Food

Some images from my 2024 Trip to Portugal and Spain

So why a Food Page

“I am on a seafood diet. I see food, and I eat it.” — Anonymous

There are a couple of reasons why I decided to include a page in this blog for food (and, looking at my waistline, this should be no surprise). 

First, in a pre-trip zoom meeting, the lady who will be guiding our group said “Don’t expect to lose any weight!”  This comment reminded me of my trip to Portugal with my son’s family in 2024. Laura and Jesse lean toward the “foody” side and they made sure that we visited the various pastry shops (and there were plenty of them), sampled the tapas, visited unique wine bars and explored the markets.

Secondly, many of the travel sites for Spain and Portugal which I looked at made it clear that the food and the markets were a unique part of the culture in those countries -and something to sampled.

Thirdly, in a recently-visited internet rabbit hole, I discovered a new word. That word is “commensality” which means the practice of eating together at the same table.  Eating together is a recognized social, anthropological phenomena. It is believed that humans eat together because sharing food triggers brain chemicals that build trust, strengthen social bonds and make us feel safe and happy.  From what I have learned about the El Camino, I believe that commensality is one of the positive experiences that many pilgrims enjoy and that effect  them.  I know that this is one of the things that  am looking forward to on this trip. (“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world” – Thorin Oakenshield)

I strongly expect that some of my blogging will be about food and I think it might be useful to provide some reference material on what I am likely to be sampling etc. And So –a bit of selected information about some of the food:

Pastel de Nata -The pastel de nata is more than a pastry—it’s an icon. Originating in the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon’s Belém district, these flaky tarts cradle a creamy, caramelized egg custard dusted with cinnamon. The original recipe remains a closely guarded secret at Pastéis de Belém, but almost every bakery in Portugal offers their own irresistible version.

“I’ve been on a diet for two weeks and all I’ve lost is two weeks.”
~ Totie Fields

Bifana – this snack features thin slices of pork marinated in garlic, white wine and spices and then sauteed or grilled and piled inot a soft bread roll.

““Red meat is not bad for you. Now, blue-green meat—that’s bad for you!”
~ Tom Smothers

Francesinha: This calorie bomb is Porto’s answer to the croque-monsieur. The francesinha (“little Frenchie”) is a monstrous sandwich of steak, ham, sausage, and cheese, swaddled in thick slices of bread, covered with even more cheese, and drenched in a spicy beer-and-tomato sauce. Often topped with a fried egg and served with fries, it’s not for the faint-hearted! [My chloresterol went up just typing this!]

“Never eat more than you can lift.” – Miss Piggy

Bacalhau a Bras (salt cod with onions, potatoes and eggs): This version combines shredded cod with sautéed onions, matchstick potatoes, scrambled eggs, black olives, and fresh parsley.

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”
~ Mark Twain

Polvo à Lagareiro (Octopus with Olive Oil, Garlic and Potatoes)

“I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.”
~ W.C. Fields

Paella: a famous Spanish rice dish cooked with saffron, meats or seafood:

“Large, naked, raw carrots are acceptable as food only to those who live in hutches eagerly awaiting Easter.”
~ Fran Lebowitz

Jamon Iberico (Spain) – high quality Iberian cured ham made from acorn-fed pigs.( There are two types of jamon – serrano from white mountain pigs and Iberico from black Iberian pigs. You can eat slices of plain jamon on fresh bread as a snack or as part of a cheese board washed down with a glass of sherry. 

“Love and sausage are alike. Can never have enough of either.”
~ Trixie Koontz

Tortilla Espanola : a thick omelette made with eggs, potatoes and carmelized onions.

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook.”
~ Julia Child

Patatas Bravas: crispy fried potato cubes topped with a sharp tomato sauce and aioil (a creamy sauce traditionally made by emulsifying garlic and olive oil with a pinch of salt.

A fruit is a vegetable with looks and money. Plus, if you let fruit rot, it turns into wine, something Brussels sprouts never do.”
~ P. J. O’Rourke

Tapas: a variety of small, savory plates or snacks in Spanish Cuisine: examples patatas bravas, Croquetas (deep fried fritters with a creamy bechamel filling -ham, cheese, beef, salted cod, broccoli, goat cheese.

“When the waitress asked if I wanted my pizza cut into four or eight slices, I said, ‘Four. I don’t think I can eat eight.’”
~ Yogi Berra

Churros: Golden, crispy, sweet, deep-fried dough sticks lightly dusted with sugar and served with velvety hot chocolate (churros con chocolate).

“Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands – and then eat just one of those pieces.”
~Judith Viorst

Cafe con Leche: a bold, creamy, smooth coffee (usually espresso) with hot scalded milk (on a 1:1 ratio) – different from a modern latte because it has little or no foam using only scalded or gently hated milk.

“I’ll have a double cappuccino, half-caf, non-fat milk, with enough foam to be aesthetically pleasing, but not so much that it would leave a moustache.”
~ Niles Crane, Frasier

Question: How much weight do you think that I might put on despite the walking??