If I Were Going...: May 2015

You may have noticed that I talked about food a lot in my blog posts on Spain and Portugal. And, we posted lots of pictures. So, I thought I'd just do a recap of the food of the two countries we visited.

Incredible food

Almost everything we ate was delicious.

The face says it all

I was particularly pleased with the availability of tapas, because appetizers are my favorites ...

Peppers, salad, olives, bread, eggplant, sangria

... and because it allowed us to taste many things.

Choosing is tough

Spanish Cuisine

I have loved Spanish food for years – in Florida, Pepe’s and Tio Pepe’s were our favorite restaurants (and, yes, they were Spanish, not Cuban). So, traveling to Spain and tasting the food was an experience.

Love it all

So, here’s the rundown on Spanish food. The Romans introduced the custom of collecting and eating mushrooms, which is still preserved in many parts of Spain, especially in the north. The Romans along with the Greeks introduced viticulture; it also appears that the extension of grapes along the Mediterranean seems to be due to colonization of the Greeks.

Backyard vineyard

There are many wines and sangria (wine mixed with fruit and often fortified with brandy) is a great accompaniment to tapas. The Visigoths introduced brewing and beer is quite popular.

Tapas is meant to be consumed with adult beverages

Then, when the Muslims invaded in 711 AD, they brought new ingredients and cooking styles from Africa, Persia and India. This included rice, sorghum, sugar cane, spinach, eggplant, watermelon, lemon, peach, orange and almonds.

Marketplace

The discovery of America in 1492, brought new culinary elements, such as tomato, cucumber, potato, corn, bell pepper, spicy pepper, paprika, vanilla and cocoa and chocolate.

Fresh, fresh, fresh

La comida, the large multi-course midday meal in Spain, lasts from about 2:00-4:00 p.m. and is usually followed by Sobremesa - conversation at the table. At home, Spanish meals contain soup or a pasta dish ...

This was yummy

... salad ...

This was yummy, too

... a meat and/or fish dish and a dessert, such as fruit and/or cheese. Green salad is served with the meat or fish courses. Restaurant meals are more elaborate.

Tapas are popular everywhere. Common items on a tapas menu include croquettes ...

Hot and crunchy

... pate, meat, smoked salmon, cheese and tomato salad ...

Just an afternoon snack

... and ham ...

Jamon

... and more ham ...

It is Spain's most prized food

Ham stores are even referred to a "museums of ham" ...

Really!

Andalusia

Andalusian cuisine (Seville, Granada) is rural and coastal, with lots of olive oil. Gazpacho, a cold vegetable soup, is the most famous dish.

Salmorejo is a heartier version with cream and a ham and hard-boiled egg garnish

Olives are often served as a complimentary snack with drinks.

Olives are often served with sangria

This is not surprising because of the vast expanses of olive trees ...

Miles and miles of olive trees

Popular Andalusian Dishes include: flamenquín (serrano ham rolled in pork loin, battered and fried), pringá (roast beef or pork, cured sausages and fat slow-cooked for hours until the meat falls apart), oxtail (rabo del toro) ...

Rabo del toro

... tripe, “cat” soup (bread soup), “dog” stew (fish soup with orange juice), migas canas (fried bread and milk), fried fish, cod pavías (fried cod sticks) and parpandúas (baked cod with saffron).

Asturia

Asturian cuisine (north coast and the Picos de Europa area) is rooted in Celtic traditions of northern Europe. Dishes include: bean stew (white beans, sausages and pork); beans with clams, hare and partridge; chosco (pork loin and tongue seasoned with salt, Spanish paprika and garlic, packed in pig's intestine, smoked and cured); tripe with chorizo; bollos preñaos (sausage rolls), carne gobernada (beef stewed in white wine with onions); cachopo (ham and cheese placed between beef filets, breaded and fried).

We had some light and airy fried fish with a lovely salad that we dressed with local olive oil ...

We finished that off!

