The capital city of Europe’s most passionate country is a feast of music, food and culture, full of energy and colour, welcoming and captivating. Spain has evolved into one of the most gastronomically important countries in the world, and Madrid has its own fair share of excellent restaurants as well as outstanding tapas bars.
Tapas are a way of life for Madrileños, as is evident in the many tapas bars around the city, whether simple small bars and taverns or fancy large establishments.
Tapas:
Spanish celebrity chef and author Ines Ortega explains the concept of tapas: “Once upon a time in Spain, a small, free tapa was served with drinks in bars, often a piece of sliced cold meat, such as cured ham or chorizo, or a piece of cheese. According to culinary legend, these tapas were used to cover wine glasses to keep the aroma in and to keep the flies and insects out (the word tapa originally meant ‘cover’). Nothing goes better with a glass of wine or a cold beer.”
Tapas have also evolved through Spanish history by incorporating new ingredients and influences and go back a long way although no one is sure when and where they originated. Some say the tapas tradition began when king Alfonso X of Castile recovered from an illness by drinking wine with small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered that taverns would not be allowed to serve wine to customers unless it was accompanied by this small snack.
Today tapas vary from the simple slice of Iberico ham and olives to more complex combinations such as Bacalao, salted cod loin sliced very thinly, usually served with bread and tomatoes; Gambas, prawns sauteed in peppercorn sauce, with garlic or chopped chili peppers; Mejillones rellenos, spicy stuffed mussels. Many tapas also include white asparagus, red Piquillo peppers and juicy white tuna ‘Lomos de Bonito’ and alioli, a garlic and mayonnaise based sauce, served with different types of bread and tortilla.
Tapas is a culinary international trend right now and it is also easy on you if you want to impress in the kitchen. Why? Because the secret is in the products, not in your cooking skills.
Typical Madrid food:
Cocido Madrileño is a traditional Spanish stew that usually consists of a dark flavourful broth with vegetables, chickpeas, chorizo sausage and pork, simmered for up to four hours to create a delicious hearty blend of flavours.
Huevos rotos, literally ‘broken eggs’ are actually fried potato strips topped with gently fried egg, served with crusty bread to mop up the yolk.
Gazpacho, a zesty, chilled tomato made with full-flavoured Spanish tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, garlic, onions, vinegar and herbs and bread, sometimes varied with a bit of ham or egg slices on top.
Bocadillo de calamares is a simple but excellent fried squid sandwich consisting of a fresh bread-roll filled with crispy, golden rings of squid.
Paella is a rice-based dish well known internationally, with a mixture of seafood such as calamari, mussels, clams, prawns, scampi or fish, depending on the type you order.
Churros are warm deep-fried sticks of crispy dough dipped in heavenly thick, melted chocolate. Tip: Chocolatería San Ginés is a renowned café situated in a quiet alley near the San Ginés church which has served some of Madrid’s best chocolate con churros (hot chocolate and churros) since 1894.
Tortilla is a Spanish omelette from eggs, potato slivers and caramelised onions which is firm on the outside and moist and juicy on the inside.
Croquetas are crunchy fried croquettes and can be filled with anything from cod, ham, spinach or chicken.
Manchego Cheese is an internationally renowned, purely Spanish, deliciously creamy but firm, and slightly piquant cheese. It is made solely in the Spanish region of La Mancha, from the milk of manchega sheep.
Cured meats: Chorizo and ham. Jamon Serrano and Iberico hams are the traditional country hams of Spain. The uncontested best Spanish ham is the Iberico pata negra meaning ‘black hooves’, from the black acorn-munching free-roaming pigs; a nutty, satisfying, melt-in-your-mouth, sensation.
Iberian Ham
There is a marked difference between Spanish Serrano ham from a traditional white pig and the much more delicate and flavourful Iberian ham from the black pig.
Spanish Jamón Ibérico is a type of cured ham of the highest quality, made from black Iberian pigs, therefore also referred to as pata negra. The most desired type of Iberian ham is the Jamón Ibérico de Bellota. Bellota stands for the acorns the pigs eat, which gives the ham its nutty flavour. This ham derives its taste much from the way in which the pigs are farmed and the impeccable curing process.
The pigs roam free in nourishing pasture eating kilos of acorns every day whilst getting plenty of exercise. The result is a most delicious, smooth textured aromatic ham which almost melts in your mouth. The ham also contains oleic acid, an oil which aids in reducing cholesterol levels and cardiovascular risk, and is low in energy which is great for a healthy non fattening diet.
Expertly sliced in small, thin pieces this sweet, nutty, silky textured ham will melt in your mouth, releasing all the flavours of Spain’s noble black-hoofed Ibérico pig and the country’s rich dehesa oak pastures.
Alcoholic Drinks
With tapas, lunch or dinner, beer, sherry, wine or cava (Spanish sparkling wine) are most popular and gin and tonic has its own special place in Spanish culture. Other Spanish favourites are the refreshing tinto de verano (‘summer wine’ – red wine with lemon soda) and sangria, a mix of red wine and fruit, often with other ingredients such as orange juice or brandy.
Spanish Wine
Spain has the largest wine producing volume of land with over over 1.17 million hectares of vineyards, and is the third largest producer of wine in the world, however catching up quickly to number one France, and two Italy. With the exception of the northwest quarter, largely open to Atlantic influences, and the Mediterranean coast, the climate is continental with alternating tough winters and hot summers, but altogether agreeable to producing a good and healthy grape.
Spain’s vines are old, with a viticulture dating back between 4000 and 3000 BC. Spain produces first and foremost intense red wines made made from grenache and tempranillo grape varieties well adapted to hot summers, but its range of whites is growing with the inimitable sherry and Catalan cava, and its excellent Verdejo grape variety white wines.
Major Spanish wine regions include the Rioja and Ribera del Duero; Valdepeñas, a favourite of Hemingway, made of high quality tempranillo at low prices; Jerez, the home of the fortified wine Sherry; Rías Baixas known for its white wines made from Albariño and Catalonia which includes the sparkling Cava, and the Priorat region.