Spain vs Mexcio

I find distinguishing Mexico from Spain and interesting topic that many people don't even know exists. From the cultures to the food, many differences exist as do similarities as well. I came across a blog forum where some people were discussing this and found particularly interesting the comment made by the username Anh2-4-Andrew. This person wrote in response to a person's previous comment named Hillary whose friend offended a spanish waiter when accidently asking about a mexican dish not on his menu.


Some details from Anh2-4-Andrew on Mexican vs. Spanish cuisine are as follows...

Similarities: Tortillas are a staple in Mexican food, and used in Spanish dishes, but only sparingly.

Mexican: Beans, salsa, cilantro and chili peppers are commonly used in mexican dishes. Most are served for one and can be eaten with your hands, such as a tostada, for example, may make-up the entire meal.

Spanish: Potatoes, olive oil, eggplant and less spiciness. Spanish tapas are meant for sharing -- diners usually order several different tapas (little Spanish appetizers) that are typically eaten with fork-and-spoon or scooped with a hard-crust thick bread.


Web site referring to:

http://www.toptastes.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=11&t=000103

Gwyneth Paltrow en espana

Gwyneth Paltrow is currently traveling around Spain with three companions filming a new 13 series documentry to air in the fall of 2008. The four are set out to find the "perfect" meal in Spain and will also highlight various cultural aspects of the country itself.

The links listed later in this blog all recap her announcement of the TV show early Oct. in Madrid. The first link is to the actual Web site for the show which is very bland for the time being. It does have bios on all four travelers and a section for each of them to post blogs (so far there are only two entries though...). The other characters include Claudia Bassols, Mario Batali and Mark Bittman. Claudia was born in Barcelona, Spain, and is a successful movie star, bilingually. Mario is a world reknown chef who has studied at Le Cordon Bleu in London, but seems to specialize in Italian food. Mark is an author who has had best-sellers such as How to Cook Everything and has hosted his own TV shows about food. All four of these food and/or Spanish lovers will spend four months eating around Spain.



Links:

http://www.spainontheroadagain.com/staging/

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20112223,00.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7026273.stm

http://www.aptonline.org/aptweb.nsf/vOtherDocs/Press+Release-Spain+on+the+Road

Calimocho

So typically when you think of the word cocktail you do not associate Coca-Cola do you? Well, in Spain the "calimocho" exists to challenge this idea of classiness. Calimocho is half coca-cola and red wine served over ice. It is extremely popular in Spain and especially among the youthful drinkers. I think a similar parallel and functional youth beverage in the U.S. would be Red bull and Vodka or something of the sort because it energizes with 1/2 of its ingredients and intoxicates with the remaining portion. Why does a Calimocho sound so disgusting though? Soft drinks and liquor go well together but wine and sodas? This is definitely a beverage that I will have to try for myself at a club in Espana.

Empanadas

Empanadas are made all over the world with an assortment of different types. They are pastries, or bread pies, that are folded into a pouch and stuffed with various ingredients such as pork, chicken, shellfish, vegetables, fruits, etc. This appetizer or meal is said to originate in Galicia, Spain, although it is a Spanish and Latin American tradition almost anywhere Spanish is spoken. The original function of the little pouches was for on-the-go workers who needed portable food.

In Galicia there is an annual Festival of the Empanada that goes on the last Sunday in August. People come and pay a small price to try unlimited assortments of empanadas. This festival stays true to tradition and folds the bread pies in different shapes according to what is inside: fish and seafood pies tend to be square, the meat based ones are round and the vegetable ones are more round and patterned.

sangria wiiiiiiiiiiiiiine

So, I think it is safe to say that most of us know of Sangria wine. I have noticed it sold all over Austin from my Dad's special recipe to Fino to Spider House to Zocalo -- each has a different delicious variation. Typically, this spanish wine is red (although white variations like my father's do exist) and has other alcohol and fruit juices mixed it--kind of like a spiked punch. In Panama it was always served with chopped apples bobbing around at the top while some here have orange slices or nothing at all. Zocalo's is homemade and is more of a purple-pink color and is frozen like a margarita. I'm anxious to see the "genuine" spanish type and/or if they too have many variations.

