Spanish Food
Food. My favorite topic.
The food in Spain has been notoriously good, however in my experience VERY different from the food I’m used to. Everything about it, the meal times, portions, ingredients, is different from the United States. I eat my meals both out at restaurants and cafes and with my host family, and I have noticed these differences in both places.
First off, the portion sizes are much smaller but don’t let that deceive you. The food is very rich and heavy, as almost all meals include rice, bread, potatoes, meats and sometimes all of the above. There is no such thing as a light meal.
Second, everything is later. When you wake up, you have cafe and maybe a piece of toast. Real breakfast isn’t until 11 when people usually take their breaks. Lunch time is around 2:30 p.m when they go home for a siesta as opposed to noon in the States. Families typically have dinner around 9:30 at night as opposed to around 6 p.m. If you get hungry during the gap in between, you can always have a cafe and croissant or some other snack to get you through. I actually like the system a lot more here because I usually don’t like eating a large breakfast, and that way I enjoy my food later when I’m actually hungry. Also a late dinner means you’re not as likely to snack before bed which is a terrible habit of mine.
Lastly, the food is just different. I have tried the typical dishes of Sevilla, such as salmorejo and croquettes, but I have mixed reviews. Salmorejo is a gazpacho like dish made with tomatoes, olive oil and bread. The three ingredients are blended into a coup and served cold with chunks of ham and sometimes boiled egg on top. I am not a huge fan of this dish, mainly because I’m not a huge tomato fan and I can’t get used to the whole cold soup idea. But croquettes! MY GOD are they good! Think mozzarella stick but softer. And not mozzerella. I have no idea what they are made of, but I think I heard it’s some sort of milk and flour batter combined with ham or mushroom. Whatever is inside is fried on the outside, making it automatically delicious. I would highly recommend. And of course paella is my all time favorite. Yes I know it’s basic but my host mom made an amazing homemade seafood paella that a restaurant could never imitate.
