One big thing for us about travel is the chance to try different flavors, and to have a lot of iconic flavors that we knew, but are hard to find elsewhere! So, in no particular order, here are some...
Rioja - a full bodied red wine - the ones we have been trying are usually made with tempranillo and garnacha grapes. We've had this before, but here there are a lot of choices right in the supermarket. Naturally, with all those choices of grapes and location, you can't count on a consistent taste. Here are three from the supermarket - we liked the one on the left the best. The right one wasn't great. Note that they're all Reserved...
Black beans - interestingly, the package uses "alubias" instead of "frijoles" - we fell in love with these in Costa Rica, and have had a hard time finding them in France. I know what is going into our suitcase on the way home!
Pimentón - aka, paprika - it's everywhere in Spain, and used as commonly as salt! I've added more and more of the "spicy" style, but it takes a lot for some zing. The "sweet" version is a bit smokey.
Iberian ham - oh, yum! You see huge haunches of cured ham hanging from hooks all over! There's a type of pork here that is prized for it's ham - Ibérico Bellota (specifically, blackfoot hogs fed on acorns in the dehesa area) - but of course the rest of the hog is super flavorful as well. On the way to Córdoba, we stopped for lunch - I had a pork (Ibérico Bellota) sirloin, and Rick had carrillera (pork cheek stew); both were fantastic!
Speaking of pork, the meat aisle of the grocery store shows just how much it's a part of the regular diet here - there are pork meatballs (tried it; too much like sausage for me), and the burger patties and ground meat often have pork mixed in with the beef.
Serranito - it's a hot sandwich, and very popular in Sevilla for a fast lunch. Ours (we split one, and shared a few tapas as well) had tomato, grilled chicken, roasted green chile (not spicy), and cured ham (Serrano perhaps?). Definitely something I'd do at home!
Montaditos - half-size hot sandwiches, these are common tapas fare. In general, we thought these were ok, but not very flavorful. By our last week in Sevilla, we were awfully tired of them (and all the potatoes that often come along for the ride).
Córdoba specialities (we didn't try all of them) include Flamenquín, Salmorejo (cold tomato soup), oxtail stew, and fried eggplant with honey (it's very sweet)
Paëlla - it's hard to make a really bad paëlla, but at the same time, it's not easy to find a perfect one! There's always something that is not exactly right - too fishy, tough meat, no zing... We do keep trying!
This "Mixtas" one in Málaga (La Bougainvillea) was *great*!
Tamales - NO?!?! I knew from my Spanish conversation group that tamales were not a thing in Spain, but I hoped the masa would be available. All I could find was corn flour (not the kind I use for tortillas though). I'm still looking...
Fruit! - Spain is known for it's oranges and strawberries, but we were pleasantly surprised to also find blueberries!
Olives - of course!
Licor de Guindas - what else do you do with fruit? Make a digestive, of course! This is from cherries, but with an anise base 😋 - we first had it as a complimentary after-dinner drink in Sevilla.
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Of course, it's not all Spanish flavors; we also found a fantastic Indian restaurant (Masala in Mijas), a nice kebab take-out (Harina in Sevilla), and pretty good Chinese delivery (Ming in Sevilla) 🙂😋😋
Then! In Sevilla, we went to Al Wadi (wadi is a usually-dry river valley) - oh wow, that was good! We had chicken beriani and lamb tajien (tagine). And decided to go again!
Q: And where does pizza fit in? A: Everywhere! We first discovered Del Poble Pizzeria in Valencia - they do a great series of lactose-free pizzas; they also have restaurants in Sevilla, Córdoba, Madrid, and Barcelona!
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An amazing thing here - many restaurants we've been to have menus with common allergens clearly marked! It makes it so much easier to scan for what's possible...
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