Coffee Culture In Spain

Journey from Mumbai to Canary Islands can be very tedious, because there is no direct flight (have to change 3 flights, via Paris and Madrid to reach Tenerife) and there is no food offered in local European flights. My mouth was parched from exhaustion and I needed to buy a drink. I asked for water, but had to wait till airhostess was ready to bring her cart of drinks. I was too thirsty to drink anything else but water, that was on sale for 2 euros.

On arriving at Tenerife airport, I entered the cafeteria and ordered coffee for me, not specifying the kind of coffee I needed. I was served Café Cortado (expresso with little milk) in a tiny cup. I regretted cause I should have specified that I needed Cappuccino(the milky brand with lots of foam floating on the top making beautiful designs)

In Mumbai, everybody drinks too much tea, some to freshen up and some to kill hunger. In Spain, everybody drinks too much coffee and for the same reason. 

Spanish coffee is roasted and blended in a unique way, with its undeniably quality and unrivaled variety, it represents more than a drink, it is actually a way to relax and celebrate life.

There is great variety to choose from, as the country is filled up with cafes, terraces, restaurants, bars, clubs, pubs, and everywhere you see people sipping coffee.

Mothers leave their children at school then head towards coffee house for some gupshup before going home to their daily routine. Men need coffee with their every puff (it helps them think better, maybe). In Spain, “tomar un café” is one of the most common phrase and an essential part of their everyday life.

But little gyan is important or else you will be stuck with most weird taste in your mouth for ordering the wrong type of coffee.

Café solo, (which means single espresso,) is the most common type of coffee with no milk and is normally served in small cups. Cafe solo represents the basis of all Spanish coffee, It’s the strongest coffee and Spanish normally have this around 11am.

If you are travelling in Spain and like strong coffee with no milk, then Café Solo is for you. If you think it is too small then you can order Café Doble (double espresso), If you find it too strong, then ask for ‘Americano’ (this has more water added and is served in bigger cups) and if you think that none of these is your type and you still prefer without milk, then can ask for Café Suizo (espresso topped with whipped crème) or Carajillo (which is spiked with brandy or whisky)

Most of the time, Spanish prefer their coffee with milk, which is much weaker than Café Solo. They start and end their day with ‘Café con Leche’ (this is half milk, half coffee) and they even have it after every meal.

It is important to understand the difference between ‘Café con Leche’ and Café Cortado. ‘Cortado’ means short or ‘cut’ but it has nothing to do with language. Don’t even think that waitress will give you short espresso. Nah! Café Cortado is café solo with just a bit of milk.

But what if you want less coffee and more milk? You must say “El Café: un Manchado por favor”

If you cannot tolerate caffeine, there’s always the option for ordering ‘Descafeinado’ but again, be careful, you must ask for ‘descafeinado de maquina’ unless you want to get an instant coffee poured into a cup of hot milk.

Then there is another interesting type called ‘Café con Heilo’ (coffee with ice) this is not cold coffee that you might have had sometimes in your own house where in you make coffee and just add ice. There is a ritual to prepare this, which is pretty much like this: 

You ask for a cup of coffee (it could be black or light brown, it doesn’t matter) and a glass filled with ice cubes. Add the sugar in your hot coffee, let it melt and then pour the cup over the glass containing ice. Drink it fast.

Confused already? Okay here is the list if that helps:

Café Solo (Espresso)

Café Doble (double espresso)

Café con Leche (espresso with milk, usually half and half proportionally)

Café Cortado (espresso with a bit of milk)

Café Manchado (little espresso with more milk)

Café Suizo (espresso topped with whipped cream)

Café Americano (large Café solo with more water)

Café Bombon (Café solo with condensed sweet milk)

Carajillo (espresso with a drop of brandy, whiskey or rum)

Café Caramel  (Café solo with condensed milk)

Café con Heilo (Espresso with ice)

There are so many variations and they are so entangled that they only blur your mind and confuse you. With many coffee houses in India, many people have developed a taste for different variety of coffee.

When in Spain, I may order Manchado or Cortado but back home in Mumbai, its always 'just cutting chai……'

Breakfast From Left-Overs Rotis

Indian diet is never complete unless we have rotis. Most of my friends have thali type of food in their house, with 2 veggies, dhal, rice, papad, curd, pickle, rotis.

I cannot eat so much food and I am kinda confused when I see so much variety of assorted veggies. Should I eat this or that? I prefer only one type of veggie and it is either roti or rice (never both). But making roti is such a pain. I can roll roti in different maps of the world (sometimes Australia, sometimes Africa) but never round (like our globe). Sometimes my rotis are so hard that you need a nut cracker to break it…er…okay...not so hard. but quite hard if not consumed immediately.

