The significance of breakfast is well-known and widely practiced. It is not only essential for giving energy but also helps in maintaining body weight.
However, the question emerges as to what constitutes a perfect breakfast. Common answers include bread, cereals, or a simple cup of coffee. But can such a breakfast genuinely maintain our energy and nourishment for the entire morning? Doubtful. Most often, our breakfast choices are driven by individual preference instead of nutritional value and I must confess, I am guilty of this as well.
Spanish Breakfast is a special recipe from Spain. It includes fresh milk, homemade cookies, coffee, and pleasant conversation. Unlike traditional breakfasts, Spanish people do not eat cereals or bread since they require more energy for the day.
Today, I aim to introduce a breakfast option that is not only favored by the Spanish, but may possibly revolutionize your breakfast routine. Doubtful? Keep reading to find out more.
Spanish Breakfast Foods
Spanish breakfasts are small and variable, usually consisting of cafe con leche or coffee, accompanied by something sweet. Savory breakfasts are less popular, while the popular choice is tomato on bread. This is often taken with orange juice for vitamin C. Let us take a look at the different categories of Spanish breakfast foods, with various options to choose from.
Traditional Spanish Breakfast Food
1. Churros (Spanish doughnut)
Churros, the breakfast of Spain, are long, sugar-coated pastries. The churro is to the Spanish what donuts are to North Americans. Some churros are made with a star-shaped tube, which gives them a furrowed appearance, whereas others are made with a piping bag, which produces an unabridged smooth churro.
They are fried golden brown and served hot, ordinarily with hot chocolate, and are sold in the morning by street vendors in places like fairs, transport stations, and so forth, where a quick breakfast is customary.
It’s likely the most popular breakfast pastry in Spain, and it’s scrumptious. Churros are even better when there’s no hot chocolate to go with them. Imagination allows for any number of combinations: with coffee, with ice cream, or smothered in caramel. Almost anything tastes awesome when accompanied by churros.
2. Tortilla Española (Spanish omelet)
This classic Spanish dish has become a favorite among foreigners and tourists since it is simple, requires few ingredients and has a reasonable cost. This dish is additionally often referred to in Spanish as tortilla de patatas or tortilla española.
Its ingredients are Juicy sautéed onions, starchy potatoes, and eggs, flavored simply with salt. Depending on what region of Spain you’re in, the potato of the tortilla can vary. A few parts of Spain, like Navarra, include a small bit of pumpkin, making a tortilla de calabaza.
The addition of red pepper makes the tortilla paisana, and in the Basque region, they may include bacalao (salted cod) and spinach. No matter what ingredients used, the method in making the tortilla remains relatively the same.
Serve with a side of new crusty bread and a simple green salad to make a balanced meal. This dish is also great for breakfast and makes a delicious sandwich when served between two slices of bread.
3. Pan Con Tomate
Pan con tomate is considered a classic Spanish dish and can be found as a breakfast item in most Spanish restaurants. The name itself translates to “bread with tomato,” which is pretty much what it is.
This easy-to-make meal comprises only five main ingredients for the most basic recipe and is ordinarily the only thing required for a simple breakfast in Spain. The ingredients include bread, tomato, olive oil, garlic, and salt. This is often the most essential recipe for pan con tomate because it can be changed to an individual’s liking by including diverse ingredients such as cheese, prosciutto, anchovies, or different vegetables.
The garlic is used to rub on the bread and the tomato is squeezed so that only the juice and seeds come out (which is spread on the bread). This is considered a traditional and basic dish in the Catalan locale of Spain but can presently be found anywhere in the nation. Pan con tomate may be a simple dish but it is delicious all the same and is also a healthy meal alternative for breakfast.
Regional Spanish Breakfast Foods
1. Sobrasada on Toast
Sobrasada is a raw, cured sausage from the Balearic Islands, made with ground pork, paprika, salt, and other flavors. The surface of sobrasada is smooth and easily spreadable. It is regularly used on a small sandwich of some sort and is commonly spread on a fresh piece of bread and topped with honey.
