Spanish Food & Drink
With nearly 2000 kilometers of coastline, Spain is renowned for its fresh seafood and it is said that the best fisherman’s wharf in the country is in Madrid, in the dead center of the Iberian peninsula. Pristine fish and shellfish arriving at Mediterranean and Atlantic ports are whisked overnight to satisfy the Spanish capital’s boundless hunger for seafood. Close to Isla Canela, Isla Cristina is a busy port, famed for its fresh and preserved fish and one of the most important in Andalusia. The main problem with food and wine in Spain is possibly their very abundance.
Dining heartily twice a day and taking full advantage of the tapas hour requires some management. The Spanish, looking forward to a substantial midday meal after having finished dinner late the previous night, breakfast on little more than coffee and a roll. Lunch, served between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, is generally considered the main meal of the day. The work-day lasts until at least 8p.m., after which it is time for the itinerant "tapeo". Finally, often after 10p.m., comes dinner, which is often festive and can last until the wee hours.
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Breakfast is usually served from 08.00 to 10.00, lunch from 13.00 to 15.30 and dinner from 20.30 to 23.00.
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 These coasts possess some characteristics es which
differentiate them from any other. Prawns, gambas, collected at the entrance to the estuary of the Rio Guadiana, White Shrimp, gamba blanca - so-called because of the unmistakable colour of its back - bogavante, lobsters, cigalas, scampi, and a molusc with a truly incomparable taste: the Conquina, rather like a large clam.
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The shellfish alone ensure there is never a lack of good food along these coasts. In addition to the coast, at Ayamonte or Isla Canela, you will find atun, tuna, pargo, corvinas, meagre, and other species combining the flavors of fresh fish with the cleverly utilized fragrances of spices. As a finale to our meal, the excellent agricultural qualities of the nearby gardens should be mentioned since they provide the renowned strawberries cultivated in our coastal "onubense" (the ancient name for the Huelva area)environment and widely exported.
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Here is a basic description of what most taverns have to offer. The big favourite (everywhere in Spain (no matter how far from the sea) is deep-fried fish: calamares are rings of squid; boquerones are fresh anchovies (you munch the whole crispy thing); lenguado is a small sole; gambas are shrimp or prawns of varying sizes, usually served "a la plancha". In Spanish, "frito" means deep-fried and "a la plancha" means pan-fried (or cooked on a griddle) - with heads, legs and all - you peel them yourself (it's messy, but fun).
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Slices of deep-sea fish are usually done a la plancha: aguja (needlefish), rape (This is the one which makes the Brits howl, especially the usual translation of the dish "rape a la marinera" - "rape, seaman's style"!) which is nothing more frightening than angler-fish (what the French call "lotte") and pez espada (swordfish). Salad is "ensalada" and usually composed of tomatoes, lettuce, onions and olives and served without dressing - you pour on the aceite (oil) and vinagre yourself.
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The archetypal version is "paella a la marinera", a seafood anthology including shrimp, crayfish (langosta), monkfish, and mussels (mejillones) on a bed of saffron rice cooked in a seafood broth with peppers and tomatoes. Related dishes include "arroz abanda", a paella with the seafood pre-shelled; "fidelà", paella based on pasta rather than rice; and "arroz negro" (black rice), paella that takes its color . . . . . . . . . . "
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and flavor from cuttlefish ink instead of saffron. Chosen from a "menú del día", paella will always be disappointing, little more than rice with some saffron and a few ingredients mixed in. But if it's prepared on the spot and in the pan for anywhere from two to two hundred, with a caramelized crust around its edges, paella is invariably delicious.
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Mojama is an exquisite delicacy, found on the Costa de Luz, that is yet another culinary legacy of the Moors. Fresh tuna is cut into strips, rubbed in salt and left to dry in the sun. The winds coming off the Costa del Luz coast aid the drying process. When cured, the mojama has a dark reddish colour. Many Spaniards eat mojama sliced thinly, drizzled with extra virgen olive oil and left to marinate for an hour.
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The addition of some tomato, toasted almonds, crusty bread and a glass of wine make for a simple but very tasty dish. It can also be cubed and added to a green salad or grated over a plate of spaghetti and dressed with a little olive oil. A quick simple snack is to toast some bread ("barra" or baguette) rub very lightly with garlic, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with a thin slice of mojama.
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Western Andalucia is probably the best places to sample this speciality. The pieces of fish should be thinly battered and the finished product crisp and dry enough to serve on a paper napkin without leaving grease stains.
Order a mixed plate of fish and seafood and you may find dogfish flavoured with cumin, an excellent combination ("cazon en adobo") or "Bienmesabe" (literally "it tastes good to me") marinated fried fish.
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The art of prepartion is rooted in the culture. Fish is fried in oil because it is the only cooking medium that remains agreeable when served cold, as it often was. A chilled dish, which consists of fried fish served with a sauce of onions, raisins, pine nuts, and vinegar, remains a specialty in Venetian restaurants ("Del Conte 313").
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One of the Andalucia's best known dishes is rabo del toro, bull's tail with a tomato-based sauce found in Cordoba. Moorish influences can be seen in dishes like "pinchos", lamb kebabs. Lamb, cordero, is of much more importance than in any other continental European cuisine. It is also evident through the use of nuts or dried fruit in savory dishes like "calderetas", a lamb stew with almonds, or "cordera a la moruna", a lamb dish with . . . . . . .
