I really do have a reason for asking this seemingly inane question. I heard that my Spanish friends do not know marshmallows and/or
peanut butter, is this true???

I had one friend ask me about 'puré de cacahuetes'. He just shook his head in disbelief!

If you really want to freak them out, bring 'em a root beer!

I will be bringing a dozen ears of sweet corn next week. They only have it at KFC and is the frozen stuff. My buddy loves the stuff.

Peanut butter is definitely available in Madrid, but primarily in places that cater to foreign tourists and expats (read: "the supermarket in the basement of El Corte Inglés").

A friend of mine tells me that when a Spanish friend came to visit him in NYC earlier this year, the first thing he wanted to try was that peanut butter stuff they're always eating in American movies. He then proceeded to use it as a topping on all manner of American foods -- including soft pretzels. So I think it's safe to assume that peanut butter is a little-known delicacy en España.

When I studied in Spain 10 years ago, my Spanish friends had never had peanutbutter or marshmallows!! Some of them LOVE the peanut butter (every time I visit, that is the only thing they look for!), while others say the marshmallows help them 'speak English' better!

There is definitely peanut butter available (as I recall it was in a jar with the Statue of Liberty on the front!), but it's not exactly the same as we have here, and it's not widely used or known. I don't think marshmallows are even available there.

Definitely bring peanut butter & marshmallows (around the holidays, you can also get cute-shaped marshmallows!), if they don't love them, they'll at least get a kick out of them!

-GG

The Spanish version of Marshmallows are called 'Nubes' they are long, usually pink on the outside and white in the center- same concept, just a different look- but they don't taste quite the same. Nubes tend to be sweeter.

I have purchased American Kraft Marshmallows at Taste of America- so my friends there could try them. Toasted on beach campfires- they've given me mixed results- some like them, some don't.

As for Peanut butter- you can find it now in Spain- but its not a normal or commonly used spread. Most people know what it is, although not all have tried.

We have a friend that goes nuts for Pork and Beans- those they don't have there, we used to bring him a can from time to time

Nowadays though, especially knowing where to look, you can get almost anything over there... although I must say the Oreos don't taste the same (you can even tell they're different! Put an American Oreo next to one you buy in Spain- the cookie part tells all!

We used to take Nestle chocolate chips to make CCCookies- that was always a big hit! Nothing like homemade!

I found the marshmallow fluff to be a big hit among my Spanish friends, more so than regular marshmallows (unless you have a campfire). I don't really care for peanut butter so I always push the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, they're popular as well.

I tried to explain root beer and how to make a rootbeet float to some spaniards one time. They couldn't grasp the idea and kept telling me how disgusting it must be (this from people who mix red wine and coke!). Just because it has beer in the title they kept thinking of it like cerveza even when I told them that it was similar to coca-cola. Does anyone know how to properly explain root beer to a spaniard?

It tastes like liquid Germolene :p

How about pancakes?

My wife remembers Peanut butter from the Siege of Madrid (1936-39). A Church-related organization (The Salvation Army?) provided it as a high protein food for the children of Madrid during and after the siege. It wasn't the creamy kind of Peanut butter we get now, like Skippy or Peter Pan or Jif. The liquid would separate and leave a hard, dry clump. They didn't have much else to eat so they would make do with what they had, which included that peanut butter. My wife hated it!

After we got married she was startled to see me making myself a Peanut Butter sandwich. I guess she just looked on it as an emergency food supplement.

It helped them survive!