Well it’s 5am here and the people are still out partying in the street below my apartment. I’m awake as usual from the raucous so might as well type about food. I’m hungry.

I’ve traveled all over Spain and eaten a lot. Too much, my stomach tells me. But even when I’m not hungry I’ll eat just to try the food as it’s one of the best things about living here.  And quite frankly it’s a good idea to find what brings joy once in a while to balance out the things that make me want to swear… like being kept up all night again.

Anyway, the freshly baked bread, olive oil, and crisp Alberino wines just won’t stay out of my mouth. It’s the food’s fault, not mine. That’s the story and I’m sticking to it.

It’s a country full of damn good low-cost wines and wineries everywhere and every region has its own kind of tapas, bread, cheeses, meat, and seafood. I’m still trying it all.

And the meat of Kings here? Ham (Jamon) especially Iberico or Serrano which is a staple as a tapa or on sandwiches or as an appetizer etc.  Many taverns and restaurants have a whole leg propped up on the bar, hooves and all, and they just slice away plates of thin red ham for your dining pleasure.

The larger grocery stores have plenty of huge legs of the pig with the hooves attached if you wish to buy your own 10+kg leg for your next 100-person fiesta.   Hoisting one of those over your shoulder makes our honey-baked hams in the US look like a snack for a poodle.

But, if a whole leg is too much, there is plenty already cut for you.  In one large grocery store I visited I counted five full 100-foot-long aisles of pre-packaged Jamon with 100s of choices. I’ll repeat 100s. Like ham? you’re in the right place.

Anyway,  I walk to stay ahead of my belly; 3-5 miles a day on hard stone streets, carrying my bags to my apartment, passing the luscious little bakeries, the zillion outdoor cafes, taverns and tapas bars surrounded by ancient stone buildings and their terraces with ornate white or black railings… the atmosphere is like a postcard, and somedays I want to sit, order a vino Blanco with fresh bread and aioli (garlic mayo-like spread) and just remember where I am:
It’s not Starbucks in Texas.

But I don’t sit and do this often. At least not lately as it’s not the keto
diet I keep saying I’ll start. Why isn’t wine on a low-carb diet anyway? I want
keto vino!

Well, healthy food or not, and walking 5 miles a day has not kept the muffin top under control. Or maybe it’s genetics. I wasn’t born here. Maybe carbs just love American butts more and the skinny Spanish folks don’t absorb them.

First, let’s talk schedule. The Spanish start late and move slow. And they
eat like that too.

A teacher friend told me they basically eat 5 times a day: super light
breakfast, large lunch, and a late dinner with two Puentes(bridge)times in between main meals.

And I’ll mention; that sitting down to eat is damn near mandatory, no walking
with a burger in your mouth or in your car like in the USA. There is no drive-through
fast food places except McDonald’s etc. here. There is a café with tables
no matter where you are in most cities. Even gas stations. Sit your ass down and digest
everything slowly, preferably with another person.

Eating is meant to be enjoyed and it’s very social too; always with others… never eat and run, it’s rude and upsets the digestion. (Not that you can eat and run anyway here.) The waiter never comes back to the table after they bring your food until you call them. Sit there 2-3 hours, no problem. For a scheduled American in a hurry, it can be frustrating….no wonder we have too much constipation.

I digress, let’s get to the schedule and then pictures of my favorite and not-so-favorite foods.

• 8-11 is breakfast which is light:
  Almost always just coffee and a tosta:  toasted baguette with pureed fresh
  tomatoes, olive oil, and a little salt. The tosta can also have tuna, smoked salmon,
  or slices of Jamon. It’s up to you. I prefer either just the tomatoes or tomatoes
  with tuna.
• 12-1 is a Puente: (means bridge): coffee with maybe a tapa of olives or small
  Ensalada Rusia (a mixture of potatoes, mayonnaise, tuna, etc) it’s not a Russian
  salad like you think.
• 2-3:30: lunch which is the biggest meal of the day. This is when most of the
  city shuts down (except in tourist areas) from 2-5 to allow for lunch and rest (siesta time) then folks go back to work at 5 ish.

Many restaurants offer a “menu del dia” during the week at lunchtime which is a
great deal as it’s often two courses, bread salad, ANY kind of drink, (some places
put the whole bottle of wine on your table, and you drink as much as you like… uh oh)
dessert and/or coffee. All for $9-15 euros. But it’s a lot of food as the
portions are often large. Hence, I don’t partake often and when I do I end up in siesta
land asleep minutes afterward.

• 6-8 ish: another Puente: beer/wine or coffee and maybe a light tapa to prepare for dinner at 10 pm.
• Dinner: 9-11 pm which I admit I rarely eat, it’s just too late for me.

Anyway: food. I’m, not a travel food blogger so I’m being very general based on
some of the many things Ive eaten.  Many bloggers go into much more detail than I.

All I know is each region has its own specialties; like here in the Valencia region, they
are known for paellas and also seafood, as I’m 30 minutes from the Mediterranean. In
the north of Spain, it’s colder, wetter, and greener. … the waters are very cold with different seafood choices.

But make sure you go when it’s not winter/fall as the rain, wind and cold can get to you unless you don’t mind your umbrellas blown inside out and wearing a raincoat every day.

For example, San Sebastian in Pais Vasco and Asturias and Galicia regions all
have incredible seafood. San Sebastian is close to the French border and is home to some of the most Michelin star restaurants in the world. (so I’ve been told) none of which I tried as eating for over $100 a head is too much for my budget.  But they have affordable delicious Pintxos in the taverns! (like tapas but different)

In the Galician region, where parts of the infamous el Camino crisscrosses, most folks say Galicia has the best seafood of all in the country.
They are known for their wonderful octopus (pulpo). (no, not like calamari) it’s made by boiling it, the tentacles are then snipped into little slices and garnished with olive oil, salt, and smoked paprika and usually served over slices of boiled potatoes on a wooden platter.

Another interesting seafood of the region is percebes(gooseneck barnacles) a bizarre and expensive food that clings to dangerous rocky outcrops hit by high tidal waves. Making them dangerous to harvest and hence very pricey. …

So here are a few of the things I’ve eaten around Spain and a few things 
that are not my favorite. (I’m sorry to say eating Paella in Paella country is one of
those) as is blood sausage. 

Unfortunately, paella here in the Valencia region almost always contain rabbit, and I don’t care for game meat. I also don’t care for the saffron they use for the spice as it’s too strong. And the familiar reddish color of many paellas reminds me of my ex who loved it except the red color isn’t blood as in my dreams. That’s all I’ll say.

Oh, I threw in a few market shots as well just for variety.

Enjoy the photos… I’m hungry now..

Hope you enjoyed the photo tour….

Until next time..

Somewhere in Spain