A Foodie Post: Spain Edition

This post is solely dedicated to food; the good, the bad, and the ugly. From “blood sausage” to cafeteria lunches to luxurious pastries and local delicacies, there is a plethora of food to discover.

One of my goals in Spain is to become a better cook in my own kitchen. I love good food with all my heart, but after a long day (or even a wide open Saturday) I find myself filling my time with activities other than fancy chef-like food prep.

My go-to meal is thrown together in five minutes. It’s usually healthy but there’s nothing about it that “wows”. Living with a roommate who formally worked under a Michellin Chef, I’m inspired to think outside the pasta box…. or bag of salad.

The *Really* Good

Before we get into this, I will admit there is only one meal on this list that can truly classify as a gourmet meal. I’m still a recovering college grad but trust me when I say you can find a dang good pastry for less than .50 euros.

nÚMERO UNO

Málaga

The Málaga hotel breakfast buffet comes in at number one in this post. If Maddie or John are reading this they are probably rolling their eyes. But how can you beat an all-inclusive unlimited spread of only the best Spanish breakfast foods?

I honestly look back at this photo weirdly often because of truly how happy it made me. At one point, John said I looked like I had reached Nirvana eating this breakfast. And he would be right. I’ll miss it forever. Shout out to Trip Adviser for the 5-star breakfast reviews and of course to Málaga Guadalmar Hotel. If you are ever in Málaga, I recommend this hotel 12/10 for everything about it.

You really can live your best life in Spain on the cheap!

número dos

Málaga

This is the gourmet meal that everyone was waiting for. John, the true foodie of the group (who also eats PB&J for every meal) made reservations for us at El Tapeo de Cervantes. We ordered eight or so different tapas plates for the three of us to share and they were all uniquely amazing in their own way.

We trusted the advice of our waiter and he took us on a magical journey of gourmet dishes and great wine. I was too busy enjoying the meal to capture anything but the octopus dish. I’ll admit I felt pretty guilty eating a poor little octopus’s tentacle, so it’s probably a one-time thing. But I still can’t deny how good it was.

NÚMERO TRES

Toledo

This little lunch deserves to be on the list somewhere. Paella is a traditional rice and seafood dish originally from Valencia but it is decently popular in many parts of Spain. I can’t say this was the best Paella I’ll ever taste (you can sense when something was frozen and just heated up) BUT after the free bus ride to Toledo I was in a pretty good mood and how can you complain when you are surrounded by beautiful ancient cathedrals.

NÚMERO CUATRO

Madrid

This is a typical cafe table top. Amazing and reasonably priced coffee paired with a pastry or sweet bread of some kind. The fruit tart was exceptional. I love how Spaniards meet up with friends for small and therefore cheap portions throughout the day. Whether it’s at a cafe or for tapas and a beer or glass of wine in the evening.

NÚMERO CINCO

Ronda

While our packed Nutella and jam sandwiches were pretty great- not going to lie- it was the view from this small cliff along a rambling river in Ronda that definitely won me over. In this case, nature was the ultimate ambience and I don’t think that can be matched by any restaurant.

The Bad (…The Okay)

Spanish food on the daily at my school’s “comedor”

Below I captured a few examples of the meals I eat at work. I hate to say it but I am not the biggest fan of traditional Spanish food that is made at home or work. Unless it’s some fresh twist on an old traditional favorite in a restaurant, I just can’t seem to look forward to some of the more typical flavors. To me the dishes are a little bland and lacking a certain freshness and crispness that surprisingly, American food has. There’s always a lot of meat, everything tastes like olive oil and is heavily cooked. It’s not bad, just different from the lighter and fresher cuisine I enjoy most.

Now in comparison to American cafeteria food, I think the kids and teachers have it pretty great here. The children eat the same meal in different portions. This is good stuff compared to American school lunches. And rather than being rushed and eating at your desk which is not uncommon in American workplaces, the teachers at my school gather around a fully set table, with no phones in sight, to enjoy a lively meal. For this reason I absolutely love coming to lunch with all of my coworkers as if we are at one big restaurant table! Everyone can relax and be themselves and I try desperately to understand what everyone is talking about (lol).

We love a nice long hour lunch! In Spain it is considered the most important and therefore biggest meal of the day.

The Ugly

Morcilla also known as Black Sausage or Blood Sausage is what it sounds like. It is made with pork blood and rice. Here, the combo is placed on top of a little piece of bread, which is so common to Spain. As gross as it sounds, if you didn’t know what it was made of, it really isn’t bad. I still think it classifies as ugly. When the waiter brought us a round of Morcilla tapas, I took the plunge.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. My Spain motto can be applied to anything, including food.

Hope this post left you hungry. Buen Provecho (: