Seven Fun Facts about Eating in Spain
One of the best parts of living in Europe is taking advantage of the cultural and culinary delights of countries here. Spain is particularly delightful because life is so social that people often spend hours in restaurants and bars with friends. In fact, sometimes I think they spend more time eating out than they do eating at home. True story: many Spanish apartments only have stove-top burners—no oven and no microwave! Spaniards aren’t “bakers” and why would they need to be? There’s a café with delicious pastries on every corner, and a Spanish bar with tapas in between your apartment and that café. If you’re hoping to vacation here, or perhaps even planning a trip, here are seven fun facts that you should know about eating out in Spain.
1. No bacon and eggs. Breakfast is light in most of Europe. If you’re eating in your hotel, expect a large selection of pastries and bread options. You’ll also see fruit and sliced sandwich meats like salami and ham with sliced cheese. The most popular breakfast in Spain is tostada con tomate which is salty, grated tomato on a toasted baguette. It sounds weird, but trust me, it’s delicious! Add in a steaming café con leche (coffee with milk) and you’ve got the best breakfast in Spain. Unless you’re staying in a hotel that specializes in foreigners, you won’t see bacon, eggs, pancakes, or other “American” breakfast options. Spaniards have their breakfast around 8 am, and then have another coffee break with more pastry around 11 am. After eating light for breakfast, they’re ready for a big meal in the middle of the day. You can eat heartily and cheaply with the menu del día (see fun fact #2). After eating so heavily at lunch, and stopping for some tapas after work, Spaniards only need something light for dinner. Side note: If you’re watching carbs, you’re in trouble in Europe. Take a break from the diet and enjoy the buttery goodness of European pastries. As they say in Spain, Hay que vivir! You need to live a little!
2. You can’t beat the “menu del día” prices. During the work week, restaurants offer a “fixed price” menu. You have your choice between several platos primeros, or starters, and then you have a choice between 4 or so main courses (usually beef, fish, chicken, and pork options). Included in the price is your beverage, a bread basket, and a dessert. The portions are very generous, and all this can usually be had for about 10 bucks! It’s definitely the way to go!
3. Tapas are for drinkers. Before I came to Spain, I’d heard about this wonderful land of “tapas” the creative appetizers served in the late afternoon between lunch and dinner. However, what no one told me is that tapas go with drinking. (Literally. One of the old-timey Spanish kings was so concerned about public drunkenness, he made a law that bars must serve food to help curb the effects of alcohol in the bloodstream. And thus, the Spanish tradition of tapas was born.) If you’re a teetotaler like me, it’s not going to be the experience you’d hoped for. You get tapas that correspond with what you order from the bar. Drinking water or Coke Zero will get you a bowl of potato chips or olives, or maybe some croquetas that were heated up from a frozen bag. If you’re drinking a lot and/or good stuff, you’ll get the more fancy, expensive tapas. The best way to get the good tapas without the alcohol is to go to a mercado (a local indoor market) where you can buy tapas at individual stalls. You’ll see the most amazing food creations and taste the genius of Spanish manjares (delicacies) like octopus and world-famous Iberian ham. A few things to note: Prepare to stand while you eat, because the mercados are crowded and not really meant for long conversations around a table. In the mercados, people also just toss their napkins to the ground. For Americans who’ve been taught that littering is among the most socially unacceptable sins, this is pretty weird. *I mean, dude, there’s a trash can RIGHT THERE!* But this is totally normal behavior in a Spanish mercado, which gets hosed down with a power-washer every night. Recommendation: if you’re in Madrid, the most famous mercado is Mercado San Miguel (photo below).
4. Why are the restaurants closed? Perhaps the most obvious difference in eating in Spanish restaurants is the timing of meals. Spaniards have a whole historical reason for their late meal times, going back to their civil war and WWII, but you don’t need to know all that. You just need to know that lunch is from 2-4ish and dinner isn’t served before 8 pm. During that lull between the meals, restaurants close. So if you’re looking for your Midwestern meat and potatoes around 6 pm, you’ll end up at McDonalds with the other tourists. Eat like a Spaniard, and prepare to have a late lunch and dinner well into the night.
5. Fries with everything. In all the years I’ve lived overseas, I’ve heard the Europeans mock Americans for our poor eating habits, our fast food obsession, and our obesity epidemic. They’re not wrong, but honestly, I’ve never seen so many french fries as I’ve seen in Europe as a “side” to whatever meat I chose for the menu del día. Many vegetables are served as the starter, but not as a side dish on the main plate. If you’re not a potato fan, ask for salad, which usually is an acceptable substitution; although it may just be some undressed iceberg lettuce, it’s still healthier than french fries every day.
6. But I really like tacos… Well, they serve tacos, tamales, guacamole, and quesadillas in Mexico, but not in Spain. Many people confuse the two cultures, thinking that on their trip to Spain, they’ll have amazing spicy food, like sizzling fajitas with a wedge of tangy lime to entice their palate. But that’s not the food in Spain. Typically Spaniards don’t like spicy foods *at all* so nothing will be picante (spicy). It’ll be hearty and tasty, but it’ll be about as spicy as your grandma’s Sunday pot roast.
7. Prepare to eat ham all day. One of the most notable elements in a Spanish diet is the pork products. Jamón serrano, chorizo, bacon, and just about every other part of the pig is served from morning to night. If you’re allergic or avoid pork for religious/cultural reasons, be sure to ask your waiter about your food, because pork is used even for seasoning in many dishes. Thanks to modern medical issues, many restaurants use a little pictorial code to indicate if there is gluten, pork, eggs, or dairy in their meals. True story: while I’m mentioning allergies….when I lived in France, I found the French to be particularly unwilling to sacrifice their famed culinary reputation for anyone’s individual necessity. One day, I was eating with friend in a French restaurant, and when she asked, “What are the options here for someone with a dairy allergy?” the waiter answered, “Don’t eat here.” *in all seriousness!* But in Spain, they’re surprisingly accommodating for people with those types of allergies. A simple google search for gluten-free bakeries here in the capital city will give you wonderful options.
BONUS fun fact: Perhaps the best part of all is my last fun fact: tipping is appreciated but not required. In America, waiters make so little per hour, that they live on the tips. But here, waiters are paid a standard wage. So if you like their service, you can leave a few coins at the end, which they will find generous and kind, but it’s not required. I usually just round up to the nearest euro (i.e. €9.55 rounds up to €10). The price of your meal already includes the taxes (genius!) and you don’t have to add 20% for a tip. Just pay the bill and leave a few coins —no insult at all!— on the table.
Hopefully these fun facts will serve you well as you make your plans for your upcoming holidays in Spain and as they say in Spanish, buen provecho! (Enjoy your meal!)