What to Eat in Spain: Typical Spanish Food and Specialties | Page 2 of 4
Spanish Olive Oil: Virgen Extra and How to Spot It
Spain produces roughly two fifths of the world's olive oil, and Rome built itself a whole hill out of its amphorae. Why the Spanish word for oil is Arabic, who brought the olive to the peninsula, how Picual differs from Arbequina, what virgen extra means on a label and why good oil catches in your throat. And at the end, the bottle they brought to our table in Alicante.
Patxaran: The Sloe Liqueur of Navarre and the Basque Country
Patxaran is a liqueur of wild sloes steeped for months in anise spirit - a deep ruby, sweet, ice-cold digestif drunk all over Spain. The name is Basque, but the protected designation Pacharán Navarro belongs to Navarre. What "de Arañón" on the label means, why the legend about the monks doesn't hold up, and how it tasted after a tasting menu in Alicante.
Erriberako Merkatua: The Covered Market in Bilbao on the Banks of the Nervión
Erriberako merkatua, Mercado de la Ribera in Spanish, is the covered market in Bilbao on the bank of the river Nervión: a concrete hall from 1929 that people call a ship for its long, narrow shape. There has been a market on the site since the 14th century - fish and seafood downstairs, cured meats and cheeses above them, and a whole floor of bars serving pintxos. You can tell Basque produce by the little flag on the price tag.
Spanish Beer: Glass Sizes, Styles and Brands
Spain drinks its beer in small glasses, very cold and by the name of the glass: caña, tubo, jarra, and in the Basque Country zurito. What comes out of the taps is almost always the pale lager rubia, and in Granada or León a free tapa comes with it. The seven best-known brands from Mahou to Estrella Galicia have only four owners, and the three stars on the labels share nothing but the old brewers' guild emblem.
Alicante Wines: Monastrell from Vinalopó, Fondillón and Moscatel
Three quarters of the wine from Alicante comes from a single grape, monastrell, which the province shares with the whole Spanish southeast - and then there is one wine nobody else has: fondillón, made from overripe grapes and aged at least ten years without a drop of added spirit. The DO Alicante appellation has two subzones: the inland Vinalopó with its reds and the coastal Marina with its sweet moscatel.
Níspero de Callosa: The Loquat from the Province of Alicante
Níspero de Callosa is the loquat grown on the terraces around the small town of Callosa d'en Sarrià in the province of Alicante, with a protected designation of origin since 1992. The orange fruit, the size of an apricot, is eaten fresh and peeled, and it has juicy sweet flesh and a few big seeds. The tree comes from China, the name from the European medlar, and its season is short - from April to the end of May.
Coca: The Flatbread of Valencia, Catalonia, and the Balearics
Coca is the flatbread of Catalan-speaking Spain: dough with the topping spread over it or tucked between two sheets, savory or sweet, baked on a tray. One word covers Catalan coca de recapte, Balearic coca de trempó, and the Alicante specialties with tuna and streusel. Where the name came from, what to make of the claim that coca is the mother of pizza, and how three bakeries in Alicante measured up.
Herbero: An Herbal Liqueur from the Sierra de Mariola
Herbero is an herbal liqueur from the Sierra de Mariola, on the border between the provinces of Alicante and Valencia. At least four mountain herbs macerate in an anise base, and they often stay right there in the bottle. Seven villages around the range make it, each in its own way - dry in Alcoy, sweeter in Bocairent. After a meal, bars and restaurants in Alicante pour a round on the house along with the bill.
Mercat Central d'Alacant: The Market Where Alicante Shops and Has Breakfast
Alicante's central market is a covered hall from 1922 with 292 stalls on two floors: fish downstairs, fruit, vegetables, cheese and cured meats upstairs, and in between them bars where the late morning brings a second breakfast - with vermouth. The province of Alicante sends turrón, Fondillón, prawns from Denia and coca amb tonyina; jamón only passes through. The clock in the display case has read 11:19 since May 1938.
Conservas: Spanish Canned Goods as a Delicacy
In Spain, conservas are canned fish, seafood and vegetables that a bar opens at your table and serves as tapas for the price of a main course. Spain is the largest producer of canned fish in the European Union, even though it was France that invented the sardine can and the first Spanish cannery wasn't in Galicia. Why a can of mussels costs as much as dinner, and what exactly chanchullo from Novelda is.