurrence of negative/vicious/aggressive/imperative type of behaviour towards them. I didn’t see such behaviour even amongst adults. I didn’t experience any arguments among people nor evil gestures between car drivers.
Ursula, a Polish woman living in Spain for around 10 years, told me Spaniards are not aggressive and they try to be forthcoming. That is also reflected in behaviour of thieves and immigrants.
Country best suited for tourism
Overall, Spain was made for tourism. Sights are kept in a perfect shape. Most signboards are translated to English. Museums have audio guides in English, written texts in English and websites in English. I also came across only positive and welcoming attitude towards me as a tourist.
Everything is eye-pleasing
Spaniards focus on arts, artistic activities and beauty a lot. People and buildings are just pleasing to look at. I seldom saw something ugly during my stay.
A building/stall at the airport hit the nail on the head. It was just a mixture of boxes with rectangular and square bases specifically arranged with delightfully coloured tiles on its walls. I came to a conclusion that Spaniards are capable of designing and arranging squarish boxes in a way, that it is nice to behold.
To be continued in the next article
The preceding article is (3) Girona, Montserrat and a grilled pigeon.
The series continues with (5) Spanish pronunciation and dictionary.
