How to Eat Like a Spaniard

I'm not talking about a healthy mediterranean diet. This is food culture and traditions and rhythms. What does a day of meals look like for a Spaniard? Well, it looks something like this.

a Spaniard picks up their baguette each day before lunch…and whatever other incredible goodies that tempt you. this is Cots bakery, a favorite just 13 minutes down the road.

If you want to experience the food culture of Spain, you’re going to have to know how to eat like a Spaniard. What does that look like? Let me walk you through a typical day:

AM: When you get up, breakfast is simply a cafe con leche and a tostada or Maria cookies. If you’re out, switch that out for a croissant. First ask i it’s mantequilla and not manteca (butter vs lard), as not all croissants in Spain are equal. That’s it. That’s all you get for breakfast. Eggs are for lunch and dinner not breakfast, buddy. Don’t worry, we’ll stop again around 10:30 or 11 to have an entrepan (sandwich of baguette bread, smear of tomato and olive oil, with meat and/or cheese) and another coffee.

MIDDAY: Lunch is at 2, or for early eaters, 1. It is the biggest meal of the day.

But wait, before lunch! If you want to experience a proper vermouth hour, before lunch is the time to do it. It’s a glass of Spanish vermouth with a single giant ice cube, slice of orange or lemon, toothpick with 1-3 olives. A proper vermouth hour is served with homemade chips and olives.

Menú is traditional Spanish lunch, with three courses. Usually wine and water, olives and bread are included. There’s Primero, which is where you’ll find salads and light(er) options, though you’ll also see pastas and other filling options.) then Segundo, that’ll be meat-forward. Usually you will have 3-5 options to choose from for each of those courses. This is also when you would have paella, which is always and only for lunch. Then dessert course, which will also include a fruit option and a plain yogurt option. Always ask which desserts are made in-house, and get those. Don’t want even fruit or yogurt? You can switch out for a coffee. If you have coffee and dessert, they’ll charge you for the coffee separately. And remember, we are not in a rush at lunch so you will have to ask for your bill when you are ready to leave. They will not rush you by bringing it before you ask.

Paella out in the countryside on a friend’s land. For lunch, of course.

AFTERNOON: Around 5 or so, there’s Merienda: snack time. For kids, it’s often a sweet something. For adults, well, I won’t stop you from having a little chocolate pastry. I would never.

Before dinner, Spaniards will often stop to “tomar algo” with friends. That can be anything from a glass of wine or a beer or a Vichy sparkling mineral water-or a cafe solo (yes, shot of espresso) for those lucky souls who can have caffeine any hour of the day.

DINNER: At the earliest, you might have dinner at 8. In the summer, it’s going to be more like 9 or 10 or later. Dinner is typically when a group will share a few tapas, but at home it will be a salad or a vegetable puree soup, or … something small and simple. Another favorite dinner is pica pica: like charcuterie, with cheese and cured meat, olives (of course) and nuts and dried fruits. Yes, you can definitely add in some fresh, raw seasonal vegetables and fruits in there too. But keep it small and simple and on most days, mostly vegetables.

SOBREMESA: After dinner, and really at any meal, it’s traditional to draw out the meal at the table, continuing the conversation and the enjoyment. It’s so traditional that there’s a Spanish word for it: sobremesa, which literally translates as “on/around the table.” Do not skip sobremesa if you want to eat like a Spaniard. We are not in a rush here. Relax, sit back, let the food settle and enjoy each others’ company.

Clockwise: esmorzar forquilla, primero of jamon and asparagus, segundo of fresh grilled sardines, tapas, homemade gazpacho, and of course: vermouth hour.

For my creative notebook followers, your prompt: tell me the rhythms of your food culture where you live. Give me your best “How to Eat Like a…” and tell it to me like I’m a foreigner who has very different rhythms and assumptions. Explain a day in your food culture to me. Because what’s fascinating to non-Spaniards is just a normal day to someone here. We often don’t notice the special habits and experiences and events of our own lives. So talk to a stranger, from another culture, another country. Help them understand your food rhythms and norms. It’s only normal because you live there, after all.

This week, you could also:

• Catch up on Instagram: l’Artesania retreat center, the creative notebook, and me.

• Plan a visit to L’Albi

• Schedule a creative journaling workshop or plein air session with me

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