Comida Española

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Spanish food is Tapas. The only time I really had Spanish food back in the states was at a tapas restaurant so I guess that’s really the only thing that came to my mind. Both times I went out to eat in Madrid I had tapas so I guess my idea of Spanish food wasn’t too far off. I love how many different types of tapas there are and that they are small so you can have a variety of food when you go out.

However now that I’ve spent almost a week in Spain, I’ve realized that tapas are extremely popular here but definitely not the only thing to eat. It may be the popular thing to get while going out on the town but my señora has given me a taste of real Spanish food. I’ve noticed that they do like their potatoes, eggs, and ham. I am amazed at the amount of pig that is consumed here – as well as how much of the entire pig is consumed. I have always been more of a fan of chicken and turkey but jamón has grown on me a lot this trip. They was they process their meat here is much different than in the states, but they sure know how to make it delicious!

I am also surprised by the amount of fresh fruit they have here. Almost all of my meals are polished off with fresh fruit and in the mornings I have homemade orange juice. Fruit is probably my favorite part of the meal and I love how all of the little markets have an amazing selection of fresh fruit. Another thing I have noticed is that they don’t eat as many vegetables here as I am used to – well at least not my host family. We do have some tomatoes and lettuce but usually the meals are very meat and carb based.