I like guests who volunteer to make rotis for me. My guests understand my discomfort when I touch my waist, wipe my brow, look blushed after every disfigured roti, they get uncomfortable of the thought of digesting my poorly roasted rotis. They volunteer to help. Sweet people. In their own kitchen they may never lift a finger (because they have a big army of cooks and maids) but they do help me if I look miserable.

I think when a real Roti maker hits the market, I won't be surprised if they run to buy me Roti maker on my first big day either as Diwali present or for my birthday. *winks*. 

But most of the time, it’s my maid who helps. She makes enough rotis for everybody to eat, plus there are left overs.

Cooking left over food by re-inventing it into a complete new dish is the fun food. Masala roti made from left-over rotis tastes very delicious. I normally have it for breakfast.

It is very spicy and pungent. I normally put too many chilies, so much so that people will be weeping, wiping their nose but enjoying. I don't offer them tissues (they might finish the whole box), give them napkin instead.

Recently my friend (who has found me on FB after donkey years) wrote to me that she still remembers the masala roti that I used to make centuries ago. She still remembers the taste. Well Hema, if you are reading this, then is the recipe for you… follow the recipe and remember me.. okay?

Mani sayal (saye masale mei)

(Chappatis in green masala)

Serves 4

Ingredients

6 chapatis, broken into small pieces

6 green chilies, finely chopped

1 cup coriander leaves, chopped

½ cup fenugreek leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons garlic

2 teaspoons coriander powder

½ teaspoon red chilly powder

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon oil

Method:

1. Mix together the green chilies, coriander leaves, fenugreek leaves, garlic, coriander powder, red chilies powder, salt, and pound to a coarse paste. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the paste.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder, stir and fry.
4. Mash the tomatoes and add 1 cup water.
5. When the mixture starts to boil, add small pieces of the chapatis.
6. Cook on low heat for five minutes, making sure the gravy does not dry out completely.
7. Serve hot with papad and buttermilk

Mexican Food Festival

‘Eat-What-You-like-How-Much-Ever-You-Like’ is a very complicated concept for me. I have a small appetite therefore it’s very difficult for me to try everything that is at buffet tables. So the first thing I do before I start my dinner is to make a round of all that is available and is visually pleasing to my eyes.

 This is exactly what I did last Saturday when I was invited for Mexican Food festival at Lake View Café at Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel. Chefs Guadalupe Monterroza and Chef Narciso Alcazar have been flown from Mexico especially for this festival and they have done justice to the food by preparing their authentic Mexican cuisine.

On my rounds, passing through the live food stations of Tacos, fish, Cactus leaf, Panela cheese, I stopped by the stall that prepared pickled fish and also ordered some watermelon juice for me.

The Cancun Escabeche (pickled fish cooked with cilantro, tomato, lime, red onions) was delicately cooked and the chilies added extra flavor to it. (There were five different varieties of red pepper, I had asked him to add three of them.)

 Slowly does it. To digest food one needs to walk, admire the ambience and enjoy the Spanish music that was playing softly in the background. Walked over to the table containing large range of salads and a wide array of Salsas such as Molcajete, Mexicana, Guacamole, Chipotle, Borracha and Habanero.

Returned to the table with 2 types of salads containing squids, fish, chicken and few sauces. Mexican culinary contains beans, cheese and red pepper in most of their recipes. It is spicy and pungent; the flavor comes from the variety of red pepper used in their recipe. The chef returned to our table at regular interval, presenting us with different assorted plates made especially for us.

Moving on to main course on Mexican vegetarian delicacies included Chile relleno,  Arroz jardinera, Oaxaca cheese(Rice stuffed chili, oaxaca cheese), Calabazitas (Panela cheese stuffed squash), Molotes (Mushroom fried quesadillas) and non-vegetarians were Pescado Veracruz (Tomato, onion, red and green pepper, green olives), Pollo con mole negro(Chicken with a chile chocolate salsa) and Barbacoa de Borrego(Beer, tomato, green tomato, onion, avocado leaves, guajillochile), amongst other appetizing dishes.

I have never eaten black chicken (Pollo con mole negro) cooked with chocolate and chillies that contained nuts and sesame seed. It was delightful dish with chicken so tender that it melted on the first bite leaving behind the sweetest, spicy, chocolate taste. I am hoping that chef (he promised) will share with me the recipe of this dish. 

Dessert was the feast to the eyes. Churros, Tres Leches (Three milk cake), Arroz con leche (Rice pudding), Borrachitos(Mexicantequila cake), Flan de Rompope (Eggnog flan), Ponche (Punch). The churro con chocolate and soft delicious cakes brought back the fond memories of Spain.

Fun evening spend with friends who enjoy food as much as I do.

The Mexican festival will be on till 3^rd July at Lake View Café at Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel. at Powai.