Just back from Spain. It was about a few months ago that I bumped into Fernando Heredia Noguer, Consul General of Spain in Mumbai. Fernando is a fine gentleman who has embraced the people of this city, as much as the people of the city have appropriated him, and is such a good ambassador for his country. I met him at a dinner at a cousin’s place, trying to parley a conversation above the din of a party and loud music, he so created the romance of Spain in that rather high decibel conversation. That’s when I decided that our yet undecided summer vacation was going to be in Spain.
After getting our Schengen Visas from a refreshingly amiable, encouraging and efficient Spanish Consulate, we were off to this warm Mediterranean country, that also boasts of charming people, easy lifestyle, a vibrant nightlife, centuries of history, and vivid and spectacular cuisine. We landed in Barcelona, checked into our apartment which overlooked the iconic, yet unfinished masterpiece of designer and architect Antoni Gaudí. The looming, modernist cathedral, that is still being completed after construction began over a 120 years ago. We were hungry and I wanted a good Spanish breakfast. We jumped into a cab and headed for Barcelona’s main arterial road, Las Ramblas. The 1.3 km, tree lined wide road, packed with tourists, locals, street artists, shops, hotels, cafés and restaurants that connects Plaça de Catalunya, a bustling square with breath-taking modernist architecture, sculptures, magic fountains and monumental buildings to the grand old port of the city.
Just off Las Ramblas, is the Mercat de la Boqueria or the Boqueria Market. A sprawling space just crammed with food, food stalls, meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables. It’s a feast to the eyes as craggy oysters and silvery sardines await you on beds of ice. Cuts, garlands, slices and organs of deep-red charcuterie await you on slicers and chopping boards. As variety of legs of ham hang just waiting to be served. Huge pans of Paella embellished with clams and shrimp sizzle away on fires and stuffed empanadas fly off their heated trays and shelves.
Being a sucker for eggs at breakfast, I settled for the Boqueira Market’s iconic eatery El Quim. Battling the crowds, we quickly grabbed a much-coveted stool at Quim’s and ordered what they are famous for, fresh anchovies doused in oil and vinegar and fried eggs with baby squid. As I gorged on the eggs, resisting the urge to order an early morning Sangria, I decided to indulge myself and ordered a portion of the slow-cooked pork rib and the grilled prawn with garlic. All for breakfast, with some crusty hot bread. Sometimes just being surrounded by food is as if not more pleasurable than just eating it.
The first thing that springs to your mind when you think of Spanish food is Tapas. The word ‘tapa’ hangs on words of the yore when it meant ‘lid’. A lid which was absolutely essential to cover small dishes meant for sharing, to protect them from the swarms of insects and flies that populated the cheap, dark, bars that served them. Today, tapas is an urbane culinary movement and even chefs who are stars as well as chefs with stars use their imagination to create these bite-sized sharing, yet substantial, hors d’oeuvres.
In a really tiny lane, a few minutes’ walk from Plaça de Catalunya, off Avinguda del Portal de l’Àngel, a pedestrian shopping plaza, is Els Quatre Gats (The Four Cats). An old Art nouveau-style café, which boasts of the likes of Pablo Picasso and Antoni Gaudí as its regular guests. At these tables, over wine-fuelled debates over theories of modernism and art. There are an endless number of tapas and some exceptional grills. Patatas Bravas is a must as is the Sirloin Steak Tartare, which is cut by a knife only once you order it, Tagliata of Entrecôte with roasted potato, grilled vegetables and pickled tartare sauce, grilled octopus and prawns casserole flamed with absinthe and volcanic salt. And this was just the beginning of my Spanish journey. The weather was rather hot, but the food was searingly delicious.
Kunal Vijayakar is a food writer based in Mumbai. He tweets @kunalvijayakar and can be followed on Instagram @kunalvijayakar. His YouTube channel is called Khaane Mein Kya Hai. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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