La cocina de Pauli

Talking with my host mom about food was one of the most rewarding experiences I could have here in Salamanca. The excitement about being able to have full conversations in complete Spanish was exemplified by the fact that my host mom happens to be a fantastic cook. So, as a result, you can imagine the conversation was pretty great.
I start off every meal by asking her what it is I’m eating. The answers range from the simple “pan-seared pork” to a much more complicated “arroz cubano, lomo, alioli, y huevos.” However, regardless of what is on the plate, it always ends up tasting great.
The first question I asked was about where my host mom buys her food, and how often she goes there. She replied that she buys some things only once a month, at the compramayor; essentially the Spanish equivalent of a large superstore. At the compramayor she will buy cleaning supplies, salt, pepper, all the sorts of staples that won’t go bad. When she does a trip to the compramayor, she makes sure to have a list of the things she needs, so that she can go to the store with a plan of what to buy.
Next she goes to the mercado. At the mercado she buys the meat, vegetables, and fruit needed for the entire week. Although she has some idea what she wants, when she goes to the mercado she doesn’t have a specific list of items. She said it is important to look at what is fresh, cheap, and healthy, at the time. If she sees something she likes, and it looks like a good deal, she gets it, but generally she has no specific plan.
My host parents, though youthful for their age, are still quite a bit older than my parents in the states. They are each within their 70’s, and therefore remember a time that was quite different than today. My host father chimed into the conversation by saying that he remembers a time when not only the fruits and vegetables were much cheaper, but the water and electricity as well.
Finally I finished off the conversation by asking about their favorite foods. My host mom’s favorites are ensaladas, most specifically ensalada Rusia, or anything with fresh vegetables and fruits. Her cooking is incredibly healthy and I’m very lucky to have her cook for me everyday. She also mentioned that she really likes paella, but that you need to be very hungry to eat it. My father’s favorite is pescado. He actually goes and fishes almost every week in the summer and then brings home fish for Pauli to cook. Hopefully I get to try something he has caught during my time here. And at last I have to jump in saying that my favorite food is filletes de lomo enpanado a la pina, a specialty of la cocina de Pauli!

Tome siestas, come tapas... la vida.

What is my favorite tapa so far?? Gah I could never choose! They are all so different and wonderful. The first night here my señora served me a toritilla españa which I wolfed down. It is made of eggs, potatoes and onions – basically a Spanish frittata. But I also love el salpicón de mariscos. It is light and refreshing with delish seafood and a hint of vinegar. The least tasty tapa for me so far has been… nothing! I love them all. I have yet to be adventurous and try the tongue of an animal but that is definitely on my bucket list.

Without a doubt my favorite drink is sangria. I gulp it down as if it is fruit punch (I admit its not the smartest thing to do considering I get tipsy off a drop of it. I have loved all of the drink so far though. I cannot wait to go home and try making them myself. Mixing wine with coca cola is definitely on my to do list, as well as veranos tintos… muy refrescante.

The next time I go out I hope to muster up the courage to order una lengua. Wish me luck!

Hasta luego,

Katherine

Tapas for Everyone!

Tapas are a great piece of the culture of Spain. I had so much fun going out for tapas with the class earlier this week. Calle Van Dyck has many good tapa bars! My favorite tapa was the first one I had, which was Brocheta de Sepia (on the left). It was absolutely delicious and was quite filling. I love seafood, so I continued to get seafood tapas.

At the last bar we got tapas at I ordered a Brocheta Longorinos (to the right). I was completely caught off guard when I realized I had to take the shells off the lobster, which I didn’t know how to do. As good as it was I prefer to eat my food with as little work as possible.

I also had many kinds of drinks last night, of course including wine and sangria. My favorite though was the Rebujito, which is white wine with sprite. It was delicious. I had to do a shot of tequila at a bar in the plaza so I could use their bathroom, and it was the best tequila I’ve ever had (as hard as that is to believe). I’m a little disappointed I didn’t get an “acorn” shot at Bar Su Casa because everyone who had one said it was delicious. I suppose I’ll have to go back and get one another time. Tinto de Verano, while it does not have that much alcohol, is good and is less sweet than Sangria if you’re not feeling that much sugar. I have also gone and bought wine from the store because it is so cheap and it’s actually pretty good!

I definitely forsee many tapa hopping nights in my future. My Senora told me that her favorite kind of tapa is lomo. I didn’t have any last night, so I will need to go have one for her and see how delicious it is. I have not been disappointed by any of the meals she has made me, so her taste must be similar to mine.

