Culinary Adventures; or, Where Are My Fat Pants?

As the granddaughter of a produce broker, I appreciate good produce. My granddad Dudley could talk your ears off about tomatoes. If you are a Southerner, you know that the quality of a tomato can make or break a good meal. We take our fruits and vegetables seriously in Mississippi.

In preparations for moving here, we kept reading about how Andalucía is "the breadbasket of Spain." Our few friends and family members who have been lucky enough to travel or live in Spain all said the same thing when they heard we were moving to Andalucía: you will love the food! Other than paella, which is from a whole different region (Valencia), I had no idea what to expect.

So what's food like in Spain? Other than DELICIOUS?

only 1/3 of the menu from Los Pinos, our favorite chringuito,
or beach bar, nestled in a pine forest next to the beach

If you are a vegetarian, there are choices for you. Fruit and vegetables are fresh and restaurants serve whatever is in season. Our youngest son loves a dish called aranque de Rota. It is a spread made out of tomatoes, garlic, onions, peppers, and olive oil that has been pulvarized to a chunky mix. It's usually served as tapas, or a heavy appetizer instead of a meal. Of course, with any type of tapas, you can choose to eat it as your meal.

Boy 2 with aranque y agua con gas
He does a great job of ordering in Spanish for himself.

The main foods from Andalucia are olives, ham, and wine. What else do you need, right?

The grocery stores have signs that tells the origins of all produce. I've noticed this everywhere I've traveled in Europe, so maybe it's an EU thing. I'm not sure. I love being able to tell where my food was grown, and amazed at how much comes from right here in Spain.

fresh + inexpensive

Olives are amazing. I hated them before moving here, but I can't get enough now. They are on every table before a meal, and you can get them stuffed or brined at least a dozen ways. And they are CHEAP.

There are dozens of types of olive oil, as well. A couple of people have told me about going to see olives pressed and buying fresh oil. I can't wait to try it out.

Tomatoes and garlic tend to be the base of many vegetarian dishes. The food is not spicy at all but still very savory.

You can also buy several pre-made meals from deli counters at grocery stores or stand-alone delis that are associated with the big grocery chains. I love Spanish tortillas---more like omelets than a Mexican tortilla, with eggs, potatoes, ham, cheese, veggies, or whatever else you want thrown in the mix. You can also get paella, salads, and homemade pizzas with strange and unusual toppings, such as eggs or tuna. I haven't been brave enough to try the tuna pizza yet, but I'm working up to it.

pre-made meals for less than $5 US

Fresh seafood is everywhere. I've had stewed, fried, sautéed, and baked dishes of everything from shrimp (there are several sizes of those) to fish to octopus to squid.

Want octopus? You can get it prepackaged or fresh.

more culinary adventures---
squid from one of our favorite restaurants

It is all fresh and again, very inexpensive.

Then there is pork. Glorious, amazing pork. Pork is an integral part of the cuisine. Sure you can live here and never eat pork, but if you love the pig as much as I do (another part of being a Southerner), then you are in heaven. There are the huge legs you can buy and hang from your kitchen ceiling, there is thinly sliced pork (much like Italian proscuitto). It's served on sandwiches (oh, the fresh BREAD), burgers, pizzas, hot dogs. Yes, you can get a hot dog with slices of ham on it. Same with a hamburger. Did I mention PORK? It's in pasta, salads, and various tapas dishes.

just part of one day's groceries---lots of meats, cheese, breads, and olives

We are close to Africa, and I've had the best couscous I've ever had here. It had a curry sauce with some Moroccan spices in it, along with chicken.

We live near the town of Jerez, which means "sherry" in English. I'm not a fan of fortified wine, but I'm sure I will manage to develop a taste for it over time. For now, it just tastes like drinking a raisin. I'm working on liking it, but. . . today I'm not a big fan. In the meanwhile, the grocery stores are full of shelves of all sorts of Spanish wine that is very inexpensive here (but costs five times more in the U.S.) and very, very good.

With that,  I'm going to have to break out my fat pants, if our household goods ever get here (114 days and counting).

I could also break out my running shoes, but with so many restaurants, markets, bakeries, and grocery stores distracting me, I have a feeling I will be too distracted to cover much distance in my current state of wonder at the culinary delights of southern Spain.