Thinking About Spain and Some of the Delicious Food I Ate There
February 10th 2009 05:56
I don't know if it's because it was a little chilly today or if it's seems like it's been a while since I lasted visited Europe but... I was thinking about Spain today and some of the foods I really loved while there.
One thing that really resonated with me is the concept of "Tapas" - or the little plates that are served in traditional tapas bars. I always ordered a bowl of olives and we always ordered several plates for the table to share. I discovered I like pate which is essentially pureed liver - would I have tried it if I wasn't in Spain? I'm not so sure.
Another memorable dish? Tomato bread. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it. I thought perhaps there'd be bits of sun dried tomatoes baked into a regular loaf of bread. Wrong. Catalan tomato bread is essentially white bread that is soaked in the fresh juice from a tomato (the thin oozy stuff that comes out when the tomato is ripe).
I haven't made that recipe at home either. Why? Not sure. I think it was mainly the sense of place that made such a simple dish taste so wonderful. The wonderfulness of a dish doesn't always transcend continents.
Did I like paella? Not all of it. In some versions I had in restaurants the rice was crunchy and the flavors were a little bland. But I remember eating a version in a restaurant in the sand near the sugar cane that featured fresh caught seafood which was delicately complimented by the flavor of the traditional saffron seasoning. A good paella, I realized, is about more than making sure the rice isn't crunchy. It's about expressing your pride about where you are and letting your guests in on a little secret - that you love where you live and the food that you're privileged to serve.
One thing that really resonated with me is the concept of "Tapas" - or the little plates that are served in traditional tapas bars. I always ordered a bowl of olives and we always ordered several plates for the table to share. I discovered I like pate which is essentially pureed liver - would I have tried it if I wasn't in Spain? I'm not so sure.
Another memorable dish? Tomato bread. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it. I thought perhaps there'd be bits of sun dried tomatoes baked into a regular loaf of bread. Wrong. Catalan tomato bread is essentially white bread that is soaked in the fresh juice from a tomato (the thin oozy stuff that comes out when the tomato is ripe).
I haven't made that recipe at home either. Why? Not sure. I think it was mainly the sense of place that made such a simple dish taste so wonderful. The wonderfulness of a dish doesn't always transcend continents.
Did I like paella? Not all of it. In some versions I had in restaurants the rice was crunchy and the flavors were a little bland. But I remember eating a version in a restaurant in the sand near the sugar cane that featured fresh caught seafood which was delicately complimented by the flavor of the traditional saffron seasoning. A good paella, I realized, is about more than making sure the rice isn't crunchy. It's about expressing your pride about where you are and letting your guests in on a little secret - that you love where you live and the food that you're privileged to serve.
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