Food & Drink: Eating
out in Spain is often cheap and meals are substantial rather than gourmet.
One of the best ways to sample Spanish food is to try tapas, or snacks,
which are served at any time of day in local bars. These range from cheese
and olives to squid or meat delicacies and are priced accordingly. Many
of the specialities of Spanish cuisine are based on seafood, although regional
specialities are easier to find inland than along the coast. In the northern
Basque provinces, there is cod vizcaina or cod pil-pil; angulas, the tasty
baby eels from Aguinaga; bream and squid. Asturias has its bean soup, fabada,
cheeses and the best cider in Spain, and in Galicia there is shellfish,
especially good in casseroles, and a number of regional seafood dishes
such as hake à la Gallega.
In the eastern regions the paella
has a well-deserved reputation. It can be prepared in many ways, based
on meat or seafood. Catalonia offers, among its outstanding specialities,
lobster Catalan, butifarra sausage stewed with beans, and partridge with
cabbage. Pan amb tomaquet, bread rubbed with olive oil and tomato, is a
delicious accompaniment to local ham and cheese.
The Castile area specialises in
roast meats, mainly lamb, beef, veal and suckling pig, but there are also
stews, sausages, country ham and partridges. Andalucía is noted
for its cooking (which shows a strong Arab influence), especially gazpacho,
a delicious cold vegetable soup, a variety of fried fish including fresh
anchovies, jabugo ham from Huelva and many dishes based on the fish which
the coast provides in such abundance. Restaurants are classified by the
Government and many offer tourist menus (menu del día). Restaurants
and cafés have table service.
Drink: Spain is essentially
a wine-drinking country, with sherry being one of the principal export
products. Its English name is the anglicised version of the producing town
Jerez (pronounced kherez), from which the wine was first shipped to England.
Today, Britain buys about 75 per cent of all sherry exports. There are
four main types: fino (very pale and very dry), amontillado (dry, richer
in body and darker in colour), oloroso (medium, full-bodied, fragrant and
golden) and dulce (sweet). Sanlúcar de Barrameda and Puerto de Santa
María are other towns famous for their sherry and well worth visiting.
Tourists are able to visit one of the bodegas (above-ground wine stores)
in Jerez. In the Basque Country a favourite is chacolí, a 'green'
wine, slightly sparkling and a little sour, rather than dry.
The principal table wines are the
riojas and valdepeñas, named after the regions in which they are
produced. In general, rioja, from the region around Logroño in the
northeast, resembles the French Bordeaux, though it is less delicate. Valdepeñas
is a rougher wine, but pleasant and hearty. It will be found at its best
in the region where it is grown, midway between Madrid and Cordóba.
In Catalonia the ampurdán and perelada wines tend to be heavy and
those that are not rather sweet are harsh, with the exception of the magnificent
full-bodied Burgundy-type penedés wines. Alicante wine, dry and
strong, is really a light aperitif. Nearby, the Murcia region produces
excellent wine. Often it makes a pleasant change to try the unbottled wines
of the house (vino de la casa). It is much cheaper than the bottled wines
and even in small places is usually good. Similarly, inexpensive supermarket
wine is very acceptable. Among the many brands of sparkling wines known
locally as cava, the most popular are Codorniú and Freixenet, dry
or semi-dry. The majority of Spanish sparkling wines are sweet and fruity.
Spanish brandy is as different from
French as Scotch whisky is from Irish. It is relatively cheap and pleasant,
although most brandy drinkers find it a little sweet.
Spain has several good mineral waters.
A popular brand is Lanjarón which comes from the town of the same
name. It can be still or sparkling. Vichy Catalan is almost exactly like
French Vichy. Malavella is slightly effervescent and Font Vella is still.
Cocktail lounges have table and/or counter service. There are no licensing
hours.
Nightlife: Spaniards often
start the evening with el paseo, a leisurely stroll through the main streets.
A café terrace is an excellent vantage point to observe this tradition,
or enjoy street theatre in the larger cities. The atmosphere is especially
vibrant at fiesta time, or when the local football team has won, when celebrations
are marked by a cacophony of car horns, firecrackers and a sea of flags
and team regalia. Tapas bars offer delicious snacks in a relaxed, enjoyable
setting and it is fun to try out several bars in one night. The nightclubs
of Ibiza, Barcelona and Madrid have attracted the attention of the international
media, but the variety on offer caters for most tastes. Things work up
to la marcha (good fun) relatively late and it is possible to dance literally
until dawn. Flamenco or other regional dancing displays provide an alternative
for those who prefer to watch dancing. |
