Whether fried, broiled, or chopped, food is an important part of any one persons’ diet. Food does not solely satisfy ones hunger, but it also aids the development of a countries culture and traditions. This fact is proven by the numerous recipes and eating habits found all over the world.
I, like most Americans, love food. I not only love eating its scrumptiousness, but I love cooking it as well. Growing up, our family occasions and gatherings have always been accompanied by great food. My grandma and aunt are both fabulous chefs and over the years have helped me develop my own cooking skills. With this appreciation for food, I become easily fascinated with food, especially foreign food. With my upcoming excursion to Spain, I believed it a perfect chance to deepen my knowledge for food and research Spanish cuisine.
Before the class, I couldn’t have told you anything about Spanish cuisine. Here in America we have an endless supply of restaurants that showcase many different cultural foods, such as Mexican, Chinese, Indian or Japanese. Yet, I have never been to a Spanish restaurant, therefore I really had no knowledge of food commonly eaten in Spain. It was during the class that I was able to learn a few facts about Spanish cuisine. I learned that meat is a staple in any Spanish diet. The most popular meat is ham; little did I know how true of a fact this was. I was also told that tapas are a must to try. Some of the tapas that were introduced beforehand included patatas bravas, tortilla, churros con chocolate, and chroquetas. After only seeing a few pictures of these tapas, I began to feel the excitement of soon getting the chance to taste these new foods for myself.
Once I had arrived in Spain, it didn’t take very long for me to notice the differences between American and Spanish food. The most prevalent difference is the amount of ham Spaniards do in fact consume. Personally, I don’t eat ham that often. My family will prepare a honey ham for Easter Sunday and that’s it. Throw in some morning brunches with bacon, a few ham sandwiches and the Easter ham and that will sum up my ham consumption for the year. Overall, I would say I eat more beef and chicken. In Spain, it is the opposite. Ham is most definitely the highlight, while beef and chicken take a back seat. I was surprised to find how many different slices and salamis they had. All of them were delicious, but I believe I consumed my normal years’ worth of ham in my only two week stay.
In America, our cuisine can be different depending on the region that you are visiting, the same is true in Spain. While we were in some of the northern cities such as Oviedo and Santiago de Compostela, some of my friends and I were able to taste their delicious seafood. It was in these cities where seafood is the highlight of any tourist visit. Here the seafood is fresh and cooked to perfection. In Oviedo, a few of us went to a restaurant for dinner and shared a seafood platter. Seeing shrimp with their heads still attached, open mussels, and a cooked full-bodied Sebastian (aka crab) can be intimidating. Thankfully we were all willing to be daring and thoroughly enjoyed the fresh and simplistic seafood. In Santiago de Compostela we dined at a “ritzy” restaurant. Here we shared raciones, which are big appetizers. My life was changed during this dinner. We ordered calamari. Yes, I have tried calamari before in the states, but this dish was different. It was cooked to perfection and the squid was so fresh; I still have cravings. It was easily my most favorite dish that I partook of in Spain.
Tapas are another must to try and the highlight of any Spanish snack or light lunch. Tapas are small appetizers which allow the consumer to taste the numerous varieties of tapas. These tapas can range from Tortilla Espana, Chroquetas, Patatas Bravas, Calamari, Ham and cheese; the list is never ending. At first I didn’t enjoy the tapas. In my mind, they were tiny bites that were very expensive and left me still hungry. Yet after being in Spain for a week, tapas began to grow on me. I enjoyed that there were the staple tapas that many restaurants served, but there were also variations in each city. While we were in Barcelona, Dr. GN treated us to a dinner. We were served tapas including spring rolls, Dorito nachos, and salad. In sense they weren’t your traditional tapas, but they were small portions and absolutely delicious.
Overall, Spain’s cuisine is amazing. It is fresh, like none other, and true to its roots. I enjoyed that there are traditions not only in the Spanish culture but also in its cuisine. There were several aspects that surprised and/or shocked me, like seeing so many American fast food joints, eating lunch and dinner so late in the day, and the never ending supply of ham, but I still enjoyed almost every meal. I will never forget that delicious calamari and thank Spain for expanding my knowledge of delectable food.
Si frito, a la parrilla, or picado, comida es un parte importante en la cocina de Espana. Los alimentos no solamente satisfacer nuestra hambre, pero tambien desarrollar a la cultura y las tradiciones de Espana. Este hecho se desmuestra por las muchas recetas y habitos alimentos encontrado en el mundo.