Asturian cheeses, especially cabrales, a strong-smelling blue cheese from Picos de Europa that is often served with local cider, are very popular in the rest of Spain. Desserts include frisuelos (crepes), rice pudding and carbayones (puff pastry filled with ground almonds, eggs and sweet wine, cognac or liqueur, baked and glazed with lemon juice and sugar).

Castile-La Mancha

The food of Castile-La Mancha (Toledo) originated with shepherds and peasants. It uses grains and lots of garlic ...

Hanging from a porch

Traditional dishes include gazpacho manchego (game stew with unleavened bread), pisto manchego (a vegetable dish like a pureed ratatouille), migas ruleras (a dish made with bread crumbs and olive oil), morteruelo (a type of foie gras), manchego cheese, conejo al ajillo (rabbit in garlic sauce), Valladolid (black pudding), judión de la granja (local fava-type beans), sopa de ajo (garlic soup), lechazo (roast lamb), botillo del Bierzo (meat-stuffed pork intestine), jamón de Guijuelo (cured ham), sausages, cheeses and Ribera del Duero wines.

But, cochinillo asado (roast suckling pig) rules -- especially in Segovia ...

Speciality

I stumbled upon a celebration that centered around chefs and pigs ...

Showing off their skills

Scott had some and said that it was rather bland (I guess once you have smoked your pork, you can't go back).

Catalonia

The cuisine of Catalonia (Barcelona) is based on rural culture with three area types: seafood, mountain and interior. Among the most popular dishes are: escudella (a thick soup/stew that can contain a variety of meats and vegetables), tomato bread ...

Tomato rubbed on bread and grilled! Heaven!

... tortilla (somewhat like a frittata), coca de recapte (a salad comprising roasted peppers and eggplant with sardines, herring, tuna or sausage, onion, olives and tomato), samfaina (stewed onions, garlic, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini), farigola soup (garlic soup), snails, bouillabaisse, sausages and salami ...

A wide variety of sausages and salami

... suquet (seafood stew), stewed cod and black rice, calçots (similar to leek), escalivada (roasted vegetables) ...

Roasted peppers and eggplant

... lots of seafood ...

Taking advantage of seaside location

... and many parts of the animal I don't want to eat ...

Nope!

Among the desserts are: Catalan cream (crème brulee), carquiñoles (similar to biscotti), panellets (a variety of small cakes made with marzipan) and Kings Tortel (basically, a King cake). Sweets were simply gorgeous ...

An abundance of deliciousness

Galicia

Galician (northwestern Spain) cuisine is influenced by immigration. Popular dishes include Galician soup (greens and ham; also called caldo gallego), pork with turnip tops, caldo de castañas (chestnut broth), Galician empanadas (pork and pepper turnovers), octopus, scallops, crab, barnacles, razor clams, skate ...

Razor clams and skate

... and queso de tetilla (a smooth yellow cheese).

We had a delicious carne asada cooked in a pottery dish that was steaming hot and fork tender.

Yum!

Plus, we ate at a very local restaurant in Galicia, where the menu was handwritten on a notepad and seafood was fresh from the fish market across the street ...

This is where we had skate

Orujo (a brandy distilled from solids left after pressing the grapes) is one of Galicia's alcoholic drinks. Sweets include tarta de Santiago (a flat almond cake) and filloas (pancakes made with blood).

Madrid

Madrid's culinary dishes are mainly modifications to dishes from other Spanish regions. Notably, however, because of the influx of visitors from the 19th century onwards, Madrid was one of the first cities to introduce the concept of the restaurant.

Eating out is very Spanish (especially late)

Strawberries and melons are common and Madrid is rich in religious confectionery, with sweets such a buñuelos (fried dough balls) and chocolate con churros (fried dough sticks with a thick chocolate sauce) ...

The "sauce" is like pudding

Paella

The cuisine of Valencia features produce and seafood. One of the most popular dishes is paella, which is considered Spain’s national dish but originated in Valencia. We didn't go to Valencia, but we did sample paella in Seville ...

