The Secret She Must Tell The Spaniard
Magdalen Dano
Secreto Ibrico (which translates as Iberian Secret) is a cut of meat, which comes from between the shoulder blade and the loin of the prized Iberian pigs. Even if you can only find it from regular pigs, I recommend you give this cut of meat a go for the amazing flavour you get from it.
Ive never seen it in the UK, but if you have a good butcher Ill let you tell him my secret and ask him if he could preapre it for you! Incidentally, its not a very expensive cut of meat (unless its from a Pata Negra pig).
Jaja, muy bueno tu post Tanya.
A nosotros en casa nos encanta esta carne, sobretodo a mi porque no tengo que pensar en cmo prepararla, como dices tu, una sartn caliente, sal, pimienta y listo!
Saludos ?
My wife and I took a road trip in Spain back in 2015. We took a lunch break at a small restaurant tucked in the narrow hilltop streets of Toledo. Not speaking the language and understanding the menu, we asked local folks what they were eating, and they said Secreto. We ordered it and we still talk about how good it was. Appreciate this blog and other webs that explain what Secreto Iberico is. Hope we can find the cut in the east coast US.
So in 2016 I turned 50. I was in Italy for my 21st, 30th and 40th. To keep this birthday tradition going I always knew I'd be in Italy for my 50! This blog starts with my 5 week adventure in Puglia but my love affair with Italy continues.....
I have been traveling in Europe for the summer, and have spent the majority of my trip in Spain. Spanish chocolate is insanely delicious, and has a long and captivating history. As I write blogs for Maui Chocolate Coffee Tours, we thought it was necessary that I tell you about my European summer experience. Keep reading to learn about traveling to Spain and the history of chocolate!
The Spanish Explorers first brought chocolate to Europe over 500 years ago! The Spanish were the first ones who mixed the bitter cocoa with sugar, thus modifying a bitter Mayan drink into the delicious and sweet hot chocolate drink as we know today. Over time, Spanish chocolate has changed, but their love for it has never diminished.
Hernan Cortez was the first person who brought chocolate to Europe. Cortez was warmly invited into the Aztec dinners, where they would give him their favorite drink, the spicy warm (but bitter) chocolate. Cortez began to realize the great importance that the Aztecs placed on chocolate. During this time they even used cocoa beans as money! He decided to load up on it and send it back to Spain. Once the chocolate landed in Spain, the Cistercian monks grasped the knowledge of how to turn cocoa beans into the yummy Aztec chocolate drink. The monks were in charge of prepping the imported cocoa beans into hot chocolate for the Spanish nobility. They kept their chocolate knowledge a secret, and managed to prevent the rest of Europe from finding out for almost 100 years!
Now, as the years passed, the Spanish recipe for chocolate was molding to more and more European tastes. The Aztecs had blended fiery hot peppers into their chocolate, but the Spaniards decided to go for a sweeter option, with sugar cane from the Canary Islands to create the sweetened chocolate that would eventually be a worldwide hit!
As soon as we finished the hike, hungry and exhausted in the middle of a hot summer day, we were waiting to catch the shuttle back to our car when we found a chocolate stand that was selling artisanal chocolate made in Spain. Of course, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to taste some Spanish chocolate and support a local company! The woman working there was very kind, and explained to us that many of her chocolates are sweetened with honey, rather than sugar. That is, locally farmed and organic honey!
You can find chocolate everywhere in Spain! Whether it be hot chocolate, chocolate croissants at the bakery a.k.a. Napolitana De Chocolate, churros with chocolate, and more! If you are a chocolate lover like we are, you must indulge when you travel to Europe. Everything here is so delicious, and has so much history behind it. Traveling to Spain and the History of Chocolate is one that goes hand in hand together.
It's wonderful that these influencers are bringing more people into the world of tinned seafood, but I am proud to say we Spaniards have been eating canned seafood way before all the Tik Tok stars and hip young people in Brooklyn! I even went onto Tik Tok myself to remind people of this, and I talk about it on my podcast that comes out tomorrow, so be sure to tune in!
In Spain we can everything: squid, cockles, sea urchin, mussels, percebes (barnacles), anchovies, and sardines, and also our amazing bonito (the amazing albacore tuna caught in the Cantabrian Sea packed in olive oil)! If it is from the sea and you cannot eat it perfectly fresh, then the next best thing is from a can. Really! These little sea creatures can stay for years in oil marinating, and when you open it up, you will find them lined up neatly inside the can. They almost look too beautiful to disturb, but you must because they are so delicious!
I always have a few different types of tinned fish at home for when I need a snack or something to feed my friends who come over without telling me. I also like to keep a can or two with me when I fly in case the airplane food is not good.
Today, I want to talk about tinned fish. This is a food that has become so very trendy lately thanks in part to a Tik Tok \u201Ctinned fish\u201D craze with all these influencers making videos about \u201Cconservas\u201D\u2014 the Spanish word for tinned and canned seafood.
When I am home, there\u2019s a lot I like to do with tinned fish (besides just eating them straight from the can, which is one of the best ways). Another very easy one is to get some toasted bread, maybe spread some salted butter on it, and then layer on your favorite canned fish. Sardines are a favorite of mine not only because they are fantastic, but because they are sustainable and healthy with lots of good fats for your heart. I even have my own line of tinned sardines, little ones from Galicia that are caught by net along the shores of the Rianxo estuaries of northern Spain.
Now, back to how to make the toast! On top of the fish you can add some freshly cracked black pepper maybe, some chiles, or a few drops of the hot sauce I love from Spain called Salsa Espinaler (we have it at Mercado Little Spain in Mild and Spicy\u2026I\u2019ll let you guess which one I prefer!) and that\u2019s all you need for a perfect afternoon bite or cocktail party snack.
I\u2019ll share one more way I like to eat canned fish which is even more fun\u2026I put a can of tinned fish over a bag of potato chips! Yes my friends! Crispy salty chips make a great platform for those little fish marinated in oil. Of course I love my own chips, but you can use whatever you like, take any bag you have in your pantry now or go to the corner store and get some.
Open up the bag and pour the mussels (or cockles, or mussels, or sardines, or\u2026) over the top of the chips. Then you eat the chips with the flavors of the oil and the fresh briny fish on top! I think that potato chips and tinned fish is going to be the next viral trend. We will start it now, together, you and me!
I know so much about Sevilla and Plaza de Espaa, because I was a (bicycle) tour guide in 2019/2020. I shared a lot of articles about my time here.
Every tour I ended at this place and every time I was amazed and was enthusiastic to tell the tourists about the secrets this square has. Now I am excited to share it with you!
I was a tour guide at " data-wplink-url-error="true">BajaBikes/Andaluca Tours and Discovery and loved it! If you are planning to go somewhere and want to do a bicycle /walking tour, make sure you book through them!
Plaza de Espaa was created due to the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929. This was held to welcome the former colonies of Spain, which means most of South America and even Portugal and the United States were invited.
Besides a lot of tourists, inside the building, there is not much to find.
Except for locals, they can find some offices, including the immigration office, where I had to go often when I moved to Seville. You can also find a military museum on the left side, which I have never entered.
My goal is to travel the world and live in more countries! I cant stop talking about travelling. I always feel restless, which is not the best thing for my loved ones ?
My love for photography, creativity, writing and travelling made me create aborntraveller.