Spanish cuisine is unique. There are many foods that are eaten almost every day, but also some foods that are seasonal, meaning that they are only eaten during a certain time of the year. One example is gazpacho soup, which is enjoyed in the summer because it is refreshing and cold. However, tortilla de patata (made of eggs and potatoes) is eaten weekly in many households. This week, I tried many foods that are common in Spain, such as chestnuts, kaki fruit and sweet potatoes.
One thing that you might find interesting is that we eat dinner at 9:30 p.m., which is very late! As a result, many people eat around five small meals a day. First we eat breakfast, followed by a snack in the middle of the day before lunch. Then, a large lunch is eaten around 3:00 p.m., followed by a merienda (midday snack) around 6:00 p.m. Merienda could be a small sandwich of ham and cheese or a piece of tortilla de patata. Dinner is served between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m.
Eating is a very social act here, so it is important to enjoy food with people you know and like. For example, people can sit together and eat one snack, but stay at the table for three hours talking. Therefore, food is very tied into the culture in Spain.
