La Dieta Mediterránea

La Dieta Mediterránea (The Mediterranean Diet)

The Mediterranean has one of the world's healthiest diets.  Although not all of the of the countries on the Mediterranean follow the diet, their food is still a lot healthier than American food.  American diets contain a lot of processed foods and preservatives, whereas food in the Mediterranean diet is a lot more fresh.  The Mediterranean diet focuses on complex carbs, fresh fruits and veggies, legumes, and plenty of seafood.  They use olive oil as their primary fat and they use meat very little.  It seems that some parts of Spain use more meat than others because in Salamanca, almost everything they make has ham or some kind of pork in it.  Regardless, their reliance on legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, etc.), a variety of seafood, and extra virgin olive oil has kept them very healthy.  

The amount of walking that Spaniards do and their pattern of eating must also have something to do with their healthy physiques.  Spaniards eat a small breakfast at around 8 in the morning that usually consists of coffee with milk.  (I blame Spain for my new addiction to coffee) Lunch comes at 2:00 PM, which is a tad bit late for Americans that are used to eating at 12 noon.  (This was something that was hard for me to adjust to because I would always get hungry after my grammar and culture classes that ended at 12.  Luckily there was a cute little cafe right next to my classroom building that I could always rely on for some tapas) After lunch comes siesta time which is undoubtedly my favorite time of day, too bad America does not partake in these festivities.  I didn't have a hard time adjusting to siestas at all, the only problem was that for the first couple of days I wouldn't wake up until dinner time which didn't come until 9PM.  Dinner is usually light and it is accompanied with a glass of wine.  This was another struggle because Americans are used to indulging in heavy dinners. (To help this I bought snacks at the supermarket and kept them in my room for those emergency times when I could no longer take my hunger)  Coming back to America really makes me miss Spain's food, especially the food in Galicia which was by far my favorite!  Luckily I bought a tapas book that I brought back with me so that I could still have a little taste of Spain right here in America. :) 

Platos Típicos de España

Platos Típicos de la Regiones Que Visitamos 

(Typical Dishes from the Places We Visited)

1.  Castilla y Leon (Salamanca)

En mi clase de cultura yo aprendí que los platos típicos de Castilla y Leon son (In my culture class I learned that the typical dishes of Castilla y Leon are):

*Sopa castellana (Castilian Soup)

Desafortunadamente yo no llegue a comerlo pero se ve muy rico.  (Unfortunately, I did not get to try this but it looks delicious.)

Consists of:  Garlic, paprika, olive oil, eggs, bread, ham, salt, and pepper

De mi experiencia aprendí que en Salamanca usan jamón en casi todo.  Si no te gusta el jamón te advierto que no te quedes en Salamanca o te mueres del hambre. Solo estoy bromeando, estoy segura que puedes encontrar otra cosas de comer, pero puede ser difícil y limitado.  (From my experience, I learned that in Salamanca they use ham in almost everything.  If you don't like ham I don't recommend you go to Salamanca or you'll die of hunger.  lol I'm only kidding, I'm sure you could find other alternatives but it would be very hard and limited.)

*Cochinillo asado (Segovia) (Roast Suckling Pig)

El día que mis compañeros fueron a Segovia, yo no pude ir porque viajaba a Portugal.  Pero ellos dijeron que aunque no fue barato, fue una experiencia única y valió la pena. (The day that my companions went to Segovia, I was not able to go because I was traveling to Portugal.  They told me that even though it was not cheap, it was a unique experience and it was definitely worth it.)

*Vino de Ribera del Duero (Ribera del Duero Wine) 

Nunca puede tener suficiente vino en España. (You can never have enough wine in Spain! lol)

Este es mi favorito clase de vino. (This is my favorite kind of wine.)

*Vino de Rueda (Rueda Wine)

El vino blanco no me gusta mucho, pero en España me encantó.  (I'm not a huge fan of white wine but I loved the white wine in Spain.)

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2.  Andalucía (Granada)

*Pescaíto Frito (Small Fried Fish)

This may not look that appetizing whether you are a fish person or not, these fried fish are absolutely delicious and full of flavor. Don't be afraid to eat the head!

*Jamon de Jabugo (Jabugo Ham)

Una cosa que aprendí de España es que en algunas partes le encantan su jamón. (One thing I learned in Spain is that in some parts they love their ham.)

*Gazpacho

A cold soup made from tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and bread

*Vino Fino (Fine Wine)

*Vino Dulce de Jérez (Sweet wine from Jérez)

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3. Madrid

These two dishes remind me of sancocho from Dominican Republic, which is a hearty stew that can be made of beef, chicken, or fish and is delicious, so I'm sure that this is tasty as well!

*Cocido Madrileño (Stew of Madrid)

Consists of:  Pig's feet, beef stew meat, bacon, fresh ham meat, chicken, garbanzo beans, carrots, turnips, yellow onions, potatoes, cabbage, angel hair pasta, chorizo sausage

*Callos a la Madrileña (Beef Tripe of Madrid)

Consists of:  Beef tripe, calf or pig's foot, garlic, ham, chorizo sausage, paprika, and garbanzo beans

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4.  Galicia

*Pescados y Mariscos (Fish and Seafood)

Galicia was by far my favorite place to visit!  I love seafood and this is what they are most known for.  Thanks to Monica's grandma, I was able to feast on delicious platters of lobster, crabs, mussels, razor clams, etc. It was the freshest and most succulent seafood that I have ever had in my life.  If you ever get a chance to go make sure to try the razor clams.  I would give anything to have some of these right now!

Check it out!

For those of you that do not know what razor clams look like, here's a closer look! Trust me it will be one of the best things that you ever have eaten!

Navajas (Razor Clams)

*Empanada Gallega (Galician Empanada)

I'm Dominican and I'm used to eating empanadas with beef and/or cheese, so hearing that I was about to eat an empanada with tuna in it really caught me off guard.  Don't get me wrong, I love tuna, but I never thought to put it in an empanada; it was a great idea.  I love empanadas and I love tuna, so why not try the two together.  The combination of these two things was quite delicious!

Consists of:  Cooked tomato sauce, eggs, tuna, salt, and pepper inside of a dough crust 

*Queso de Tetilla (Titty Cheese)

Named for its shape, this cheese is nothing short of delicious!  It was my favorite cheese in Spain.  I even bought one and brought it home!  Unlike many of the other cheeses that I tasted in Spain, this one was soft and you could cut into it like butter.  It was a shame that I only got to have it the last night that we were in Galicia but at least I was able to bring some home.  Feast your eyes on these babies!

*Vino Ribeiro (Ribeiro Wine)

*Vino Albariño (Albariño Wine)

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