After reading various comments and blogs on Sangria in Spain, it seems that only the touristy of tourists get the great thrill out of purchasing this beverage in Spain. Wine is already very accessible and inexpensive in Spain (and the rest of Europe) but Sangria even more so. This is because it is wine plus other "left overs" (fruits or spirits) all mixed together. But let's not forget how tasty it is as well.

In the next few weeks I plan to go to Fino on a Tuesday night to report on their "Spanish night" on the patio, where the Sangia is cheap and Paella is 20% off! Stay tuned to future blogs.

Gazpacho=tomato soup??

Gazpacho soup is original from the southern region of Andalusia of Spain. It is a cold soup with the main ingredient being tomatoes. It is kind of a tomato paste with a lot of garlic, celantro, bread crumbs, vinegar, etc. Sometimes there are so many ingredients that it is like a chunky salsa or liquid salad. Red gaspacho is the most common and mades it even more deceptively inviting for dipping a chip into. Although this would not be considered totally out of question, and bread often accomanies gazpacho, it is still not the same as spicey salsa.

this is the yogurt salad

Yogurt Salad??

A friend of mine is currently studying abroad in Alacante, Spain, but visted Valencia last week ffor her birthday. I tried to find out some of her favorite things she ate while she was there and one the most bizzar ones was YOGURT SALAD! Yes, if you can tell by the picture it is bits and pieces of carrot, lettuce, tomatoes and other normal salad ingredients, but they were stirred around in yogurt! I guess no salad dressing is needed but what an unusual combination. She said you eat it with a fork (or spoon) and that it is actual quite delicious and the temperature can be much cooler than salad often is served.

Paella

Paella is probably the most well known Spanish dish--it makes me hungry just thinking about it. The dish is made of rice as the main food with a mixture of just about anything (shellfish, fish, snails, beef, veggies, buts, etc). It is served hot out of the oven and devoured immediately :).

Here is a video from about.com that shows a NY chef cooking the popular dish.

http://video.about.com/spanishfood/Paella-Valencia.htm

Paella was first created by poor servants in the mid 19th century who would collect the leftovers from the king's large feasts or parties and take it to go. So people believe that the name "Paella" is derived from another word that means "leftovers" while other theorists think that the name migth come from the pan that is used to cook it.

The Royal Disease

Tapas in Spain are kind of like the English's tea time. The closest example in the U.S. would be "snacks". This summer in Barcelona, Spain, we had delicately crafted tapas in the late afternoon each day. All of the necessary ingredients of a "healthy well-rounded diet" were available from the many finger-food tapas. Some were meaty, some sweet, others loaded with veggies or fruits and some resembled jello pudding.

I just looked at a website http://www.arrakis.es/~jols/tapas/indexin.html that tells a short history over the origin of Spanish tapas dating back to the Spainish King, Alfonso the 10th, who had a disease requiring him to eat small sized portions of food between meals. He thought this would be a great solution to having his people drink their empty stomachs to the point of being full and suffering malnutrition and drunkness. This mid-afternoon heavy "snack" led to the next cultural tradition of siestas (naps). What a wonderful combination toward the pursuit of happiness each day!

voy a ir

My inspiration for writing about spanish food comes from my preparation for studying abroad there this coming spring! I can barely contain my excitement and it also seems appropriate to relate this upcoming adventure with this class topic of FOOD...therefore I am also going to plan out my palette. I barely know anything about favorite spanish dishes besides paella and sangria which I had the one time I visited...there has to be more. I look forward to finding out how meal times fit into the spanish culture because I have a hunch they are as imperative as their siestas if not more important.

So to sum things up right now I plan to start looking at types of foods, the culture around it and the importance in daily routines. Also, why dont I (or the average joe) know more about what is famous there???