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raisinsand flavored with cinnamon and cumin. Away from the coast we can find game based dishes, such as "perdices rellanas," stuffed partridge filled with a serrano ham, anchovy and bread stuffing. "Serrano" ham is also used with croquettes, a popular "tapa". For the adventurous "sacromonte" is a omelette dish from Granada that contains sweetbreads and red peppers, and is said to have gypsy origins.
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In Spain, Serrano ham is something that is never missing at a party, celebration or gathering of friends. For many reasons: it is beneficial to the health. It is prepared in a traditional way going back centuries and, what is more, its taste is delicious. Whoever tries it will come back for more. Serrano cured ham is the hind leg of the pig ( "pata negra")
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that undergoes a manufacturing process, including the following phases: salting, or incorporation of salts into the muscular mass; washing, or elimination of the salt sticking to the surface of the piece; settling, drying and maturing. Its colour has to be pinkish when cut, which is done by hand in a thin slice with veins of fat.
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The "lomo" is cut from the loin of pork, the fat removed, and marinated in seasoning. The solid strip of meat is then stuffed into skins to be air dried.
Beef loin is usually referred to a filete or contrefilete.
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What is left after the hams are removed is used to produce a range of charcuterie. Most products can be created using the Iberian pig. The "chorizo" is a bright red sausage made from chopped pork meat seasoned with paprika, garlic, herbs and salt. The sausage is cured in a dry cool environment. The paprika lends the chorizo a distinctive spicy flavour. There are infinite regional variations on the chorizo.
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OTHER UNCOMMUN SPECIALITIES
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The famous gazpacho is made from breadcrumbs and pureed summer vegetables, usually tomatoes, cucumber, peppers and flavored with garlic, vinegar, olive, oil and seasoning.
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Traditionally ground with a pestle and mortar and left to chill in the cellar. The oil gives the soup a thick creamy texture, and the gazpacho is commonly eaten with toasted bread.
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The word "tapa", meaning cover or lid, is thought to have originally referred to the complimentary covering, of a drinks glass, of appetizers. Every Spaniard has his favourite "tasca", as the tapas bars are often called, where he goes regularly to meet his friends or business acquaintances. Tapas can vary from simple to complex and include cheese, fish, eggs, vegetable dishes, dips, canapés, and savoury pastries. A quantity of tapas can make an excellent meal. In some of the more old-fashioned bars, you may be automatically served a tapa of the barman's choice upon ordering a drink. A few standard tapas to watch for: . . . . . . . .
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"calamares fritos" (fried squid or cuttlefish, often mistaken for onion rings), "pulpo feira" (octupus on slices of potato), "chopitos" (baby octopuses), "angulas" (baby eels), "chistorra" (fried spicy sausage), "chorizo" (hard pork sausage), "champiñones" (mushrooms), "gambas al ajillo" (shrimp cooked in parsley, oil, and garlic), "langostinos" (jumbo shrimp or prawns), "patatas bravas" (po- tatoes in spicy sauce), "pimientos de Padrón" (peppers, some very hot, from the Galician town of Padrón), "sardinas" (fresh sardines cooked in garlic and parsley), "chanquettes" (whitebait cooked in oil and parsley), and "salmonetes" (small red mullet).
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| Spanish Omelette |
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Olive oil |
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"Tortilla" is Spain's favourite snack. Seen and eaten in almost every tapas bar, the Spanish Omelette comes in many different guises
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Just like a fine wine, the varied climate and region determine an olive oil’s taste. From the southern olive groves of Andalucía to the northern region of Catalonia, Spain, the number one producer of olive oil, offers the largest variety of unique oils that are as distinctive and diverse as nature itself. They will heighten the flavor of your meals and reveal the creativity in you.
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The Romans introduced the art of viticulture, thereby making Spain into one of the world’s leading producers of wine. Spanish wine has earned itself a well-deserved reputation for quality - an aspect that nowadays is subject to stringent controls and official demarcations (up to 60 different wine-making districts). Among these, mention must be made of the Rioja wines, which, on the merit of their bouquet, taste and body, have won international acclaim. Other highly-prized seals of origin are Ribera del Duero, Penedes and . . . . .
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La Mancha, all of which have recently witnessed great advances in the quality of their wines. Sherry (vino de Jerez) is a fortified Andalusian wine which enjoys great international prestige, particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries, and comes in a range of varieties to suit different tastes, e.g., "fino" (dry and light, usually drunk chilled), "manzanilla" (a pale, dry fino from Sanlúcar de Barrameda), "amontillado" (amber-coloured full dry or semi-dry), "dulce" (sweet) and "oloroso " (dark, full-bodied).
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Fino
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Amontillado
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Oloroso
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straw coloured and transparent, dry, light and very fragrant; 15 to 17% alcohol.
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amber coloured; 16 to 18% alcohol.
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dark gold, powerful to the taste, yet light; 18 to 20% alcohol
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Manzanilla
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Montilla-Moriles
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Color
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a wine produced in the township of Sanlúcar de Barrameda; very pale, very dry, with an alcohol content of 15-17%
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dry, very fragrant and have a high alcohol content
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a wine produced by mixing fresh and concentrated grape juice
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Raya
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Moscatel
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Cream
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of the oloroso family, but less fragrant and less strong to the taste
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sweet raisin wine
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wine produced by adding alcohol to grape juice which has not really begun to ferment.
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