FOOD!

So during this week I did a lot, but the things I did the most were sightseeing and eating. Sightseeing pictures will come later.

But now....let's talk FOOD!

Much to my humiliation, I must admit that I always thought that Spanish and Mexican food were the same or at least very similar. However, after eating Spanish food all week and today going to a Mexican Restaurant with Judit for lunch, I was pleasantly surprised at how different Spanish and Mexican food really is. Since I grew up eating "authentic" Mexican food in California I am glad that I also was able to experience Spanish food.

Some foods that I tried or saw that are considered quite Spanish (not Mexican) include:

Jamon Serano is a ham that comes from the back leg of a pig as shown above. It is usually thinly sliced and then eaten alone or with meals like the one I had the first day in Spain. Many times families will buy a whole ham and keep it in their kitchen on a stand like the one shown above.

Gulas. We have definitely already discussed this one, but again these are baby eels that taste a little like garlic noodles. (Un)fortunately I never got the chance to try them, but I found out where you can buy them in bulk! 

This is a thicker and creamier version of the famous Spanish gazpacho. They topped it off with sliced ham and cooked egg whites.  Hmmm.

I also really tried green olives for the first time and discovered that I enjoy them. I wouldn't eat them at every meal, but they have a nice flavor and consistency. 

Another unique food in Spain is baked pig ear. It tasted fine until I started to think about what I was eating. It is actually quite delicious when you are not thinking about the fact that you are eating a pig's ear....

Patatas bravas are potato cubes covered in a spicy paprika sauce. It is very similar to many Hungarian meals.

Everything is fried in olive oil.

CHURROS with Hot Chocolate! This is a meal typically eaten for breakfast. Churros are salty fried bread sticks that are dipped in a rich, thick chocolate sauce. I only had a bit of Judit's churro because of the gluten, but I did drink a lot of Hot Chocolate this week. This is no ordinary Hot Chocolate though...it deserves a real shout out! None of that hot water and chocolate powder stuff, this is like drinking thick melted chocolate. Although it is not nearly as sweet as chocolate in the US which I liked a lot more.

This lemon creme is a dessert that Judit and I shared, along with pineapple, after one lunch. It was deliciously light and not too sweet. I have realized that since Europeans don't eat food hidden and packed with sugar I don't crave sweets as much, so this was just perfect.

They have two sweets that are quite famous. One is a hard candy made from the essence of violet flowers shown on the left and the other is an egg yolk covered in sugar. I can't even imagine what the egg yolk and sugar would even taste like. 

This is a pastry that Alcala (a town near Madrid where Judit and I visited some friends) is famous for. It is a flakey, layered dough formed into a chimney like structure and then covered in a sugar glaze.

Every restaurant I went to I ordered water and each time it came in a different bottle. Guess what...every time the water tasted the same. 

GLUTEN FREE MEALS: Not particularly Spanish....but a huge blessing.

During the week we ate at a gluten free restaurant for lunch and a gluten free bakery for an afternoon snack. 

For lunch I had a gluten free pizza with mozzarella, tomatoes and pesto. It was so good that I didn't even care that it wasn't Spanish.

At the bakery I ordered a gluten free carrot cake (can't you just see the joy that this small piece of cake brought me?) and after bought Oregano and Tomato breads and a Palmera, which is a Spanish pastry made of a flaky/buttery dough that is formed into a heart and covered in chocolate. This will be my breakfast tomorrow morning on the plane as we fly home. 

And....

Fun Food Fact: The first McDonald's in Spain opened in Madrid on March 9th, 1981. 

Judit and I head back to Hungary tomorrow morning.  I am not quite ready to go home, because this has been an incredible trip in which we were so blessed by our friends and family here in Madrid. I hope to return soon and see them all again.

I will share more about the week in the next few days.

Besos,

Emily