Hi, all--
I haven't seen a thread on this, and was wondering about what Spanish people eat "en casa." The reason I ask is that, in so many cases, the menus in restaurants seemed essentially identical to one another (eggs, eggs, ham, and eggs; eggs, bacon, ham, and spam...no, just kidding...couldn't resist tapping into old Monty Python). If you walk into a lot of bars/cafes, the pictures on the menu board look IDENTICAL.

So what do people eat in their homes? I know a typical breakfast is coffee and maybe a little bite of something, but what about the rest of the day?

Put another way, what's in the refrigerators of all the Spaniards on the board right now?


Tara

yogurt. ummmm. yogurt. when i was guiltily shopping at el corte ingles, out of pure laziness, of course, i saw lots of spaniards with yummy dannon yogurt (better than in the u.s.--better pasteurization maybe?). also lots of gazpacho. ummmm. i always hated gazpacho until i went to spain and had to learn to love it if i were going to eat. but man, they have good gazpacho! i saw lots of it going into their green, white, and black bags too. someone tell us what else.

When I lived in Sevilla with a family we ate filete with french fries (¿patatas fritas?), en May lots of gazpacho, chicken simmered in some kind of really tasty broth, lots of soup, tortilla, once we even had mashed potatoes with a hotdog (frank), pizza (the mom made them from scratch), espinacas with garbanzos, rice dishes, lentejas, a kind of potato salad, huevos a la flamenca, fried egg (that you eat with bread), pisto, fish (that fried one with tons of bones), and of course for dessert either yogurt (Sheba's right, it was sooooo yummy), fruit, Petite-Suisse, mousse, flan or this one really good thing that the mom made. Sorry it was a little over a year ago and I don't remember names of anything. But everything was delicious.

[ 08-01-2001: Message edited by: ilovemadrid ]

I had forgotten about the yogurt until you both reminded me. Yum!! I had SO much of that when traveling in Spain (also in Ireland, where it is similarly wonderful--the kind I always had there was made with whole milk, which many of us Americans don't drink anymore--except for, in my case, an occasional splurge on Rice Krispies).
Tara

Oh man!! I miss the Danone yougur!!!! Anyway, anyone I've lived/stayed with or visited has eaten a lot of fish, garbanzos, lentil soup, incredibly good chicken soup, filetes- I think like pork cutlets, rice, and when I lived there we always had paella for lunch on Monday, and tortilla espanolas at least 1-2 times a week, normally for dinner. As someone previously noted, everyone I know (friends, host family, host families of friends) would buy the pre-made pizza crusts and make their own pizzas. (Oh how I miss the cheese/jamon York/aceituna pizzas!!) Some of the meals were a little different than I was used to--try mashed potatoes/corn/mayonaisse/macaroni/tuna all in one! (I just don't like mayo!!) That meal caused me to have such 'stage freight' once that on the next night I only took a small spoonfull of the 'mystery white mound with pink spots' that was on the table before me, just to be safe. Come to find out it was REAL MASHED POTATOES, and they were taken away before I could take more!!! In the words of Homer Simpson, DOH!

With french fries a lot of times you'll get a dab of mayonaisse on top in restaurants, and many times with hamburgers they'll put a fried egg on top (at restaurants, you won't find this at McDonald's).

For snacks, they'll eat fruit or sometimes little cakes/cookies with their tea or coffee. They also have incredible ice cream, better than Italy IMHO!! The kids LOVE candy (whenever I visit I bring a TON of American candy that you can't find over there. The big, flavored bubble gum is a hit as are the Rice Krispies treats, peanutbutter cups, and Ever-lasting Gob Stoppers).

Speaking of candy, has anyone noticed that a "Milky Way" as it's known in the US is called a "Mars Bar" in Spain, while a "Mars Bar" in the US is called a "Milky Way" in Spain? Wierd, huh?

Buen provecho!!

GranadaGirl (Who just gained 10 pounds dreaming of my madre's tortilla, chicken soup, and pizza!)

[ 08-01-2001: Message edited by: GranadaGirl ]

After a night on "la movida",we ended up in my friend Celso's apartment, where he made bikinis out of bacon, cheese and bread in a small toaster oven. He owns two wonderful tascas by the Puerta del Sol and that's all he had in his home! They were good none the less.

My fridge is almost empty because I beguin holidays tomorrow, jejeje. Anyway, I still have a box of milk, a jar of water, an egg, a yogur, cheese, chorizo, half melon, pasta salad and spinach croquetas that left from yesterday dinner, beer, chocolate puro Valor, two lemons... I think that's all. Also in my kitchen always garlic, onion, pasta, rice, lentils, garbanzos, beans, and different conserves like atun in oil, olives...
Most common dishes in home are :
different dishes of rice, pasta, legumes, vegetables, meat, eggs and fish.
For summer, everything very easy and quick for cooking :
1st- pasta, potato or garbanzos salad, gazpacho, menestra, vichysoise.....
2nd- fried anchovies, scrambled eggs with mushroom and shrimps or ajetes, omelette, filete, lasaña, croquetas, any other fish to fry that is OK in the market...
3rd- melon, water melon, apricots, peach, plums, nísperos ........

Let's accept that the "insides" of a fridge will be different depending on th geographical area and the season. If we are talking about Madrid, typically, there are some "kitchen basics":

Chickpeas, beans (white & dark), lentilles, rice (Valencia type or Calasparra-my favorite). ALl will be prepared either in "hot" or salad modes.

Also you will find onions, garlic, parsley,"laurel", tomillo, romero, clavo, sweet paprika.