Classic paella

... and Barcelona ...

Prepared tableside

The three best-known types are Valencian (white rice, green vegetables, chicken and rabbit, white beans and seasoning such as saffron, rosemary and occasionally lemon, artichoke, pepper and/or chicken liver), seafood (replaces meats with seafood and omits beans and green vegetables) and mixed (a free-style combination of meat, seafood, vegetables, and sometimes beans) paella, but there are many others as well. We had lobster in Barcelona.

Superb!

Other Valencian dishes include arroz con costra (crusty rice with pork and chicken), fideuá (a paella-like dish with pasta), arroz al horno (oven-baked rice with pork, morcilla blood sausage, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes and garbanzo beans), rice with beans and turnips and fish stew.

Among the desserts are: coffee liqueur, chocolates, arnadí (baked sweetened pumpkin), horchata (a drink made of ground almonds, sesame seeds, rice, barley and/or tigernuts), nougat and peladillas (almonds wrapped in a thick layer of caramel).

Through Spain, cafes -- many outdoors -- are relaxed.

Outdoor cafe

You can order a drink and a few tapas and sit for hours. In fact, getting your check can be a challenge.

Portuguese Cuisine
The Portuguese consume lots of dried cod (bacalhau in Portuguese), for which there are hundreds of recipes.

Bacalhau

Two other popular fish recipes are grilled sardines and caldeirada, a potato-based fish stew. Typical Portuguese meat recipes (made from beef, pork, lamb or chicken) include cozido à portuguesa (stew), feijoada (beans with beef and pork), frango de churrasco (chicken grilled over hot coals), frango asada (grilled chicken -- this one with spicy piripiri sauce) ...

At a "food court"!

... leitão (roast suckling pig) and carne de porco à alentejana (pork and clam stew). Typical fast food dishes include the Francesinha (a huge meat-filled sandwich topped with egg and cheese, smothered in a beer-based sauce, served with French fries) ...

Is is soup or a sandwich?

...and bifanas (grilled pork) or prego (grilled beef) sandwiches.

Although tapas originated in Spain, they are popular in Portugal, too. Like Spain, the opening appetizer is often served automatically and you are charged for what you eat. Cheese, olives, anchovies sardine pate are common.

Yummy bites

The Portuguese pastry has its origins in medieval Catholic monasteries spread across the country. Using very few ingredients (mostly almonds, flour, eggs and some liquor), they created a wide range of pastries, including pastéis de Belém (or pastéis de nata - rich egg custard in individual flaky pastry cups), ovos moles (sweetened egg yolk in a crunchy pastry shell), trouxas de ovos (a sugary egg confection) and raivas (cinnamon-flavored cookies that look like small funnel cakes). Almonds are common is desserts, such as this sumptuous cake ...

Beautiful and delicious

In The Algarve, seafood reigns supreme. Scott had the most delicious ceviche and mussels ...

Fresh seafood

Portugal is famous for port wine, a sweet fortified red wine often served as a dessert wine, although it also comes in dry, semi-dry and white varieties.

Restaurants
In both countries, we ate at many Formal restaurants and outdoor cafes ...

Lots of options

... bars ...

A local place

There were also Mercados (upscale food courts) in Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon ...

Lots of variety

It was a culinary journey -- and we enjoyed every bite.

Let's eat

Note: Scott took many (probably most) of theses photos. Too many to credit!

Trip date: April 25-May 15, 2015

Parc Güell

Sometimes poor planning cheats you out of something you would have liked to do. So it was with the Parc Güell, a public park featuring some of Antoni Gaudi's iconic buildings.

As we were planning out our last day in Barcelona, we decided we wanted to see Parc Güell after visiting Montjuïc. I remembered seeing it on the same hop on/hop off bus route (our bus had two routes, both of which we had taken at least once). So we hopped off at the stop and walked up a hill, growing increasingly confused that we didn't see a big park.

