# The food in Spain is awful... awfully good



## expatmat (Feb 12, 2013)

An article published this week about one traveler's take on food in Spain
The food in Spain is awlful.....Awlfully good! - The Big Travel Theory The Big Travel Theory

Caveat: she explains what a "kebab" is so you can assume that the level of food knowledge here is pretty basic.

I'm interested in the stuff at the end 


> ensaidmada cremas, pretzel de chocolate and the new found Xuxo (chucho), which is basically a croissant filled with cream and rolled in cinnamon and sugar…


How does this stuff vary by region? I'm interested in any tastey local variations we should try


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

expatmat said:


> An article published this week about one traveler's take on food in Spain
> The food in Spain is awlful.....Awlfully good! - The Big Travel Theory The Big Travel Theory
> 
> Caveat: she explains what a "kebab" is so you can assume that the level of food knowledge here is pretty basic.
> ...


OK, the article is no geat piece of literature, but they're enjoying themselves!
Really, the kebaps in Madrid that I have tasted are not at all exceptional, and some of them (usually from chains) are just awful. There are some places in Paris though that are pretty famous and there are queues going all the way down the street....
Cakes and pastries are one of the things that do vary quite a lot from region to region. In Bilbao I always get a few Pasteles de Arroz, not sure if there is actually anything to do with rice in them, but that's the name. In Tarragona I used to get a cake which was pastry filled with chocolate and hazelnuts and walnuts. Hazelnuts are a local product; I don't remember if wallnuts are or not. Some croissants are good; some are as dry as old bones. I find the small ones that you can buy by piece or by weight are better.
An all round favourite to be found all over Spain I think, is the flan, but i would recommend only the homemade ones (flan casero, aka flan de huevo casero).
There's also Natillas which IMHO is much better without the soggy biscuit on the top and also only good if it's "casero". Arroz con leche is served about 5 times too sweet for me.
In general I prefer the sweet stuff from the UK.
Your posts are very food orientated, aren't they?
There is a thread in the Tasca about recipies, and there are a few cooks on here including Thrax who is/ was a chef.
And I think you need this thread
http://www.expatforum.com/expats/la-tasca/58966-new-food-try.html


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## expatmat (Feb 12, 2013)

Gonna look for those flans 

Yes, love food and travel. Just spent 6 months traveling the world and eating its delights (and its less than delightful offerings)
The Barefoot Journal ? adventures in Barefoot Living by Graham Brown


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

expatmat said:


> Gonna look for those flans
> 
> Yes, love food and travel. Just spent 6 months traveling the world and eating its delights (and its less than delightful offerings)
> The Barefoot Journal ? adventures in Barefoot Living by Graham Brown


Lucky you!
Will dip into the blog later on.
Time for alubias made by the kitchen slave, I mean hubby


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## Navas (Sep 2, 2012)

expatmat said:


> Gonna look for those flans
> 
> Yes, love food and travel. Just spent 6 months traveling the world and eating its delights (and its less than delightful offerings)
> The Barefoot Journal ? adventures in Barefoot Living by Graham Brown


Flan is found in just about every restaurant I've ever known in Spain. The quality varies though. Some, made from a packet mix, are nowhere near as good as the proper homemade ones. Arroz con leche, again, if made properly, can be delicious. My mother makes a version flavoured with orange peel and cinnamon, rather than the more usual lemon. Yummy!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

There is a fish here called Peto, it is a type of white Tuna, I haven't seen it on any of the other islands or in Iberian Spain. It is well worth a try.


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## zenkarma (Feb 15, 2013)

expatmat said:


> Caveat: she explains what a "kebab" is so you can assume that the level of food knowledge here is pretty basic.


You mean a kebap (sic)! Which I don't think is particular speciality of Spain.

_While in Madrid we sampled some pretty good food. Our favorite foods being cafe con leche..._

Not quite sure how you define Cafe con leche as a food!



expatmat said:


> How does this stuff vary by region? I'm interested in any tastey local variations we should try


I love ensamaidas with a passion. Aren't they a speciality of Majorca?

I love Spanish food and I love cooking it. I even have my own paella pan  Still looking for a totally authentic recipe for fabadas asturianas and a source for those big fat fabadas if anyone's got one


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

I am still a chef; what I never said was if I am any good.... I remember a quote from Hugh Johnson who was attempting to dispell wine myths when he said, your favourite wine should always be the one you like best; in other words wine like food is a very personal taste and experience. My foods tend to be savoury but my OH and I love traditional steamed British puds and we are quite good at them. I think that the depth of flavour in British and French pudding cuisine is far in advance of Spansih but I suspect that has a great deal to do with climate. I can't imagine sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce in the heat of July and August (wait a sec, yes I can, oh yes I can indeed...) but it's clear to see where the limited Spanish choice of puds comes from; for me I far prefer the wonderful tapas and other traditional Spanish stews with chorizo and other Iberico produce than worry about puddings. Having said that, we just ate some wonderful homemade cardomom kulfi at the end of a lovely Indian meal and if anyone wants it I'll post the recipe. It is probably the easiest icecream to make in the world....


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## expatmat (Feb 12, 2013)

Hepa said:


> There is a fish here called Peto, it is a type of white Tuna, I haven't seen it on any of the other islands or in Iberian Spain. It is well worth a try.


I've read your earlier Hierro posts with interest. Thanks for sharing.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Well just to add to this degustación, yesterday we had chillied beef with chocolate since it was a rather chilly (!) day.


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