Al hombre se le conquista por el estómago.

Giant legs of jamón

That's a Spanish saying that definitely applies to me. Anyone who knows me also knows that my life pretty much revolves around food, so it was surprising to me also when I realized I hadn't written a blog about Spanish cuisine yet.

Everyone was raving about Spanish food before I left, and I'll admit that it's definitely not my favorite. Not because it's bad in general, but because the entire diet practically revolves around ham, and that's one of the few foods I really don't like. Plus, it's a cured ham that they literally cut off the pig's leg right in front of you and then serve it as is. And don't even bother trying to ask for a substitute, because the idea of a meal without ham is unfathomable to Spaniards.

With the rest of Spanish meals, I am definitely content. The dish most people think of as "Spanish" is paella, but that's a dish that's only famous in Valencia, a province on the eastern coast of Spain (which I will be going to in one month!). Then there are the tapas, of course, which are all kinds of different appetizers to pick on while bar-hopping before eating dinner at 10:00pm. At traditional Spanish bars, you always get a free tapa with a drink, which can be as simple as a plate of cheeses or olives, or even fried potatoes (patatas bravas), empanadas, calamari, or octopus (pulpo). A bar around the corner from my apartment is known for giving heaping plates of tapas with every drink you buy, where it's easy to fill yourself up for the price of a beer.

TAPAS

Delicious seafood plate from Córdoba in the south

A dish my landlord just taught me to make is tortilla española, which some people consider the "national dish" just because it's so common. Even though it's called a tortilla, it's nothing like the Mexican version. It's a potato omelette that originated as meal for the poor farmers on the fields because the ingredients are so simple. However, it would be difficult--or at least expensive--to make in the United States, because it requires a large amount of olive oil. You can buy a whole five liter container here for the same price as a small bottle in the US; definitely a much healthier alternative to the pandemic amount of butter used in America.

The only real complaint I have about the diet is how hard it is to find food from other cultures. I would sacrifice a lot to find a place that served authentic Mexican burritos (because Spanish food is not even remotely similar to Mexican food at all, so don't think that), and even though Madrid is very diverse city, it's still nothing like the Bay Area. Living with my a Spanish landlord, I was hoping to get to try a lot of different typical, Iberian dishes. He's definitely a good cook (and thanks to that I have a fully equipped kitchen at my disposal--minus the microwave), but he prepares soup for at least one meal every day, so there isn't a lot of variation.

So even though I wasn't initially crazy about the food, it's definitely growing on me more and more, and it'll be hard to imagine going back to America without my toast and tomato sauce for breakfast every morning, or the dish of olives that comes before every meal, or even just the splash of gaseoso in my beer to make it a clara. Although, these are all traditions I plan to continue.