This week for the Travel from Home Series I wanted to have a little taste of Spain, focusing on the south, but I’ve ended up with a little bit of everything from all over. I lived in Andalusia for about two and a half years, first in Seville and then in Jerez de la Frontera. I have wonderful memories of my time there and miss certain dishes typical of the region.
When people think of Spain they generally think of the stereotypes of the south, rather than the cultures of the north. This is no accident. In the 50s and 60s, Spain’s dictator, Francisco Franco, developed a campaign of tourism propaganda to attract foreigners to Spain, creating a vision of the country that wasn’t exactly accurate. “Spain is different”, was the slogan, but rather than celebrating cultural differences, they tried to homogenize the culture with a national identity that included bullfighting and flamenco. Sadly, the propaganda of the 60s continues to skew people’s idea of Spain and its incredible diversity (Spain is not the only European country to try to eliminate minority cultures).
Although I disagree with whitewashing the cultures of Spain, I can completely understand why much of Andalusian culture became the poster child for tourism propaganda. The culture in the south is flamboyant and warm, a refreshing change for many European tourists. My own Taste of Spain is a bit eclectic, and not 100% authentic (I am in Canada after all), but I hope this will inspire you to skip the touristy sangría and try something else whether in Spain or at home!
What to Drink
Anywhere there are tourists in Spain you will find sangría on the menu or prominently displayed in a pitcher on the bar. It looks refreshing on a hot day with fruit floating among the ice cubes in the deep red of the wine. It’s incredibly confusing, because something so ubiquitous must be authentic, right? The reality is that if a bar doesn’t get tourists regularly, they definitely won’t be serving sangría, because the locals don’t drink it. It’s as simple as that. Sangría is part of this homogeneous vision of Spain.
So what can you order instead? In the south, Madrid, and some other parts of the country, though not everywhere, the tinto de verano is incredibly popular and it really approximates sangría. It’s like having the best of both worlds, authenticity and great taste. I learned to order tinto de verano very quickly after moving to Spain. At any table of young people you will see some drinking beer, and others with their appealing tinto de verano. The translation is summer red wine, and it is a mixture (the proportions vary) of red wine and some kind of soda, be it orange or lemon Fanta (Kas is the Basque-made alternative), or La Casera, a sweetened carbonated drink that comes in a citrus flavour. The tinto de verano was created in the Andalusian city of Córdoba in the early 20th century.
How to Make Tinto de Verano
Before you reject the combination of wine and soda, you should try it. It’s delicious. I don’t like red wine at all, but I definitely enjoy tinto de verano. You can mix the drink according to your taste, with more or less wine. I like it with half soda, half wine. Some people just want a splash of soda, others prefer more soda than wine. If ordering one at a bar, the servers are typically generous with the wine. In Spain, wine can be less expensive than soda! As I mentioned above, you can choose the soda you like best. I ended up using Orange Crush because orange Fanta wasn’t available, but you could try Orangina, or a lemon soda; even Fresca might be a fun alternative. Anything with a citrus flavour. Also, if you want to cut out the sugar completely, try a lemon-flavoured Perrier. This is the perfect summer drink to experience a taste of Spain.
What to Eat
When I said I’d been eclectic in my chosen foods, I meant it. Also, note that this is enough for a meal for me, but perhaps not for another person. I decided to make salmorejo, a dish similar to gazpacho in that it is a cold tomato-based soup, but it has its own unique flavour. Tomatoes were brought to Spain from Mexico by the conquistadores, but the Europeans were slow to incorporate the new fruit into their cuisine. Salmorejo is most commonly associated with the city of Córdoba, though it has become popular all over. It probably did not take its current form until the late 19th or early 20th century.
The ingredients for salmorejo are tomatoes, garlic, bread, water, salt, olive oil, and vinegar. The soup is then decorated with hard-boiled egg and jamón, the cured ham typical of Spain. I used the recipe from Food and Wine, and the flavours were good. I couldn’t get jamón, so I bought prosciutto instead. It’s not the same, and I prefer jamón, but I couldn’t find it.
Other cold soups to try are the more famous gazpacho, made with tomatoes and peppers, or the less well-known ajo blanco, a white soup made from almonds and garlic.
A Tapa of Cheese?
One of my favourite memories from living in Jerez de la Frontera is going with my girlfriends to a place we used to call the secret garden. The location was actually a hotel with an interior patio, traditional in the stately Andalusian homes. They served meals and tea in the patio. We went there so often that we befriended the owner. They also had a rooftop terrace with occasional live music shows. In the evenings, it was cool enough to enjoy the rooftop terrace, and sometimes, if things were slow, the owner would sneak us tapas of manchego cheese with membrillo, quince paste. This is very typical, and the sweet jam pairs well with the strong flavours of the sheep’s cheese. Sadly, the hotel was sold. This is a link to the new hotel.
Manchego cheese is common in many areas (though lots of regions have their own specific varieties of cheese), but the sheep must be raised in La Mancha, a region south and east of Madrid, for it to be called manchego. You can buy manchego at Costco in Canada. I didn’t think I would be able to find quince paste at home, but I had some apple jelly purchased in Asturias (in the north) to use instead. In Asturias, many local cheeses are served with a sweet jam or jelly. They grow lots of apples in the region, hence the reputation for cider, and they also make this jelly which complements the cheese.
Note that I have served everything at the same time, on the same plate. This was for convenience, but you would eat your tapa of cheese separately from your soup in Spain.
Why is it Called a Tapa?
Tapas, the small portions of food served with a drink in many parts of Spain, are known around the world these days. You probably didn’t know the origins of the term tapas, though, and I think it’s a fun story.
The history of tapas actually involves two kings separated by many centuries. The first, King Alfonso X of Castille, created a law that obliged taverns in the 13th century to serve a small portion of food with each drink. He was quite ill, and his doctor suggested eating only small amounts with a drink between meals. It worked well, and thus became a tradition that carried on past his reign.
In the late 19th century, King Alfonso XIII, invented the term tapa quite accidentally. He was drinking wine at a bar near the beach in Cádiz, when the wind picked up and started to blow sand around. A quick-thinking server popped a slice of jamón over the king’s drink to protect it from the sand. The king joked that the server had made a tapa, a cover for the drink, and from then on the king ordered his wine with a tapa, thus inventing the term tapas in reference to food.
What to Wear
I decided to wear a dress purchased in Jerez de la Frontera for my taste of Spain at home. I have two dresses from this local Andalusian company, called Káhyra, that blend flamenco details and Andalusian fashion: ruffles, polka dots, fringe, pom-poms, embroidery. Since I danced flamenco for about ten years, I still love the elegant, but fun style of flamenco outfits. These dresses go well with the traditional alpargatas that can be found in most shoe shops these days, bringing Mediterranean style to the rest of the world.
Hope you enjoy your own taste of Spain. Destiny may or may not have received a nibble of manchego. She’s a big fan of world cheeses!
This is gorgeous. You make me miss Spain even more. Brutal!
I miss it a lot too!! One day we can go back!