A food haven called Spain

Spain is nothing short of a food haven as far as I am concerned. In fact, if I had it my way, Barcelona would be the food capital of the world!

Spain has some beautiful produce, a treat for the taste buds as well as the eyes. Markets like the La Boqueria in Barcelona and the San Miguel in Madrid are places where any food enthusiast can spend many blissful hours. Starting from candies, to fresh fruit and juice, to the best seafood and meat, these markets have the best of everything.

Then, there’s TAPAS. In case you don’t know what tapas are, they are Spanish appetizers and are immensely popular not just in Spain but in many other parts of the world now. They contain cheeses, meats and/or seafood, and are served either hot or cold.

One of my favourite Spanish foods is definitely gazpacho. It’s a cool and refreshing cold soup, ideal for not only Mediterranean summers, but great in the Delhi heat too! Fun fact, my homemade gazpacho tasted exactly like the ones I had in Spain.

But my favourite Spanish dish is definitely PAELLA (pronounced paa-ae-ya)! It’s basically a Spanish risotto, and the seafood version tastes best. It is prepared and served in a cast iron skillet. So make sure you don’t burn yourself on it (I learnt this the hard way)! Unfortunately, I do not have a great picture of paella; by the time it reached my table, I was starved after walking around the city all day long.

As for Madrid, there are definitely some recommended dishes online, but not all of them live up to expectations. I had read a great deal about the calamari sandwiches at Plaza Mayor. Trust me, they were disgusting!

One thing you CANNOT miss are the mushrooms in Sol. Very close to San Miguel market, there is a restaurant that has posters of its very popular mushrooms. You can’t miss the signs, neither can you afford to miss these delicious, juicy, mushrooms.

And while enjoying these delicacies, don’t miss out on the sangrias. After all, would a trip to Spain be complete without some delicious sangrias?

Ice-creams and desserts are abundant, and you can find great desserts almost anywhere in these two cities. The churros, with melted chocolate, are a must-have.

Oh, do remember to set aside half a day for brunch at the amazing Brunch N Cake. It is definitely worth the long queue.

P.S. I would highly recommend NOT going to Burger King, McDonalds or KFC. You can get a freshly-made, much more delicious burger at a small local cafe.