Just in from Salamanca, Spain:
Today, while eating my first Spanish apple, I realized that they taste like New England, and Amherst Fall. This got me thinking about food here in Salamanca, and food back in the U.S. For my inaugural post, I figure this is a good place to start. Everyone likes eating, right?
Fruit here is yummy, and exotic:
Tiny, local, green grapes with crunchy little seeds that crush easily under your teeth; “Piel de sapo” (skin of toad), a large green melon that looks like honeydew, but has a sweeter flavor and the succulent texture of very ripe cantaloupe; the velvet skinned cherimoya, with pale, creamy flesh, and the flavor of a tropical smoothie — banana, pineapple, a hint of coconut.
Coffee here> coffee at home:
As caffeine is an essential part of my diet, I love it here. Coffee is like a religion- coffee to start the day, coffee for brunch-time snack, coffee with the afternoon tapas. During our break between classes, my friends and I go to our favorite local bar, Erasmus, for café con leche and a snack. The coffee is cheaper there than almost anything I can buy in the U.S., and it tastes infinitely better. I would drink it constantly if it didn’t make me jittery (And this is coming from someone who considers herself to have a very high caffeine tolerance), so ¡warning!: although the cups are smaller, the drink is stronger. Consume with joyous caution.
TAPAS!!!!:
Y’all, I don’t even know where to begin. Tapas are these little plates of food you can order whenever you want, at almost any bar or restaurant. They are small gourmet morsels of deliciousness. I’m talking warm goat cheese with balsamic reduction and roasted tomatoes on toast; tortilla española* topped by cured ham (a Spanish specialty) and caramelized onions; a bacon-and-cheese empanada with buttery, flaky dough. So Tasty! And so affordable! What more could a girl want?
*Tortilla Española or What-Val-does-right:
My favorite dish, either hot or cold, is usually served cut into a thick wedge; a glorious triangle of soft potatoes and eggs sautéed in oil. With a coffee alongside it, you’d have the perfect hangover food, but the problem is the Spanish eating schedule. Breakfast here is a tiny meal, usually just toast and coffee. When I wake up after a good Saturday night of partying, I need my Val bagelwich: one toasted and buttered bagel, whole wheat if I’m feeling virtuous, a cheese single, a fried egg, a slice of tomato, tator tots slightly smooshed (trust me on this), maybe a bit of spinach, another cheese single; all layered into a decadent sandwich, panini’d until hot and melted to perfection. I eat all this with a constantly refilled mug of coffee, and a cold glass of that splendid orange-guava juice. This is what I miss from Val.
But I’m not complaining at all. For now, I’ll just “suffer” with my tortilla española and a truly great cup of coffee.