Food is one of my favorite things in the whole world, and I love trying new things. In Spain, I made an effort to jump outside of my comfort zone to experience and try all kinds of delicious Spanish foods. The first time I fully experienced what Spain had to offer was in a mercado in Barcelona. The Mercado was absolutely wonderful. Mercados are basically open-air markets where vendors sell different, interesting food. There are often tapas, small servings of food that are normally appetizers for entrees, and there is often fresh fruit, cured meats, and fun new things for tourists and locals to try. At the Mercado in Barcelona, I tried a fried burrito. I am vegetarian, so my burrito had cheese and tomatoes inside, but there were about twenty options with different fillings. The burrito was amazing, and I think about it often. In Barcelona, I also had fresh juice, which is very common at Mercados, and I tried churros because I never pass up the opportunity to try churros. Aside from Barcelona, I also explored a mercado in Madrid, which is known for being the best mercado in Spain. I have my opinions on this that I will share after I explain what I ate. In Madrid, I had numerous empanadas. They were all amazing, but my favorites were the cheese and tomato empanadas. At the Mercado, I also tried paella for the second time (I will explain my first time eating paella later in this blog), needless to say, it was delicious. I also ate fresh focaccia and fresh pizza at the Mercado. Overall, the Madrid Mercado seemed more touristy and expensive. It was not for locals to get fresh produce or meats, it was a cash grab, full of tourists. I enjoyed the Barcelona Mercado leaps and bounds above the one in Madrid, and I am so excited to go back to Barcelona in the future to try more foods at the Mercado.
My next stop in Spain was Granada, where I honestly did not venture out much when it came to food due to the language difficulties, however, for the first time since being abroad, I tried churros and hot chocolate. Hot Chocolate in Europe is incredibly rich and creamy compared to the US, and it has easily become one of my favorite desserts abroad. I tried churros and chocolate in Granada, Cordoba, and Madrid, and my all-time favorite experience was in Madrid because the hot chocolate was the best, as they added cinnamon to the drink which added a special element. However, the churros in Granada were fantastic, as they were traditional Spanish churros, unlike those found in America. It was more similar to a porra instead of a churro meaning it was larger than a churro, less crispy, and lighter with more air inside. After having both porras and churros in Spain, I can admit that porras were superior.
Now, on to the best dish I ate while in Spain, paella. I tried paella for the first time in Cordoba, and the dining experience I had at the hole-in-the-wall restaurant I had in Cordoba was one I will never forget. Sam and I walked into a random place off the street and decided to indulge in a traditional Spanish meal with tapas and Spanish foods. We had two Tapas, patatas ali-oli and tortilla papas con cebolla confitada. Basically, we had an egg dish and a potato dish because those were the main vegetarian tapas opinions. They were both very delicious. Then the paella was brought out, and I was amazed. The rice was cooked perfectly and had a nice bit of crisp from the pan and the vegetables were full of flavor as well. The dish was easily a 10/10 and is at the top of my favorite foods I have eaten abroad. As someone who already loves rice in most foods, paella was spectacular, and I will eat it often when I am in Spain again.
Overall, my dining experience in Spain was a wonderful part of my trip and I cannot recommend enough to get out of your comfort zone when you travel to find new favorite foods like I did with paella, chocolate and churros, and tapas.