In this recipe, sobrasada is spread on toast, topped with thinly cut Mahon cheese and broiled until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. This recipe is a take on the classic tapa Sobrasada con Miel (Sobrasada with honey) and Sobrasada with Mahon cheese.
It makes a great breakfast, lunch, or snack. Serve with a simple salad if you like the saltiness of the toast and pair great with something light and acidic like a simple lemon vinaigrette (keep in mind to make the vinaigrette first to save on time and clean up).
2. Molletes
A mollete is a small, soft white bread roll, very similar to the English muffin, that is later split and topped with healthy, high-protein toppings. This can be great for those who are attempting to stay healthy and cut out undesirable sugars and bad fats while gaining muscle mass at the same time.
Molletes are an excellent way to have a healthy Spanish breakfast. Do not confuse these with “Mexican Molletes,” as what is known as Molletes in Mexico is an open-faced sandwich with refried beans and cheese on top.
Spanish Molletes are a healthy option that is high in protein, so if you’re into working out, fitness training, or looking for a healthy snack, this is certainly one for you to try. They also take very little time to make and are very filling.
3. Pestinõs
Pestinõs are a food that symbolizes Spanish cuisine. They are simple, not particularly healthy, but most importantly, a very delightful treat. And although they are not widely known outside of Spain, there is a great chance that anybody who has tried them will not forget them.
The main ingredients in pestinõs are olive oil and flour, although you can also use butter. Other ingredients can include eggs, sugar, and even a bit of ground cinnamon. The way the pestinõs are made can vary but basically, the ingredients are mixed together to create a dough.
This dough is then rolled flat and cut into circles, and after that, more often than not, the circles are left to sit for a while before they are cooked. The circles are then fried in olive oil until they turn a light brown color.
Finally, the circles are drained of any excess oil and most commonly covered in sugar and honey. Across different regions, the pestinõs can be made from pasta-like dough to sweet bread dough and can be made thick or thin. It is additionally very common to have slightly defective pestinõs, as the thin dough is not too easy to handle but similarly produces delicious results.
Spanish Breakfast Beverages
Unlike the rest of Europe, the typical Spanish breakfast does not include a lot of caffeine. Some Spanish individuals drink coffee with hot milk and children are frequently given a ‘café con leche’ (coffee with milk) in the mornings.
Another common breakfast drink is ‘Cola Cao’. This is a chocolate powder that is mixed with either hot milk or, sometimes, coffee and hot milk. It was invented in the 1940s, is claimed to be a nutritious drink and is rich in vitamins and minerals.
A lot of Spanish parents still accept this nowadays. Juice is additionally a well known breakfast drink and it is common to find fruit-flavored nectar drinks that are made from concentrated fruit or mixed with water in a large carton.
What is Spanish Breakfast Food?
Pastry with a milky coffee or just some biscotti dunked in a hot drink is what many would consider a light or minimal breakfast but not the Spanish. The pastry is basically a considerable pre-lunch snack but it’s not very sufficient to fulfill the desire for a formal meal.
During the earlier hours of the morning, a few Eastern Spanish say that they frequently encounter the scent of oil coming from their neighbor’s kitchen and when inquired why, it is the early birds frying up some special Spanish tapas. Potato omelets, croquettes, and calamari are a few typical examples of what constitutes a second breakfast in Spain, yet many of the recently ‘get up and go’ era regularly leave the traditional stuff for lunch out and will basically plan toast with some spread.
On cold winter mornings in Spain, a breakfast of churros (Spanish doughnut) with a cup of hot chocolate is the ideal way to warm up. Spanish hot chocolate is very thick and has the consistency of custard. When Spaniards make hot chocolate at home, they will often make a big batch and then keep it on the stove, reheating the same chocolate for a few days and adding more milk to thin it out.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Spanish cuisine! Spanish culture and food go hand in hand; from evening tapas to morning churros or just enjoying a feast of seafood, Spanish eating and cooking reflect the passion and warmth of the culture. I hope this article serves as a guide on how to make a typical Spanish breakfast food.
