Shall we eat?

Arzua, Sunday 29th May 2011

All over the world food is essential to the maintenance of life, and Spain is no exception. On the Camino calories are burned up at perhaps a greater rate than normal, so eating cannot be ignored.

Breakfast is desayuno which, interestingly, is not especially a hearty meal. Often the Spanish seem to get by with a coffee and a sweet cake or bun. A tasty variation is tortilla. This is a type of flan or tart containing egg, potato and perhaps cheese. A slice of this will be served with a slice of bread. Bread is an almost universal accompaniment. My preference is to walk a little (say 4 Km) then stop for a coffee and toast (tostada). This seems to give me a kick start for the next few Kms.

The main meal of the day may be taken at lunch time or in the evening. Because of the siesta, Spanish evening eating usually starts at about 10 o´clock. They graciously make an exception for pilgrims who can be in bed as early as 8:30pm. A Spanish speciality is menu del dia. I don´t know if any other country does something similar. It´s extremely good value. The menu del dia is a meal for a set price. This is generally 10 Euros (approx 14AUD), but sometimes a little less. Rarely is it more. The meal comprises three courses - 1st, 2nd, and a sweet course together with water or wine. There is a choice generally of four or five dishes for each course. (I´ve just checked the menu of the pension I´m staying at and they have about 8 choices for each course! The problem is to translate the Spanish in order to know what you´re ordering!!)

Typical first course choices would be soup (delicious garlic soup, or vegetable, lentils or chicken with noodles), or salad (with just about everything you could imagine in a salad), or a pasta dish, or perhaps a local speciality (such as pulpo - octopus). Portions are generous. Indeed, it is often tempting to stop at the first course.

The second course may be chicken, or pork, or fish (trout is my favourite), or steak - invariably served with chips (and sometimes salad), or a pasta dish.

Favourites for dessert are creme caramel or ice cream. If fruit is offered it is likely to be an orange, or an apple, or a banana.

In addition to menu del dia most bars serve a variety of sandwiches (bocadillas), which are nothing like Australian sandwiches. Your choice of filling comes in half a loaf of crusty bread - very filling but quite a challenge!

Tapas (individual dishes e.g. calamari, with bars having their own specialities) are also very filling. They can be meal on their own, needing to be ordered one at a time - and often not going beyond one.

On the sweeter side, the regional speciality is tarta de Santiago. This is a plate-cake, cooked in a pan similar to a pizza pan. It is pleasantly sweet (but not over so) with a distinctive almond taste. Yummie!

Well, that´s something of the cuisine of this part of the world. It´s not comprehensive, but it´s a good start.

Is anybody hungry?