Potatoes and some pasta. Vegetables (summer) artichokes, letuce, aubergines, tomatoes....fruits.....lemons..olives of different flavours, canned aubergines( en escabeche)

Pieces of lamb, cow, pork and chicken either for grill or cooking.

Fishes and seafood, from moussels to sardines, it depends on the week.
I can't hide my liking of cooking...

Miguelito, Nativo,

Just let me know when you want me to come over for dinner... I like the potential menus.

I'll bring the wine...

El Gato (Wolf in a cat coat, wishing he was in Madrid for the food... )

forget the yogurt...bring on the NATILLAS!

Leche,
I know what leche and nata is, but... what´s natilla?

Tia (who loves Danone yogur )

Mmmmmm! Ok here's what we often ate in my señora's home: lentejas with chorizo (my favorite, she made them special for me again last month when I visited); white bean soup; pollo al chilindrón (this wonderful chicken in brownish sauce with chopped peppers); ziti with meat sauce; salad with pieces of orange in it or salad with tuna and corn; a salad of eggs, potatoes, peppers, tuna, olives, and some other stuff; arroz con pollo; tortellini; these fried ham and cheese things that you put in the toaster oven; empanada de jamón y queso; puré de patatas (mashed potatoes) with cheese; stuffed peppers; potato soup; leek soup; some type of beef with onions and carrots in a gravy; calamares in their ink over rice (at which point I ran screaming from the room); arroz a la cubana (rice with tomato sauce, fried eggs and sausages on the side); cocido (a dish of sausage, meat, and rellenos) served with a salad of red pepper and tomato, garbanzos, and noodle soup; omelettes and tortilla; chicken with mushrooms. There is so much more but like GranadaGirl I think I've already put on 10 pounds...

Tia:

"Natillas" are sth. like custard. In Spain, we do them many times with the same ingredients as "flan", if you know it (translation from my dict. for flan =custard tart), but usually you add some cinnamon on top.

Wonderful - I like them much more than the usual custard, when they are home made, and have milk enough.

Sounds delicious, Ignacio. I´ve eaten flan before, but it´s usually served with some kind of syrup or brown sugar, isn´t it?

Tia (who is celebrating her membership on this board with a nice cup of "café con leche" made by her brandnew espresso maker)

Tia:

Flan is, natillas no, thy use to be served with cinnamon powder, just cinnamon in branch, or lemon skin on top.

If well done, they have more milk than flan, and are more liquid than custard.

[ 08-06-2001: Message edited by: Ignacio ]

Jamon Jamon Ruffles kick-ass!

Receta Campesina Lays and Rock n'Cream Doritos también!

What about food shopping? How often do you guys go to the market?
When I lived briefly in Sevilla, I had to go to the market almost everyday, because it was a long walk to my apartment, and I could only carry so much. I found it so burdensome that I ended up eating out for the most part.
I would imagine that it is the same thing in Madrid. Since the average person don't own a car and is dependent on public transportation, is there a way for you to buy in bulk, and not make several trips to the store during the week?

Rock 'n Cream Doritos are the best, though they strangely resemble Cool Ranch, no?

Well, I would say that the average person (or family) does have a car, that's the reason for the horrid trafic we suffer, regardless of the reasonable public means of transportation.

I use to load the car either weekly at a mall (too expensive, but close) near my workplace, or in a supermarket in my way home, also with the car. Housewives and some students buy dayly in the markets and supermarkets nearby, because they have time, try to save a little, and buy more fresh food - They cook everyday, I eat out.

[ 08-07-2001: Message edited by: Ignacio ]

Let's run down breakfast row, as well:

Cola Cao...café...más Cola Cao and toast...plenty of María cookies (I prefer Tosta Ricas) and some mermelada.

Leche: Thanks for inciting me to anger, as I do not have natillas in ready supply. I have a friend in Bilbao who makes them from scratch and I DROOL just typing about it. We visited in 1999 and when she said "tengo natillas" I turned and said "grandpa, is that you?" cuz I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

Well, I gotta go drink some boxed milk, eat a milanesa and some croquetas along with patatas fritas and a tortilla francesa before getting back to work.

MAN I MISS SPAIN!!!!!!!!!

Oh MAN Cali & Majesty--I forgot to mention those Maria cookies and campesino chips!!

And who else is ADDICTED to Fanta LIMON, why can't we get that in the US anymore?! (My Spanish friends are astounded that they would stop making the 'best' flavor of soda here...)

Forget Fanta Limon...I want a continuous supply of La Casera in a portable IV bag...NOW!

I must admit Calibasco that I greatly disliked the taste of the Spanish boxed milk when I lived there. But I would kill for it now!

Leche

[ 08-15-2001: Message edited by: Leche ]

Since I grew up on powdered milk, UHT boxed milk was like nectar to me...I do prefer the "bag o'milk" if I have to choose, though.

Regarding shopping at "El Hiper", Ignacio: Log onto the following site for some major (en español) laughs. I almost wet myself I was laughing so hard. Shopping at "Incontinente" and "Altrapo" was never pegged so perfectly:
http://www.desfasetotal.com/archivos/compras.htm

This site has a little of the "humor verde" but some of the things are so darned funny!!!

Oh my gosh, that's hysterical!! You have to love that Spanish humor!

Hey Cali, that's the Hiper I buy at.

Very good, I had read it before, but it made me laugh again.

When bags were avaliable, I also liked the bag one best. But when you have tried the real one, coming directly from the cow, after ONE boiling (for health purpose) in a village, the rest taste like water. Try it!

[ 08-17-2001: Message edited by: Ignacio ]