Food for Thought

I said a while ago that I would do a post about the food in Spain and I’m finally doing it. To sum up food here: It’s really good! I definitely lucked out with my host family because Juan is a great cook. Every now and then, he goes to the txoko. This is the place where men get together and cook, then eat the food they have made together. Up until a few years ago, women could not even go to the txoko. Now, they can go, but only to eat the food – not prepare it. However, the txoko we go to for my practicum class, makes a special exception for us.

One thing about Spanish cooking is that it is centered around pork and bread! I am pretty sure I eat some type of pork just about every day here whether it’s ham, lomo (pork loin), chorizo, etc. My host family has a baguette delivered fresh to our apartment every day. And between la comida (lunch) and cena (dinner), it is almost always gone by the next day. My host sister and her husband come over for lunch every day. Sometimes my host brother’s girlfriend comes over too. Meals are definitely family time.

I try to take pictures of the food when I can. Here are some of my favorite meals (notice the bread in almost every picture!):

Paella - a rice dish with meat and vegetables 

Definitely one of my favorites

Tortilla de patata (tortilla española) - the only ingredients are eggs and potatoes!

Tortilla francesa - an omelete but really good with chorizo

Menestra - peas, fried potatoes, ham, eggs, and olive oil

This is calamari and my host dad cooks it with the ink! *Yes, those are french fries on top!* So it's extremely black, but really good. It can also stain - hence the bib

Between my cooking class at school and learning from Juan, I know quite a few dishes that I will be bringing back to the US with me. My host mom was proud to tell me at the beginning of the semester that all of her host students have gained weight while in Bilbao. So, she is quite disappointed that I am not gaining weight. (I definitely would though if it weren't for all of the walking!) However, I have received the award for the best eater they have had. According to Maite, I don’t eat a lot, but I will at least try everything. And about 98% of the time I like it!

I will also be bringing home a jar of Juan's homemade hot sauce/oil. Yum.