Tag: spain

Postcard from Leon, Spain: Regional specialties to ‘Best Burger in Spain’

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A colorful Spanish postage stamp featuring a flower design made of various food items, celebrating León as the Capital of Gastronomy in 2018.

Above: A generous serving of cecina, thinly sliced cured beef, at Casa Divi.

As do most cities in Spain, Leon prides itself on its regional specialties, many involving meat. The meats of the Castilla y Leon region are indeed delicious, but sometimes we did seek out a few workarounds. The following are the spots we visited, listed in alphabetical order.

A slice of golden-brown savory pancake on a decorative blue and white floral plate.
Above: Tortilla de patatas from Bar El Gallinero.

Never had we spent such a long period in Spain without a classic egg and potato tortilla. To remedy that, Lamar researched where to find the best one in the city. To do that he had to go to a bar, Bar el Gallinero. Open only at night and about as popular a spot on the tapa circuit as you can find.

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Postcard from Zamora, Spain: Sampling regional and international dishes

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A decorative stamp from Spain featuring the word 'Zamora' with images of a wolf, traditional dancers, and a scenic view of Zamora's historic architecture.

Above: Leeks confit topped with toasted almonds at Liberten Restaurante

Zamora is a place one can dive deeply into regional dishes. Having traveled for a few weeks, I would have thought I’d tired of that. But the traditional was so well-prepared, we enjoyed it. Alphabetical restaurant mentions are below.

If you follow this blog, you probably are aware I am a stalker of zamburinas during their season. Capitol‘s preparation of the mollusks was perfect. Our generous dried fruit salad with ripe tomatoes offered wonderful contrasting flavors.

Expect to find cod everywhere, but Capitol did it well. Bacalao al horno with sweet roasted peppers was flaky and moist, with a side of the region’s famed garbanzos from Fuentesauco. Merluza, or hake, de pincho Gallega arrived enveloped in delicate pastry with a leek sauce on the side. Later, I realized Capitol prides itself in its rice dishes, so you might want to ponder that portion of its menu.

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Postcard From Madrid, Spain: Bewitched and bedeviled

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Vintage Spanish stamp depicting a witch flying with children, inscribed with 'Quinta Sevilla Goya' and 'Correos Aéreos España'.

Above: Detail of “Allegoric Capricio,” Eugenio Lucas Velazquez (1817-1870), 1852, Lazaro Galdiano Museum.

Vispera de Todos los Santos. The hallowed eve preceding two holy days in the Catholic Church: All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. Or, for the superstitious, La Noche de Brujas, when the witches fly.

Today, it appears Spain has succumbed to the highly contagious American-style celebration of Halloween. With all its horror-film-like bloody mess.

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