The Food and Culinary Customs of Spain por Lisa y Tony Sierra
The people of Spain love their food. In fact, the typical Spaniard probably eats more food in a day than most people in the United States. However, they take their time eating, spread their meals throughout the day, and walk between meals.
El Desayuno: Breakfast
In Spain, breakfast (el desayuno) is the smallest meal of the day. It's typically rather light and more like a continental breakfast than anything else. Generally, breakfast in Spain is eaten at home, before dashing off to work or school. However, you may see some workers duck into the closest cafeteria around 10 a.m. to enjoy a quick mid-morning "coffee break."
A typical breakfast might include café con leche (strong coffee with hot, frothy milk), bollos (sweet rolls) with jam, toast with jam or mild cheese, or simply "Maria" crackers dunked in hot milk. Some families still enjoy sweet and lemony magdalenas from the neighborhood bakery. Yet, it is now very common (and more economical) to buy bags of these petite, fluffy, cupcake-like cakes in the supermarkets.
La Comida: Lunch
The midday meal or la comida, as it is called in Spain, is the largest meal of the day. It is definitely a big meal and typically includes multiple courses and wine.Since Spanish lunches are always large, and courses come one at a time, it's important to pace yourself. Like Italians, Spaniards believe in taking their time and enjoying their meals. That is why you can expect la comida to last an hour and a half or longer.
The SOBREMESA is a Spanish tradition that involves spending time relaxing after a meal to drink coffee or digestive liquor or to just continue hanging out chatting at the table after eating. The ritual is a consequence of the heavy Spanish lunch, often made up of a first course, second course, and desert.
Traditionally, Spaniards have a two- to three-hour break from work or school in order to enjoy la comida. They also take a short nap or siesta. Essentially, the entire country closes up shop from about 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.The siesta is a tradition that goes back centuries, from the days when most people worked in agriculture and air conditioning did not exist. It is easy to understand why folks needed fuel from a large meal as well as a rest from the hot Spanish sun before returning to work.
Most Spaniards still enjoy a break and large meal, but life in Spain is changing. In larger cities like Madrid and Barcelona, many people spend over an hour commuting to and from work, making it impossible to go home for a meal and siesta. Because of this, Spanish government employees in Madrid now work a standard eight-hour day with a one-hour lunch break.
Many large supermarket and retail chains in large cities don't close for lunch anymore, either. Most small shops still close to enjoy their meal and a break before re-opening in the late afternoon.
Since Spaniards love eggs and dairy foods, you will find that many desserts are made from fresh milk or cream. Fresh fruit is typical to see on the dessert menu and may be served with a soft cheese. Don’t forget an espresso shot. You’ll probably need it after the big lunch.
La Merienda: Snack
The late-afternoon snack in Spain is called la merienda. It is necessary since there are typically five or six hours between lunch and dinner. La merienda is especially important to children, who always seem to have lots of energy to play soccer in the streets and other fun activities.
La merienda can be anything from a piece of French-style bread with a piece of chocolate on top to bread with chorizo sausage, ham, or salami. It is eaten around 4:30 or 5 p.m. Since dinner isn't served for at least another three or four hours, nobody worries that this snack will ruin their appetite.
Tapas: Little Spanish Meals
Tapas They are small plates and the canapés or finger food may be warm or cold dishes. Tapas vary greatly from region to region and season to season.Tapas-time generally includes bar-hopping to taste wine and chat. A different tapa is ordered at each stop. This time is just as much about socializing with friends and neighbors as it is about the quality of the food. It's not uncommon for friends to have a regular circuit, meeting up at their favorite bars.
The Spanish love tapas so much, that they made a verb out of it. The phrase Vamos a tapear! means “Let’s go eat tapas!
La Cena: Dinner
Dinner (la cena) is a significantly lighter meal than lunch. It's generally eaten between 9 p.m. and midnight. The portions served at la cena are usually smaller, and plates are much simpler.
A dinner might include fresh fish or seafood or a portion of roast chicken or lamb with fried potatoes or rice. An omelet and fish with a green salad on the side are also quite common. A simple and quick dish, commonly eaten at dinner is arroz cubano, a mound of white rice, topped with tomato sauce and a fried egg. Green salad and a vegetable dish are standard at both lunch and dinner. A lighter dessert of fresh fruit or flan(Spanish vanilla custard) may also be eaten.
After Dinner
Spaniards are night owls. The typical Spaniard does not get to bed until close to midnight. On the weekends, holidays, and during the summer months, it's not unusual for a Spanish family to turn in until 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning. So, after the late-night dinner, Spaniards continue their socializing in neighborhood cafés and taverns or go out to a nightclub or pub.
The last stop on the way home from an evening of fun might be to a churreria or churro stand. Churros are fried pastries that look something like fried potatoes, though they have nothing to do with potatoes. The closest thing that we have in the U.S. would be fritters or donuts. Fresh churros, bought from a street vendor or sidewalk café, served hot and sprinkled with sugar are delicious.
To accompany your churros, hot chocolate is the drink of choice. Chocolate in Spain is nothing like what you're probably familiar with in the U.S. It´s not like Mexican chocolate either, which has cinnamon and other flavors in it.
Spanish chocolate is hot and very thick. It is usually made from fresh, whole milk, not a "just add water" chocolate packet. It’s sweet and so thick that you can practically stand a spoon in it. Essentially, it's the perfect indulgence for the end the day.