Tapas 'Til I Drapas

How did we get so lucky to be able to take a class that lets you eat, eat, and eat some more delicious Spanish food? I am confident that tapas hopping with Andy’s class will always be a favorite memory from my trip to Salamanca.

It’s very difficult to choose my favorite tapa thus far, let alone my least favorite. However, if my life truly depended on it, I would have to say my favorite tapa has been the croqueta. I’m a sucker for anything cheesy and breaded, and this particular croqueta really fit the bill: a small fried food roll, the croqueta makes for a delicious delicacy as well as tasty and efficient fast food. Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the croqueta I sampled, but just imagine a five-star mozzarella stick filled with potatoes, cheese, and ham. Perfectly fried on the outside with a soft and flavorful center, I would recommend croquetas to anyone and everyone who is lucky enough to be able to tapas hop in Salamanca.

My favorite drink so far has been the rebujito. After a little research, I discovered that “rebujito” comes from the Spanish verb “arrebujar,” which means tangle, muddle or jumble – which makes perfect sense! The rebujito is a refreshing jumble of white wine (served over ice) with a generous top-up of lemonade or soda water to take the edge off the alcohol content. Yum!

As for what I liked the least, (as much as it pains me as a dedicated meat-eater), I would have to choose the mini ribs. Although tapas portions are almost always quite small, I was fairly disappointed with the lack of meatiness on these ribs. As you can tell from the picture, it seemed like the majority of the meat on the bone was fat - normally I wouldn’t complain about this, since fat is often the tastiest part, but it seemed to be the only thing I could taste on these little guys. But as with most things in life, we all deserve a second chance – I guarantee I’ll be trying more ribs here in Salamanca in the near future.

Ribs

Prawns

One other thing that I really can’t wait to try is prawns, or gambas. From what I’ve seen this week, bars and restaurants tend to put whole prawns into the dish, so eating requires tearing apart the tiny crustaceans to get to the good stuff inside. The mess makes it all the more fun to eat, ¿no?

- Allie

La cocina y la compra de Mamen

My senora, Mamen, happily agreed to sit down with me and answer questions regarding my curiosity as to the processes involved in preparing meals for us.

First she told me that she mainly shops in Dia, un supermercado barato. I noticed that most of the brands of the packaged food she serves us is indeed branded with the Dia logo. Mamen also frequents local fruterias y carnicerias to obtain fresher items. There is also the nearby Mercado San Juan. She goes shopping for food everyday to ensure the freshest items possible. She told me that the best day for fresh carne is on Tuesdays.

On the topic of the rising cost of food, she sighed and replied, "Muchisimo." She then proceeded to give numerous examples, stumbling over the conversion between pesetas and Euros, and in turn making it a little difficult to follow her. So I decided to ask her more about her feelings on Euros, sensing some discomfort and frustration, not only with high food prices but with the change in currency. She, like many other people of the older generation, really do not like the Euro. They have grown up with the peseta and so they still must do conversions in their head to know how much something actually costs (which, as tourists, we do as well). I fully empathized with her frustration, thinking about how if the US ever tried to change its currency I would vehemently oppose it. Mamen also discussed how switching to the Euro has produced inflation. For instance, la sandia, which used to cost around 15 centimos, is now running about 60 centimos (I don't know if that's per kilo, that's where I got lost). All fresh products, she says, have increased in price and decreased in quality. She says that "mas notara la subida en las cosas mas necesitadas" like bread, fruit, milk, patatas. She also discussed the differences in the cost of lomo do cerdo over the past few years; it used to be around 3,50 Euros, and is now around 4,50 Euros.

After exhausting this topic (I think we were both getting a little muddled in the numbers), she explained that she usually knows what she is going to cook each day, but if there is a special oferta, she will likely buy that item instead of her planned list. Mamen also told me she spends only about an hour and a half cooking each day, which surprised me I guess, but it makes sense. Breakfast is no time at all, and the most she spends cooking is for la comida in the middle of the day. Dinner is often simple and doesn't take much preparation. However, she made me tortilla espanola last night, for which I thanked her repeatedly, and she told me that it usually takes her 2 hours to make just that, which is why she doesn't do it often. I appreciated it even more.

Mamen and I have been going crazy over patatas fritas this week (potato chips, not fries) and she admitted to me that they are her favorite food. She has been giving us packaged chips which have been delicious, but says she also makes her own and I cannot wait to try them. She also wanted me to add, on a more serious note, that she loves el cocido madrileno (which I just realized now means "stew" rather than "cooking" and thus makes my request that she specify moot).

I'd always appreciated the work Mamen does for me on a daily basis in preparing my meals, but knowing now that there is quite a science to pricing and waiting in lines and going to the best and cheapest stores, I really am thankful for her daily efforts.

