Bocados (Snacks)

So far, I’ve had pretty good experiences with Spanish food. Rosa makes me yummy meals every day, so I haven’t had any real chances yet to go out to the restaurants and see what’s out there. However, I have had a few of the classic snack-type foods that are popular here in España. Here are a few of my favorites so far:

1. churros con chocolate - This classic is the Spanish equivalent of Café du Monde beignets and coffee. The churros are crispy, fried sticks of yummy dough-nutty dough topped with sugar. The chocolate is a distant cousin of hot chocolate. It’s really more like a melted dark chocolate bar in a mug. When we went for churros I got “chocolate con leche” (chocolate with milk). I don’t know where the milk was, because it really seemed to be a melted chocolate bar, but it was absolutely delicious. The chocolate was warm and thick and the churros were perfectly crispy. And of course when you dip the churros in the chocolate….well, how can you go wrong with chocolate, fried dough, and sugar? See them here.

2. bocadillo de tortilla – Whoever invented this must have been a carbomaniac. Basically, it’s a potato sandwich. More specifically, it’s a potato omelet (this is what the Spanish call a tortilla- not the kind you eat with tacos) on a baguette. And like most foods involving lots of carbs…it’s delicious. However, not recommended for everyday eating. Click for potato sandwiches.

3. pan – A fresh baguette for 35 cents! What more is there to say?

4. calimocho – Maybe not one of my favorites, but worth mentioning as a common street food/drink experience. This local favorite is half cheap wine, half Coca Cola. It makes for a very cheap and very sweet “wine” drinking experience. Very popular with students. You can find it almost anywhere, but the best place? Peter Pan – probably one of the most sparsely decorated bars in Santander. The entire place is painted hot green, there are some very old wooden shelves spanning the bar wall, and the menus are written on poster board and nailed to the wall. Very classy. But what do you expect for a place that is known for such a classy drink?

Did you notice how healthy all of these wonderful snacks are? Have no fear family- all of these are rare occurrences in my daily life. Except for pan- Rosa is very fond and serves it with every meal.

Lastly, a food that will never make it onto my list of favorites- morcilla. Apparently an old standard in Spain, this lovely little sausage´s main ingredients are rice and blood. Rosa had a fun time serving it to me at lunch last week. I tried it of course, but it’s definitely getting put in the same category as whole baby octopus- I’ve tried it, it was interesting, and that’s that. Mmm...blood sausage.