When we arrived, we discovered that we were at the Güell Pavilions, not Parc Güell, which is on the other bus route. So, we paid the small entry fee and went in to investigate. With the exception of the famous dragon gate ...

This is quite something

... it really wasn't worth it. The small complex of buildings, designed by Gaudí and built between 1884 and 1887, is being renovated. What is accessible is in pretty rough condition.

Just an empty room

The Pavilions are Güell's former estate, of which there are two parts -- only one is open to tourists right now.

The gate and its flanking gate houses are interesting.

No denying this is cool

The dragon (a favorite theme of Gaudi's) represents Ladon, offspring of Typhus, who guarded the Garden of the Hesperides, which was overcome by Hercules as one of his twelve labors. Over the dragon there is an antimony orange-tree, another allusion to the Hesperides. The shape of the dragon corresponds with the position of the stars in the Serpens constellation, because Ladon was turned into a snake as a punishment for stealing the oranges.

The roofs on the gatehouses have distinctively Mudejar tiles.

A dome and a multifaceted turret

Gaudí was also partially responsible for the design of the estate's gardens, where he built two fountains and a pergola, and planted several Mediterranean species: (pines, eucalyptus, palms, cypresses and magnolias). Right now, the grounds are in great need of some TLC.

Kind of scrubby

Frustrated, Scott decided to head back to the room and rest. I decided to take the other bus route and check out the Parc. After getting off the bus, I walked up the lower part of Carmel Hill, where I encountered the three escalators that lead the rest of the way up ...

You can take the stairs or outdoor escalators

... to the Parc entrance, which looks like something from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (although it is probably vice versa) ...

Curiouser and curiouser

When I arrived, I discovered that part of Parc Güell is a public park with unlimited access and part requires tickets with timed entries. The next entry was two hours away. I decided to explore the public part and then see if the wait lessened as the day went on so that I could return with Scott. When I left, the lines were just as long, so I saw only the public part. It's a shame because it looks amazing from the pictures I saw on Google.

At least part was open

Parc Güell was built between 1900 and 1914 and was officially opened as a public park in 1926. The brainchild of Eusebi Güell i Bacigalupi, 1st Count of Güell, it was supposed to be an estate for the rich. Güell employed Gaudi to design the area. Its design reflects Gaudí's naturalist phase, during which he found inspiration from organic shapes found in nature, which can be seen in the tiled mosaics ...

Natural designs

... on the serpentine bench ...

A lovely place to sit

... that edges the terrace that is in the paid-admission portion, but can be seen from the park.

Looking in from the outside

It was obviously quite crowded. I hated missing the view from the edge, but it was pretty good from where I was standing, as well ...

Looking out over Barcelona

... especially, the Sagarda Familia.

You can see it from everywhere

Güell and Gaudí imagined an organized grouping of high-quality homes with the latest technological advancements, finished off with an artistic touch. The intention was to exploit the fresh air (well away from smoky factories) and beautiful views from the site.

Well, the air is not that pure

Sixty triangular lots were set aside for luxury houses. Güell added to the prestige of the development by moving in 1906 to live in Larrard House. I am not sure it that house is still standing. Ultimately, only three houses were built, none designed by Gaudí.

Completed in 1904, this was intended to be a show house

When no buyers came forward, the house was put up for sale. Gaudí, at Güell's suggestion, bought it with his savings and moved in with his family and his father in 1906.

The house became the Gaudí House Museum in 1963

In 1969 it was declared a historical artistic monument of national interest.

Lots of pretty details

The third house built was for Güell's lawyer, Martín Trías Domènechl. It sits high above most of the park. No other houses were built, so the venture was unsuccessful.

Now, the Parc Güell is one of Barcelona's major attractions

Roadways around the Parc to service the intended houses were designed by Gaudí as structures jutting out from the steep hillside or running on viaducts, with separate footpaths in arcades formed under these structures.