¡Mi Señora, Mi Señora!

My host mom and I get along great so when asked to interview her about food and post a blog about it, I knew there wouldn’t be a problem. When I first approached her about the interview, she was more than happy to do it. In fact, I think she kind of felt like a star. I mean, who doesn´t like to be interviewed? Only people with a purpose gather this kind of attention. :)

I kindly reminded her of the interview while watching one of her favourite shows. I assumed we would do it later in the evening but she wanted to do it right then and there, so I dropped everything and became a high school journalist again. The interview went as follows:

¿Dónde hace Ud. la compra? ¿Cuántas veces a la semana hace Ud. la compra? (Where do you buy your food and how often in a week do you shop for food?)

El supermercado mas cercano de mi casa. (Supermarket closest to her house).
Todos los días por ejemplo, para las frutas, carne, leche… (Everyday, for example for fruits, meats, milk, etc.)


¿Ha notado una subida en el costo de la comida en los años recientes? ¿Por que? ¿Puede dar un ejemplo de sí o no ha subido el costo? (Have you noticed an increase in the costo of food in recent years and can you give an example whether the cost has increased or not?)

Si, mucho. Por el cambio de la moneda al euro. (Yes, a lot. The increase is due to the higher value of the euro.)
Si, la luz subido mucho, gasolina, productos alimentisios… (Yes, lights (electricity) has increased a lot, gasoline, food items…)


Cuando va a la compra, ¿ya tiene una idea de lo que va a comprar / hacer para la comida? (When you go Shopping, do you already have a general idea of what you are going to buy or make?)

Si, tengo una idea para prepara la comida. (Yes, I have an idea of what I am to prepare for meals.)


En un día normal, ¿cuánto tiempo le lleva hacer la comida? (In a normal day, how long does it take you to make a meal?)

Una hora, aproximadamente. Depende. (Approximately an hour. It depends (on the meal)).


¿Cuál(es) es/son su(s) plato(s) favorito(s)? (Which is (are) your favorite meal(s)?)

(Excited sigh haha) ¡Patatas a la importancia, paella, sopa de pescado, etc.!

Learning from the Best: An Introduction to Spanish Grocery Shopping with My Señora

Earlier this week, my classmates and I hit up a local meat/seafood market with our professor, an experience only strengthening my love for this class. Collectively, this market is like nothing I've ever seen in the United States, and here's just a couple of shots I took that portray what takes place on daily basis here in Salamanca:

Above: some of the "mariscos" (seafood)

Above: some of the "carne" (meat)

Above: some of the more interesting delicacies available (i.e cow snout, cow tongue, pigs feet, tripe, etc.)

Anyway, now to the point. Being that we have now experienced one of many local markets, we were instructed to interview our host-moms about their habitual shopping routines, and my host mom, Carmen, had some pretty interesting things to say. Although it can change depending on the number of students she's housing, my host mom usually goes shopping around two times a week almost habitually. She usually has a pretty solid idea of what she's going to buy and usually abides by those expectations. I told her that I usually try to plan out what I want to buy, but if I go shopping when I'm hungry, I buy too much. She couldn't comprehend how that could happen though: you only get what you need, when you need it. I say that's quite wise because I often tend to be wasteful with food at home.

When I asked my host mom where she likes to shop for groceries, she had quite a lot to say. She said she divides her shopping into two different parts: meat/seafood shopping and fruits/vegetable shopping. When shopping for meat, my host mom told me that she's been shopping at the same place for years; to her, it's become a special experience to have a confident relationship with one of the local "carnicerías". For produce like fruits and vegetables however, she can usually find a place closer to home and isn't connected to any one market.

Over the years, my host mom has noted an increase in the cost of fruits, vegetables, milk and on occasion fish, but she said that the price of meat has typically remained pretty constant. Again, however, she hasn't really let prices affect her buying habits: she understands very well how much to buy and when to buy it.

When it comes to preparing food for the day, she explained to me that she usually gets up and starts cooking the food for the day between 8:30 and 9:00 and continues cook until 11:00 onwards. That's depending on the type of food she's going to cook though. We just had a meal yesterday that took a total of 24 hours of preparation, so I get the impression that food plays a significant role in her life. Although we haven't had it yet, she said her favorite food is paella and she'll eat any kind. I'm always appreciative of the food she cooks for me and say "gracías" so much I worry it's going to lose it's meaning. I show my appreciation, however, by sitting down with her after meals for anywhere between an hour to three hours and talk with my host mom about life here in Spain as well as life at home. I'm living a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm taking advantage of every second.