Tag: where to eat

Postcard from Madrid, Spain: Savoring international sabores

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A Spanish postage stamp featuring green olives and the text 'D.O.P. Aceite de Madrid', highlighting the gastronomy of the region.

Above: Ceviche verde nortena with avocado ice cream at Tampu Restaurante

By now, readers know we rarely stick to the traditional foods of the country we are visiting. The main reason is that we are slow travelers; we tend to hang out in a city for a while. Bearing that in mind, here is an alphabetical listing of places we tried that you might want to experience.

Al-Mounia is probably the swellest Moroccan restaurant we’ve eaten in. An impressive amuse-bouche consisted of filo cigars of feta and lamb accompanied by a rich side of fried eggplant and roasted tomatoes. Our starter was a chicken and almond pastilla accented with powdered sugar. The lamb tajine with apricots, prunes, almonds and pine nuts that we split was absolutely luscious.

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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 Pontevedra, Spain: Refueling stop for peregrinos

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zamburinas in mercado in pontevedra
A vintage Spanish postage stamp featuring a bridge over a river, with intricate architectural details and the text 'Correos' and 'España' alongside a denomination of '3 ptas'.

Above: Zamburinas for sale in Mercado de Abastos

During temperate seasons, approximately 280,000 pilgrims strike out on one of the Portuguese routes to Santiago de Campostela, passing through Pontevedra on their way. Pilgrims from around the world walk Camino de Santiago, collecting shell stamps as proof of stops and actual scallop shells as souvenirs. Long ago, it is said these shells served as scoops for food offered at the door of inns along the way.

Myths surround this symbol of Saint James, from his saintly remains being borne ashore at Campostela atop shells to miraculous legends of loved ones who drowned emerging alive from the sea covered in scallop shells. The ridges of the shell symbolize diverse pilgrimage routes, all converging upon Santiago de Compostela.

Whatever the religious symbolism, the zamburinas of the region are famed for their distinctive texture and flavor. Like eggshells for cascarones at Fiesta San Antonio, someone has to empty those shells for the pilgrims. So, we try to do our part by pursuing those delectable Galician zamburinas wherever we can, which translates to every couple of years. (Read about their red “commas” in an earlier postcard sent from Zaragoza in 2022.)

For all of those walkers in Pontevedra arriving tired and hungry yet spiritually recharged, we’ll take a detour before scallops because my alphabetical listing of restaurants dictates it.

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