Me encanta comida. No solemente comer comida deliciosa pero tambien cocinar la. Al crecer, occasiones con la familia y reuniones siempre tienen muchos alimentos. Mi abuela, tia, y mama son cocineras fabulosas y me han ayudada en la cocina. Con esta apreciacion para la comida, estoy facinada por la comida, especialmente la comida extranjera. Con mi viaje a Espana, yo creia que seria una oportunidad perfecta para aprender la cocina de Espana.
Antes de la clase de Espana, no sabia mucho de la cocina de Espana. Aqui en Norte America, nosotros tenemos muchas restaurantes que muestran las comidas culturas, incluyendo la comida de Mexico, China, Japon, y India. Sin embargo, nunca he visto una restaurante Espanola en Norte America. Fue durante la clase de Epana, aprendi los hechos de la cocina de Espana. Aprendi que carne es muy importante por la dieta espanola. El carne mas importante es el jamon; yo no creia este hecho era verdad. Aprendi tapas son populares en Espana tambien y tiene muchas tapas diferentes. Algunas tapas que he descubierto incluyen patatas bravas, tortilla espanola, churros con chocolate, y croquetas. Despues cuando vi las fotos de tapas, me senti emocionada y feliz probar las comidas nuevas.
Al llegar a Espana, note las diferencias de la comida Americana y Espanola rapidamente. La diferencia mas importante es la cantidad del jamon las personas espanolas comen. Personalmente, yo no como jamon normalmente. Cada ano, mi familia cocina un jamon para Semana Santa. Incluyendo los desayunos con el tocino, los sandwiches con jamon, y el jamon para Semana Santa, y es todo que como para el ano. En general, diria yo como mas carne de res y pollo. En Espana, este es el opuesto. El jamon es mas popular que la carne de res y pollo. Estaba sorprendida encontrar muchas cortes y salamis diferentes. Eran deliciosos, pero creo que comi demasiado jamon en las dos semanas.
En Norte America, nuestra cocina puede ser diferente dependiendo de la region que esta visitando, este es verdad en Espana tambien. Cuando nosotros visitamos las ciudades nortes como Oviedo y Santiago de Compostela, mis amigas y yo pudimos comer el marisco delicioso. En estas ciudades, comiendo los platos del marisco es un experiencia inolvidable para las turistas. Aqui el marisco es fresco y cocinado a la perfecion. En Oviedo, mis amigas y yo visitemos una restauranta para cenar y compartimos un plato de mariscos. Vimos camarones con sus cabezas, mejilones abierto y Sebastian (aka cangrejos) y eramos asustadas. Comimos y nos encantaba el marisco fresco y simplistico. En Santiago de Compostela, nosotros visitamos una restaurante cara. Aqui nosotros compartimos los raciones. Raciones son platos grandes con comida para muchas personas. Mi vida fue cambiada durante esta cena. Nosotros comimos el calamar. Yo comi calamar en los Estados Unidos, pero este calamar fue fresco y fantastico. Yo quiero comer el calamar ahora. Ese calamar era la mejor comida que comi en Espana.
Tapas son la comida mas popular para botanas espanol o almuerza pequena. Tapas son aperitivos pequenos. Tapas se permiten comer muchas tipos porque son pequenas. Los tipos incluyen tortilla espanol, croquestas, patatas bravas, calamar, jamon con queso, y mas! Al principio, no me gustan tapas. Pensaba que tapas eran pequenas, caras, y yo tenia hambre despues de comerlas. Despues de una semana, me empeze a gustar a las tapas. Me gustaban todos los tipos diferentes en las restaurantes. Por ejemplo, en Barcelona, Dr. GN compro cena por su coro. Comimos tapas diferentes, incluyendo rollos de primaver, nachos con doritos, y ensalada. Yo nunca comi tapas como estas porque no estaban tradicional, pero estas eran mis favoritas.
En todo, la cocina en Espana es fantastica. Su comida es fresca, es diferente, y es muy tradicional. Me encantan las tradiciones culturales y las tradiciones en la cocina tambien. Yo estaba soprendida por algunas cosas, como los restaurantes de la comida rapido, comiendo almuerza y cena muy tarde, y el jamon que termina nunca, pero me encanta cada comida. Yo quiero comer ese calamar un vez mas y agradezco a Espana ensenarme sobre la comida mas deliciosa.