Spain, the new European food capital?

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   Iconsposted 14 years ago

   http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/foo … ay-347341/

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      pueblomanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yes of course. Spain has the best natural produce, the best chefs and the best restaurants in the world. It also has a cultural habit of secrecy. It kept sweet chocolate a secret from the rest of Europe for 100 years. But its only a matter of time . . . .

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   LaMamaLoliposted 14 years ago

   New? What do you mean "new"? It always has been...lol

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3. 75

   IzzyMposted 14 years ago

   The Spanish are the ultimate experts in making tasteless meat taste good.
   Its an art they had to learn because the land is too arid to breed decent cows and sheep.

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      LaMamaLoliposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      ooh! so harsh! why???

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         IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Well I live in Spain, and trust me the meat is tasteless. Good old Scots mince and tatties needs all sorts added to it to bring out what little flavour is in the meat. The beef is awful, yet it the one meat I tend to use the most.
         Chicken is OK and more reasonably priced than it was when I first arrived here 8 years ago.
         Lamb is out of my price range so can't comment.
         Pork is still affordable but just and no more because it has shot up in price, but tastes OK.
         They can't make sausages. Chorizos are horrible IMO.
         Cured ham is nice but costs an arm and a leg.
         Eggs are the same tasteless mass produced apologies they serve back home too nowadays.
         Spanish cooks and chefs have learned to use herbs and spices to make their food taste good.
         But good basic products don't need additives like this.
         
         Seafood is entirely different. The Spanish fleet work hard to bring home fresh produce for everyones plates...the emphasis being on 'fresh', and it is. They could teach the world a thing or two about cooking products from the sea.

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            LaMamaLoliposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Mmmn, I guess I am fortunate then. My entire extended family live in  Galicia, and whenever i visit the food is to die for. Eating out i usually have seafood fresh from the port, otherwise my family have a diet of fresh fish, grow their own veg, have their own chickens,lamb cows etc so everything is homegrown and i have to say truly tasty! and that includes the meat. I guess I just assumed it was the same everywhere, not sure why i thought that but there you go. So what keeps you there?- am genuinely interested.

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               IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Ahhh..Galicia is much greener than the South of Spain. Seems the meats from there don't stock the supermarket shelves down here.
               What keeps me here?
               Not a lot to be honest - maybe a house I can't sell in the recession? Living amongst really nice people? Don't know how to answer that really

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                  LaMamaLoliposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Good to hear the people are nice! Although as a "northerner" I would obviously never agree with that... lol

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                     pueblomanposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     Excuse me we can't have this.
                     
                     Has anyone heard of El Bulli? Admitedly Catalan, but nobody doubts it is the best restaurant in the world.
                     
                     In the S pellgrino guide (top 50 restaraunts in the world) came first in 2002, 2006, 7,8, 9, and second in 2010. under the artistry of Ferran Adria whose signature dish is the potato omellete. Average price €300. Obviously I've never eaten there!
                     
                     The kitchen of El Bulli has trained some of the best chefs in the world, both Catalan and Spanish, for example Quim Marques, Dani Garcia, Paco Roncero and Sergi Arola.
                     
                     i agree with Izzy about the seafood where we both live, but what about Buey Izzy? Steak from an ox? Surely the best in the world. And I must say I get prime sirloin of Argentinian beef, the best I have ever eaten, for €9 per kilo!

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4. 61

   ggernerposted 14 years ago

   A recent NY Times articles talked about this:
   http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/travel/01Next.html
   
   A Dining Explosion in a Tiny Basque Town
   
   I want to go!

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   klarawieckposted 14 years ago

   And... in Granada they have free tapas with the purchase of a drink - doesn't matter if it's just a coke. You get a really big and nice dish with it.

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   Lady Roseposted 14 years ago

   What about the spanish olives? They are delicious and you can find so many different kinds and flavors..
   And the catalan Butifarra de Pages? There is nothing like a good butifarra with fried white beans and a porron de vino...

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   fayehelenposted 14 years ago

   I LOVE Spanish food - paella, tapas, olives, padron peppers!. Makes me want to go live in Spain!

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