Madrid!

Emily Kastl  

The first stop on our Spanish gastronomical tour occurred even before the first steps of the Camino de Santiago were taken: Madrid! Located in the center of Spain, this capital city has been the lucky recipient of regional foods from all over the country as people made their way to settle in the area and brought their recipes with them. As soon as I stepped off the metro and climbed the stairs to the bustling city of Madrid, I fell in love. It was chaotic in the most perfect way-honking taxis, people flying by on Vespas, and shouts from food cart vendors. Since we had been flying for who-knows-how-many hours and were disgustingly jet-lagged, we were eager for some comida. Also, as Spanish food etiquette newbies, we decided to have a nice lunch…at breakfast time. We had just flown 8 hours and the Spaniards were just getting out of bed at 11:30! My first food experience came in the beautiful form of a bocadillo-basically what we would consider to be a sandwich. Despite the simplicity of the bocadillo itself, I was still in heaven-partly from finally being off the plane, but mostly because I was in a new country trying something new.

Enter the bocadillo: A staple of our trip

For dinner we decided to be a little more adventurous and explore beyond the café 50 feet from our hostel. This meal was the precise moment when I realized that I had hit the foodie jackpot by going to Spain: PAELLA. This was also the moment when I realized just how Spanish-food-illiterate I was. Since I had never heard of paella, I watched as my groupmates (better known as “Spamigos”) ordered this magical dish. I think I ordered some sort of pasta, but who cares. Back to the paella: originating on the east coast of Spain, this traditional dish usually consists of rice, red peppers, tomatoes, peas, saffron and your choice of chicken, seafood or both (paella mixta). When you order it, be ready to wait because it can take up to an hour to be prepared, which actually equates to the perfect time to order more sangria!

Paella can be found all over Spain and usually takes on different in each region

Along with their love for paella, the Spaniards are not bashful about their love of pork, especially in Madrid. They kind of give it away when they have chain restaurants called “Museo del Jamón”: museum of ham. Upon entering one of these swine shrines, it becomes quite evident that things are done a little differently here. Jamón ibérico is a type of cured pork that is used in many forms of Spanish cooking. The Spaniard’s love of ham results in some pretty pampered pigs-they must be bred at least 75% Iberian to be considered “good” and are given a strict diet of acorns. In Madrid, we ate jamón ibérico on bocadillos and in tappas (Spanish appetizers). The taste is quite a bit less salty than American ham and has a much finer texture. It’s also served in very thin slices, much thinner than your average hunk-o-ham. As someone who doesn’t like ham a la American, I enjoyed the Spanish version so much I often opted for bocadillos con jamón along the Camino.

Museo del Jamón

After 3 days of exploring and eating all Madrid had to offer, I was eager to set of on the rest our adventure. I knew that many more wonderful experiences and delicious delicacies were in my future-I was so eager in fact, the prospect of walking 20 miles a day didn’t seem too bad! The next stop on our Spanish cusine quest is Basque country; I hope you like seafood!